Events

Groundswell

Groundswell: a conference of student work

  • Friday, June 6, 2025, 8:30am – 12:30pm
  • PCC Cascade
    Moriarty Arts Humanities Building (MAHB) 104 Auditorium

Schedule of events

Download the schedule

Breakfast, coffee, and tea – 8:30am

Attendees are welcome to enjoy a light breakfast, snacks, coffee, and tea outside of Moriarty 104 Auditorium in the Moriarty Arts Humanities Building (MAHB).

Opening Ceremony – 8:45am
  • Opening remarks in MAHB 104: Melissa Manolas, Groundswell Conference Coordinator
  • Groundswell Keynote Speaker: Chan Jans
Session 1 – 9:45-10:30am
Panel 1: Our Town – explorations in Portland in MAHB 104

Facilitator: Lorena Alves Carvalho Nascimento

  • Portland Street Art: Mapping cultural landscapes values in Pacific Northwest neighborhoods – Alex Clasen, Libby Martin, and Rebecca Smith
  • Net Zero – Abbey Killion
Panel 2: Words on Words – language, meaning, and social justice in Terrell Hall (TH) 100

Facilitator: Liz Smith

  • The Effects of AAVE in the Courtroom – Violet Clyne
  • What is Poetry? – Jayden Benjamin-Cypress Grey
  • Language Doesn’t Reinforce Societal Gender Norms and Biases – Olga Yasinskaya
Panel 3: Second Thoughts – gaining new perspective through reflection in TH 112

Facilitator: Karah Kemmerly

  • Clarity in Chaos – Paris Spence
  • Procrastination in Academics – Esme Smith
  • God Themself – Maddi Hoff
Panel 4: Let Me Pick Your Brain – mental health, music, and memory in TH 201

Facilitator: Veronica Sandoval

  • Mind and Music, Episode 1 – Catie Eubank
  • How Can Trauma Impact Memory? – Autumn Gonzalez
  • The Possible Effects of Childhood Trauma on Those with ADHD – Elexzia Goldsby
Panel 5: Let’s Do Lit Crit – deep dives into literature in TH 202
  • The Specialist’s Hat: A Literary Criticism – Jenn Stiger
  • The Watercourse Way – Josh Hutchinson
  • Explication Essay – Skylar Tate
Session 2 – 10:45-11:30am
Panel 1: The American Dream…deferred? – perspectives on the immigrant experience in MAHB 104

Facilitator: Samm Erickson

  • From Fruit Fields to the Milky Way: A Migrant Worker’s Journey to Space – Maria Barreiro
  • Memento Mori – Katherine Bryant
  • My American Dream – Chan Jans
Panel 2: Trees, Trees, and more Trees – encounters in and with nature in TH 100

Facilitator: Danica Fierman

  • Forests of the Pacific Northwest – Liv Allison and Esme Smith
  • She Touches The Trees – Thu-Ha Cao
  • Native American interactions with, and influence on, the Siuslaw Forests of Oregon – Fiona Siddall
Panel 3: Grading Education – new ways of thinking about learning in TH 112

Facilitator: Karah Kemmerly

  • The Erosion of Creativity – Finnley Barnett
  • AEDR: Education for Everyone – Eleanor Raine
  • Rethinking College: A Cultural Shift in Higher Education? – Paris Spence
Panel 4: Plants and Animals – nature and healing in TH 201

Facilitator: Lara Messersmith-Glavin

  • Botulism and the Beached Whale: A Clostridium Botulinum Story – Joy Shaw
  • Digging Up Roots – Gabriel Cain
  • To Kingdom Come – Kiddo Wybie
  • Moss, Lichen, Mushrooms, and Bones: Indigenous Uses – Ana Anthony
Panel 5: Effects of Trauma on Family Structures in TH 202

Facilitator: Andy Zboralski

  • How did the Vietnam War affect my loving Grandpa? – Alisa Gonzalez
  • Kid – Heidi Van Vleet
  • We the Imprisoned – Olga Yasinskaya
Light refreshments – 11am-1pm

Please enjoy some light refreshments being served in the hallway outside of Moriarty 104 Auditorium in the MAHB.

Session 3 – 11:45am-12:30pm
Panel 1: Submit to Us – editing a student literary magazine in MAHB 104

Facilitator: Karah Kemmerly

  • Alchemy (Sylvania) – Sam Galster, Kamea Gray, Anthony Guerra, Ben Meulners, Sharon Selberg, and Svetlana Tomlin
  • The Bellwether Review (Rock Creek) – Adam Idris and Marie Rubio
  • Pointed Circle (Cascade) – Saoirse Chance, Casey Elder, Kiddo Wybie, and El Mortenson
Panel 2: Under the Influence – drugs and their impacts in TH 100

Facilitator: Jodi Naas

  • Portland’s Helping Hand to the Homeless Is Slack and Limp – John Workman
  • AgonizingOverGLP-1Agonists – Betsy Kniffin
  • A Smile of Artificial Dopamine – Rick Beltz
Panel 3: Two Truths and a Lie – misinformation and misrepresentation in TH 112

Facilitator: Lara Messersmith-Glavin

  • Transcending Stigma: A History of Transgender Misrepresentation in TV and Film – Ari Dayton
  • Navigating the Animal Kingdom of Truth – Sarah D’Hondt
  • Exposing the Real Truth – Amalia Hromco
Panel 4: iThink therefore iAm – technology and humanity in TH 201

Facilitator: Calin Anderson

  • “The Valedictorian” N.K Jemisin – Jay Eichelberger
  • At a Loss for Words – Savannah Pozarycki
  • “Bite of Eighty-Seven” and “Great Robot Pizza Wars”: The Duality of Animatronics as Children’s Entertainment and Horror Icons – Bean Sanderson
Panel 5: Voices from ESOL Learners in TH 202

Facilitator: Luciana Diniz

  • Advice for When Life Feels Overwhelming – Yaoxue Chen
  • Learning a New Language: Advice for Introverted Students – Norma Contreras
  • Help! I Can’t Remember That – Phanutchapa Virasorn

Acknowledgements

Thank you to the following people
  • Alex De La Cruz
  • Alison Apotheker
  • Allison Gross
  • Andrea Hills
  • Andrew Zboralski
  • Andrew Cohen
  • Anneke Schoneveld
  • Caitlin Dwyer Young
  • Calin Anderson
  • Chris Nordquist
  • Chris Rose
  • Danica Fierman
  • Erin Ergenbright
  • Ezra Carlsen
  • Hannah Ahern
  • Holly Cullom
  • Jason Rizos
  • Jeff Jaeckle
  • Jennifer Ernst
  • Jessica Lee
  • Jess Nguyen
  • Jess Salazar
  • Jodi Naas
  • Justin Rigamonti
  • Karah Kemmerly
  • Karen Embry
  • Karen Paez
  • Karen Sanders
  • Kelly Connor
  • Kelly LeFave
  • Lara Mendecino
  • Lara Messermith-Glavin
  • Laura Wilson
  • Linda Stewart
  • Liz Smith
  • Lorena Alves Carvalho Nascimento
  • Luciana Diniz
  • Lutgarda Cowan
  • Manar Alattar
  • Martha Bailey
  • Megan Faust
  • Megan Savage
  • Misty Bouse
  • Natalie Mix
  • Paige Hairston
  • Rachana Son
  • Ron Ross
  • Sally Badawi
  • Samm Erickson
  • Sandy Neps
  • Selene Ross
  • Tara Gabsi
  • Veronica Sandoval
  • Yvette Rosales

Interested in submitting your work or nominating your student’s work?

Submit or nominate a work

Have a question?

Reach out to Melissa Manolas at melissa.manolas@pcc.edu.

What is Groundswell?

Since 2017, the Groundswell Conference has served as an inclusive venue for PCC students to present their original creative and academic writing on a range of topics, including gentrification, mental health, climate change, social media, and higher education, among many others.

Groundswell is also a chance for PCC students from across the district to present their work to fellow students, families, friends, and the greater PCC community. The event takes place in person in June (with limited remote options for attendance).

Student works are accepted during Fall and Winter terms.

What kind of work should be nominated or submitted?

Groundswell students in the pastNominations should be any work that has left you moved or awed in a way that only student work can. This conference is not just for students in writing classes. Any and all disciplines are welcome.

Types of works accepted
  • Creative Writing: poetry, fiction, plays, screenplays…etc.
  • Informal writing
  • Long or short assignments
  • Personal narratives
  • Podcasts
  • Presentations
  • Research essays
  • Short films or video presentations
  • Speeches
  • Works from or on any subject: Art, English, ESOL, History, Humanities, Journalism, Music, Library Studies, Philosophy, Psychology, Reading, Religious Studies, STEM, Sociology, Technical Writing, Writing, World Languages…etc.

Past conferences