Melissa Ryan, Doctoral Candidate in the Higher Education Administration program, was awarded a travel grant from The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. The grant was awarded for presenting research on October 15th at the 25th Annual Conference for Students in Transition in Indianapolis, IN. In Spring, 2017, Melissa worked on a research team with SCSU Communication Studies professor Dr. Matthew Vorell, focusing on the first-year student experience at SCSU. Results from this study were captured in the presentation session titled “Understanding Undergraduate Student Attrition in Higher Education Through Photos.” A manuscript is currently being reviewed for publication.