My Experience as a Moderator

        Participating in a conference is no easy feat, yet it has been one of the most rewarding up to date. As a public relations and advertising major, I live for communicating. Standing up on a stage and relating with the audience has always been something that I’ve loved. My English professor, Dr. Cynthia Pittmann, gave me the rewarding opportunity to expand my experiences, not only on an academic and professional level, but also on a personal level.

Q&A Section of the panel.
My fellow participants and I (far right).

         Last week the College of General Studies of the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus celebrated the 5th Anual Student Research and Writing Conference: Student Collaboration and Contributions Across the Disciplines. My entire class and I had to participate in a panel about Puerto Rican perception online (to read more about this, visit my blog post on the experience by clicking the hyperlink), but only four us had the honor of participating in an extra panel about identity. The panel was titled Interrogating Identity: Home, Language, and Differences. In it, we had the opportunity of reading the essays on identity we had concocted for class. My essay, The Fingerprint of Identity, talked about how language, the notion of home, and history influence our one of a kind identity and it’s expression, behavior. However, not only did I get to read a work of mine, but I also had the opportunity to be the moderator of said panel for which I committedly prepared for in advance. I spent hours obsessing over a Keynote presentation that I’m incredibly proud of, and I also crafted a script for the event.

         Back in high school I was chosen various times to be moderator of various activities, but I had never been given this honor in college. It was a truly rewarding experience. Being moderator thrilled me and made me think that I must be doing something right. For me, a person who is constantly doing the best she can do in all she does, that is a big deal. Usually people would mind the extra work that came with the job, but I didn’t mind it all. At the risk of sounding like a workaholic, I can honestly say I enjoyed doing the work. Additionally, now, looking back on the experience, I’m grateful for the work, not because I liked doing, but because of the way I felt on stage.

        Being on stage gave me valuable experience for the major I’m specializing in, public relations, and the career I wish to pursue, law—two professions where being a dynamic, outspoken person is everything. Additionally, being in charge of that panel made me confident of my skills, something I seldom believe in. I know my skills, but I doubt them often because of the kind of person I am: an over thinker. When on stage, I like the person I am, a confident one that feels proud of herself and like she can do anything. 

        I put great amounts of effort into the panel, but what I got out of it was so much more rewarding. I grew academically and professionally, but more importantly, I grew as a person; that’s the best we can hope for: to grow from our experiences. After all, as this blog suggests, we are a collection of moments we’ve experienced.