Virtual CSA Day Highlights Student Success

Celebrating Student Achievement (CSA)  Day is typically a daylong event featuring academic presentations, performances, and award ceremonies. When the College shifted to an online teaching model this spring, the decision was made to reimagine the event so that student success could still be showcased.

Director of Undergraduate Research Carolina Perez-Heydrich explained why the College decided to continue with Meredith CSA Day.

“We thought it would be particularly important to host an event that would bring us together during what otherwise might be an isolating time for many of us. We also wanted to provide our graduating seniors with a final opportunity to showcase their work before leaving us this May,” Perez-Heydrich said.

The result is a Virtual CSA Day, hosted on a dedicated YouTube channel that features playlists of student presentations on a variety of topics.

While the YouTube channel cannot recreate the feeling of an in-person CSA Day, it does achieve Perez-Heydrich’s primary goal, which was to honor Meredith students.

“We take pride in our students’ achievements and are energized by them. We felt a strong drive to develop some creative solutions that would allow us to move forward with this event,” she said.

President Jo Allen said CSA Day is “an opportunity for our students to show what they have learned in the classroom and how they have applied it,” and that does not change with the virtual format.

A sampling of the topics include Literature, Film, and Culture; Experiences Along the Continuum of Educational Settings; Women in Music; Activism: Then and Now; STEM and Health Sciences. View the CSA Day program for more details

Meredith’s CSA Day also includes academic and leadership award presentations. The awards are celebrated in their own playlist on the Virtual CSA Day YouTube channel.

According to Senior Vice President and Provost Matthew Poslusny, the Virtual CSA Day is an example of the strength of the Meredith community.

“The students of Meredith College are as strong as ever,” Poslusny said. “While this semester has been unlike any other in our history, our students continue to excel in so many ways.”

Learn more about the Undergraduate Research Program