By Jamil Oakford/se news editor

Roughly 60 students gathered at South’s cafeteria Nov. 20 for an important night of displaying their research in hopes of gaining a scholarship.

Cultivating Scholars held its second annual event where students presented their semesterlong research to a panel of judges.

“Reinventing the wheel isn’t a bad thing,” South academic affairs vice president Steven Wilson told the crowd of research students vying for three scholarships.

The winners of the scholarships that night each won a $250 scholarship to be used wherever they enrolled: Vanessa Ruvalcaba for her research comparing block and traditional schedules, Jenny Sharp for her presentation on post-traumatic stress disorder, and Andrew Bohannon and Stanley Somtoochukwu Chibueze for their research on the fatty acid composition of butter.

Nursing student Mallory Evilsizer didn’t even know her research could earn her a scholarship until that night.

“I mainly did it for the class,” she said. “I worked hard because I was interested in it.”

She worked all semester on hyperpigmentation of the skin and whether nationality played any role as well as researching treatments for it.

Several of the research projects touched on the relationships among students, learning environments and the content given to students.

Education students Ariana Mendoza and Kelly Reaves collaborated on two projects: one that analyzed standardized test scores around the Fort Worth school district’s elementary schools and the graduation rates between public high schools and charter schools.

Reaves and Mendoza explained why they thought their research on education was valuable on a personal level.
“This is how we’re going to be successful as teachers,” Reaves said.

Mendoza explained that this research helped her understand what methods worked and what failed with lower performing schools.

Some science projects were also sprinkled throughout the cafeteria along with displays from lessons education students put together for teaching children.

The first half of the event consisted of the judges evaluating all 64 research projects before the dinner where scholarships would be awarded to three students.

Mendoza and Reaves won “Most Popular Presentation” that night and received iPad covers.

The winners of the scholarships that night each won a $250 scholarship to the college of their choice.

Bohannon was proud of his project and happy that he received the scholarship award because of it.

“It’s an honor,” he said. “I’m very thankful to everyone involved.”