MALS Students Present at National Conference

NC State’s MALS program was well represented at the annual conference of the Association of Graduate Liberal Studies Programs in Washington, D.C. Stephanie Jares and Andrea Restle-Lay presented on behalf of our program. This year’s theme was “The Commons: Exploring Common Ground in Uncommon Times.” 

MALS alumna Stephanie Jares is the coordinator of advising in NC State’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology. She is also pursuing her M.Ed at the university. Her presentation, “The Impact of the Potential Dissolution of DACA on Higher Education and DACA Qualified College Students,” was based on her MALS culminating project research. She found that potential dissolution of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) by the current administration could negatively affect higher education institutions. The conflict is compounded by the requirements of federal policies and the need to protect all students. 

A software engineer for NC State’s Dairy Records Processing Center, Andrea Restle-Lay is also a MALS student. She presented a paper entitled, “Visi-Trash: Reducing Waste Through Data Tracking and Public Engagement.” Visi-Trash is the name of her proposed smartphone social media game app designed to engage the general public. It will educate and encourage healthy competition to reduce waste, focusing on single-use containers such as plastic shopping bags and disposable water bottles. Restle-Lay was awarded the Student Presentation Award for her proposed social media game.