The 2025 Northwest Communication Association (NWCA) Conference, held April 13–15, in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, brought together professors and both graduate and undergraduate students from across the Pacific Northwest and Mountain West. This year’s theme, "Public Intelligence: Sharing Understanding and Exchanging Perspectives," encouraged meaningful dialogue across disciplines and institutions.
"Seeing students present their research at an academic conference is one of the highlights of the academic year for me. Kaitlyn, Jamie, and Lexi did well with their presentations and gracefully fielded challenging questions related to their work. This is a terrific training ground for Saints scholars!"
~ Dr. Alan Hansen
Kaitlyn Wenzel, Carroll College Communication Studies senior, was awarded the NWCA 2025 Top Undergraduate Paper at the conference. Her research study, "Sharing, Understanding, and Exchanging Perspectives: An Autoethnographic Journey through Chronic Illness, Diagnosis, and the Dialogues of Patient/Doctor Relationships" was presented on the panel, "Undergraduate Research Showcase." Come hear her present it at SRF today at 9:45 am in O'Connell 106.
"I had such a wonderful time at NWCA 2025! This was my second time attending the conference, and I left feeling really inspired, with new ideas for future research and some amazing new friends. I was incredibly honored to receive the Top Undergraduate Paper award for a project that is very meaningful to me. Beyond the academic side, one of the best parts was getting to connect with my peers and professors. The whole experience was both rewarding and a lot of fun!"
~ Kaitlyn Wenzel, senior, Helena, MT
In addition to Kaitlyn Wenzel’s award-winning paper, several Carroll College Communication and Public Relations majors shared their empirical research during the panel titled "Case Studies on the Emergence of Meaning Across Space and Time." Jamie Burbank, Lexi Larsen, and Kaitlyn Wenzel presented papers developed in their Communication courses, with Carroll professors Dr. Charlotte Jones and Dr. Alan Hansen also contributing to the panel discussion.
"Being able to attend the NWCA conference is always such a great opportunity. Not only did I get to share the work I’ve done, but I also had the chance to learn from the research others are doing in the field.”
~ Jamie Burbank, senior, Clancy, MT
“Getting to experience going to the conference for the first time as a sophomore and watching other undergrad students from Carrol and other schools show off their research was truly inspiring.”
~ Lexi Larsen, sophomore, Kettle Falls, WA
Professors Jones and Hansen have mentored and accompanied Carroll students to the NWCA conference nearly every year since 2009. Hansen also served on the NWCA executive board from 2017 to 2020, including a term as president in 2019.
"What a great conference! The Communication Studies faculty couldn't be prouder of these students! They did a top notch job presenting findings from their research studies and answering audience members' questions. The NWCA conference is a wonderful opportunity for our students to showcase their analytical as well as presentation skills. Go Saints!"
~ Dr. Charlotte Jones