Introduction
Student Showcase Journal 2023
In 2023, Student Showcase reached its 15th year. As a celebration of student excellence that launched in 2006—and one that saw a brief hiatus during the COVID pandemic—it has become a critical part of Mat-Su College culture. It allows students to showcase their excellent work, something we frequently do not see beyond the classroom. Indeed, it is a competitive event that allows students to get a taste of a professional conference, culminating in a journal where the award-winning work is published. Perhaps even more importantly, it allows us to celebrate the excellence of our students. As always, we thank them for their hard work and diligence, for it shines through in the exemplary works in this journal.
Thus, readers, thank you for again joining us on this journey into scholarship at Mat-Su College. It is an intriguing journey this year, one with many stops in varied places. Our journey starts with Siberian traps and a potential link to the Permian-Triassic Mass Extinction event, followed by a story of loss and healing. It then travels to war literature and its impact on society, ending with an exploration of Raven the Trickster in Tlingit.
An Important Note: I have placed presentation slides in the Appendix at the end of this journal so readers can see the fantastic work our students did on their slides. The final entry in this journal is not in the Appendix since it is already included as a slide presentation in the main body of the journal.
May you enjoy and learn from this new journey, fellow travelers . . .