Four Grady College students present at CURO Symposium

Four students from Grady College will be among the 723 participants presenting their research at the 2025 CURO Symposium.

On April 7 – 8, 2025, four Grady College students will share their research at the Classic Center during the 26^th annual University of Georgia Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities (CURO) Symposium.

Eniola Badejo and Glenna Read

Eniola Badejo and Glenna Read, associate professor in the Advertising and Public Relations department, were one of Grady College’s mentee-mentor pair. Badejo and Read’s collaboration on their piece, “Investigating gender bias in news coverage of the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard trial,” reflects the kind of mentorship that Read aims to provide to her CURO students and those in the Brain, Body, and Media (BBAM) Lab.

“I think that some undergraduate students may be intimidated to get involved in the research process, or don’t even know where to start,” said Read. “It is my goal to help my CURO students and the undergraduate students who work in the Brain, Body, and Media (BBAM) Lab find and remain passionate about research by showing them how fun it is to find answers to questions that they have. I hope I can build their confidence in the research space like my undergraduate mentor did for me.”

Badejo’s experience with the CURO program reflects the impact of this kind of mentorship can have on a student. “My CURO experience has been one of the most transformative parts of my time at UGA. I entered the world of qualitative research with no prior experience, but under the guidance of a thoughtful and supportive mentor, I’ve grown tremendously. It still amazes me that I went from not knowing what grounded theory was to eagerly reading academic papers and even becoming the only Grady College student to present at last year’s CURO Symposium,” Badejo said. “Beyond the technical skills I’ve gained, what I value most is the genuine mentorship I’ve received — having someone who not only teaches me research but also looks out for me as a person. That kind of support means the world, and I’ll carry it with me long after my time in CURO ends.”

Gabriella Etienne and Welch Suggs

Gabriella Etienne and Welch Suggs, associate professor in the Journalism department collaborated on their piece, “In The Soccer Club: The Evolution of Private Youth Soccer in Georgia.” This piece highlights their belief that inefficiency, interclub competition and financial limitations serve as barriers to effectively identify and develop youth talent in the state.

For Etienne, this research project represented a new step in applying her academic knowledge to real world practice. “During my time with this CURO project, I have learned a lot about conducting research and how the skills I have acquired in journalism and public relations can assist me with our research,” said Etienne. “One of my majors is political science, so I have read many research articles, but this is the first time I will be contributing to one. Skills that I have learned in Grady and the Sports Media Certificate program have helped me successfully conduct interviews and extract key findings for this CURO project.”

Zaida Hutchings and Benjamin Han

Zaida Hutchings and Benjamin Han, associate professor in the Entertainment and Media Studies department collaborated on their research piece, “Lost in Translation: The Evolution of Film Censorship in Japan.”  For Hutchings, this project was able to combine two passions into one project.

“I enjoyed looking closely at a topic I have always been interested in,” said Hutchings. “As an EMST and Japanese major, I found it satisfying to be able to combine the two. I enjoyed working with Professor Han, as he had a lot of faith in me. His guidance helped me learn more in-depth research skills and think more critically.”

Furthermore, Han shared, “It was great to see Zaida’s interest in Japanese film censorship develop and materialize into a research project. I also really enjoyed the opportunity to work with a student one-on-one.”

Anna Rachwalski and Yan Jin

Anna Rachwalski and Yan Jin, C. Richard Yarbrough Professor in Crisis Communication Leadership and Director of Crisis Communication Think Tank, collaborated on two projects through the CURO program. The first project, “Beyond Bias: A Behavioral Economics Approach to Strategic Decision-Making in Crisis Management” examines how in behavioral economic theory, individuals are expected to make choices that maximize the benefits they receive from interactions under an assumption of rational decision-making. However, during a crisis, crisis management practitioners often rely more on irrational gut feelings than rational theoretical guidelines, leading to a suboptimal response. Their second project, “Ethical Management of AI-Triggered Organizational Threats: Perspectives from Public Relations Practitioners” observes the ethical challenges which have emerged in organizations from the use of artificial intelligence (AI).

“Working with Anna in developing these research projects, from ideation, design and implementation, has been productive and enriching,” said Jin. “I’m incredibly proud of Anna as an independent scholar and a core member of our Crisis Insights & Analytics Lab at Grady College.”

When asked how Rachwalski believes her experience in CURO will continue to impact her future, Rachwalski shared, “I’ve had the opportunity to take on projects well beyond my experience level, which has pushed me to rise to the occasion and build the skills needed to succeed. Because of CURO, I know I can learn tough concepts quickly—and I’m excited to carry that skill into my professional and academic future.”

In addition to the above mentee-mentor pairs, Michael Cacciatore, associate professor in the Public Relations department co-taught a Vertically Integrated Program in Research under the Office of the Provost.

Author: Lauren A. Pike, lauren.pike@uga.edu