Honors Senior Alex Sheil presents research at NCHC Annual Conference

Alexander Sheil and Dr. Christopher Swanson attended the National Collegiate Honors Council Annual Conference in New Orleans.  Alex is a senior sport management major from Connells Point, New South Wales, Australia.  Alex also is a member of the Ashland University swim team.  Here is how Alex described his experience at the NCHC conference:

In November, I was given the opportunity to attend the National Collegiate Honors Council Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana with Dr. Swanson. I was invited to do a poster presentation of the research project I conducted with the Sport Management Faculty earlier in the year titled: Examining the relationship between a coach’s leadership style and team cohesion in swim teams.

The conference was a wonderful experience where I was able to present my research to numerous students and professors as well as talk to many other students about the research that they had conducted. I had the opportunity to attend a wide variety of presentations throughout the conference ranging from ‘Mathematics and Magic’ to ‘How to use social media to benefit your organization’. I also had several opportunities to network with people from different organizations and graduate schools during the Graduate Fair that took place on the second day on the conference.

During my time in New Orleans, I was able to experience so much of the food and culture of the area. On the first night, the conference hosted a welcome reception that included tradition food such as Gumbo, Jambalaya and Po’ Boys, as well as a band playing Jazz music. The second night there was a Cajun Boil at the conference hotel, which included Cajun style seafood and Mardi Gras themed entertainment.  One of the days for lunch I lined up at Central Grocery to get one of the famous Muffuletta sandwiches before heading down to the riverfront to eat and watch the city life. I spent some time during the trip wandering through the streets of the French Quarter, down Bourbon Street and along the Mississippi River taking photos and taking in the sights.

The trip was a really wonderful experience for me both professionally, with regard to presenting my research and networking, as well as a cultural experience where I got the opportunity to see the beautiful sights of New Orleans and try all of the amazing food.