University College Day was held on Wednesday, with more than 150 student presenters and hundreds more in attendance.

The day featured a keynote presentation by Brad Faye and Kelsey Dickerson of superherofaces.com and also included Ram Jam, an opportunity for student organizations to promote themselves to the many attendees.

“UCD is probably one of the most exciting events on campus,” UCD committee member Dr. Eddy Lynton said, “and I’m so excited to be a part of it.  This has been an incredible turnout. Everyone looks like they’re having a great time.  I couldn’t be happier!”

Student Kelsey Fulton gave a presentation “Defeating Dr. Glossophobia” and becoming a good public speaker. She said she plans to continue presenting at UCD through graduate school. Glossophobia is the fear of public speaking.

“UCD is absolutely critical,” Fulton said.  “Not only do students get the opportunity to face their fear of speaking in front of an audience, they also get to show off and get noticed and get their undergraduate research published, which is the biggest value of this entire experience.”

The keynote presentation, which strongly pushed this year’s theme of “Find your inner superhero,” was well attended by both students and faculty.  The presentation featured several clips from Faye and Dickerson’s upcoming documentary about how people use superhero stories to overcome adversities.

“My main goal is to remind people that the reason we resonate with these stories is because they empower us,” Faye said during the presentation.  “They help us get through challenges and discover our own powers.”

Dickerson said she considers what Superhero Faces has done to be a success because of the people they have touched in their work.

“The biggest lesson I’ve taken away is to get rid of that self-doubt,” Dickerson said.  “You are your biggest supporter and biggest enemy.  You have to believe in your purpose, find your passion, and just trust yourself.”

Student Allen Pace attended the keynote presentation and said he found it encouraging, as he has recently started to appreciate comic culture.

“They spoke about racial discrimination,” Pace said, “and how these comic book artists took these ideas from the real world and put them into comic books and use them to inspire people.”

Ram Jam was hosted from noon until 2 p.m. in front of Dora’s. Student Joyce Pedigo was supporting several student organizations at Ram Jam.

“Student organizations get to show off what they’re all about and what they like,” Pedigo said.  “There’s also activities like the bounce house and the band is playing and of course there’s free stuff all over.”

UCD chairman Dr. Cary Adkinson said that he believes this undergraduate research shows off the best in people and he is excited to see it happening each year.

“If you are doing good work,” Adkinson said, “you will never believe the amazing things that can come back to you.  You will be able to make a positive difference in the world.”