Students, faculty, and staff attended Beloit & Beyond, an annual conference of student presentations, instead of classes on Nov. 4. The conference, rare in undergraduate programs, provides Beloit students the valuable opportunity to share their takeaways from special projects, research, study abroad programs, internships, community engagement, and career advancements.

“It was a great opportunity to gain real-world experience and connect what I’ve learned in class to actual transactions,” says MuhkhammedAli Shavkatov ’26, who spent his summer interning at Northmarq, a national real estate services company, where he worked on real estate financing and capital markets projects.

The program is organized as symposiums, with three or four presenters addressing similar topics. Students speak for 15-25 minutes, with time for questions at the end. Topics this year ranged from “Experiences in Computer Science,” to “From Climate Change and Costa Rican Monkeys.” Students shared work done locally, as well as across the globe. Beatriz Gigante ’27 and Journey Beier ’28 presented on their trip to Serbia to attend the Arts and Human Rights festival organized by Dah Theatre. There, they performed a play written and directed by Performing and Applied Arts Professor Amy L. Sarno, attended workshops, and engaged with other artists’ work. At the end of the presentation, they performed a scene from the play, titled A Peace of Cookie.

The first Beloit & Beyond event took place in 2021, replacing the International Symposium. Beloit & Beyond provides students with hands-on experience in asking meaningful questions, working closely with professors, using specialized tools, and presenting their findings to peers. Their experiences give first-year and transfer students a chance to see the range of opportunities they have as Beloit students.

Frank Hooton ’26 analyzed the effects that changes in Medicaid coverage are having on high school students in Texas. Hooton said, “I wanted to gain research experience on top of my working history and I had a vested interest in education & Medicaid.”

Thanks to the students’ imagination and hard work, and support from professors and Career Works, the event was a successful showcase of the diversity, dedication, and desire to make a difference that are hallmarks of the transformative liberal arts education at Beloit College.