IU Kokomo adult student earns award at national conference
Three years ago, Joanne Crawford clocked out of work for the last time, devastated after losing her job when her factory closed.
This month, she earned recognition for the top student paper at a national conference and is considering graduate school.
“I loved that job so much,” she said. “Three years into the future, I had no idea how much better my life was going to be.”
Crawford, a communication major at Indiana University Kokomo, received the Eugenio E. Zalvidar Undergraduate Paper Award at the Lighthearted Philosopher’s Society annual conference at the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library in Indianapolis.
She submitted her paper, an analysis of the movie My Cousin Vinny using communication and humor theories, at the urging of Liz Sills, assistant professor of communication. Sills had assigned students to review a movie involving conflict and analyze it using theories learned in class.
“It was a razor-sharp analysis,” Sills said. “I was impressed with Joanne’s ability to mesh theory and practice in a practical way, in a really organic, ‘I understand this,’ kind of way.”
Crawford admitted she was nervous to read her paper in front of the group, but after attending the first day of the conference and meeting other attendees, she felt more comfortable.
“To look out at a crowd of people and see them paying attention to what I was saying, and some of them were nodding, it was a very positive experience,” she said. “The audience was asking questions and seemed invested. That was very affirming.”
She was also pleased to have family members, including her two adult children, in the audience.
“My daughter said, ‘I almost cried, I was so proud of you,’” Crawford said. “That was a good feeling. It was cool to be more of myself and not just mom. They could see a different side of me.”
Sills also was proud of her accomplishment.
“It was wonderful to see,” she said. “Joanne was glowing. Her public speaking was amazing, her voice was carrying, she was talking at a great rate. As an instructor I was ticking off boxes. It was nice to see her shining in the way she deserves.”
Sills said experiences like presenting at professional conferences reinforce what students learn.
“Taking things out of the classroom is crucial to a college experience,” she said. “If you learn a thing, you take an exam and then you’re done, you haven’t retained it. When you take it out into the world and have it affirmed and discuss it with people who aren’t grading you, it really sticks.”
Crawford never would have imagined she would present at a national conference when she decided to return to college. She’d previously started a degree right after graduating from high school and tried again 16 years ago. She decided the time was right to return after losing her job and receiving a breast cancer diagnosis.
“My priorities of what I wanted to do shifted,” she said, adding severance pay, money from her 401(k) and unemployment benefits, combined with financial aid and scholarships, made returning to college possible.
“As a returning student, it’s always been my lifelong goal to get a college degree,” she said. “From the factory to here, it feels like a dream come true.”
Education is KEY at Indiana University Kokomo.