Six graduate students took the stage, each with just three minutes to present their research during a College-wide competition.
Three minutes and a single PowerPoint slide don’t provide much time or space to sum up an entire graduate thesis. Six humanities students accepted the challenge at the College of Humanities’ annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition on February 26, 2026. Facing a panel of professors, students were evaluated both on the content and delivery of their presentations. The competition showcased not only the culmination of each student’s research but also the opportunities and growth they’ve experienced throughout their respective programs.
From geometric fractals to gratitude journaling, the theses covered a wide range of topics. Here’s an inside look at the event.
“Something Evermore About To Be”: Geometric Fractals and the Human
The first-place award went to Gabriella Schwartz (English MA ’26), whose thesis centered around William Wordsworth’s poem “The Prelude.” Schwartz explained that while Wordsworth was working on what he had hoped to be his final masterpiece, he grew frustrated and decided to instead write “The Prelude,” a poem that attempted to outline his life story. Wordsworth spent nearly half a century revising the poem, hoping to find the words to express himself. With every revision, he realized just how difficult it was to articulate his sense of identity.
Schwartz related this feeling to geometric fractals, shapes that are made up of complex patterns with infinite detail. Just as a geometric fractal reveals more detail the closer you look, we come to learn “a new side or aspect of ourselves” the more we look at ourselves. Schwartz suggested that we are all, in Wordsworth’s words, “something evermore about to be.”
Essay Like a River
Second-place winner Michele Walker (Creative Writing MA ’26) defended the value of an essay. Walker traced the origins of the essay back to Michel de Montaigne, a French writer who named his work essays after the French word essayer, or “to try.” Montaigne used essays as an attempt at finding meaning.
Walker compared the concept of an essay to a river, illustrating how rivers form first through small streams that gather together and eventuallygrow large enough to form canyons. Similarly, essays begin with small thoughts or questions, ultimately taking shape as they explore new perspectives. And while essays may not solve every problem, Walker argued that they can shape a person and leave them with a greater understanding and perspective of the world.
Gratitude Journaling in Your Second Language
Third place was awarded to Lauren Smith (TESOL MA ’26), who revealed her findings on the impact of gratitude journaling on English language learners. Prior research has shown that writing about gratitude can increase well-being, and Smith wanted to know if the effects would be the same when writing in a second language.
After conducting a study on students learning English, Smith found that journaling about gratitude in a second language does, in fact, increase overall well-being. However, she recognized a tendency for students to struggle with expressing their gratitude in their second language. She discovered that, while writing about gratitude can be a healthy practice for language learners, it may be necessary to teach students the vocabulary necessary to fully articulate their feelings in order for them to reap the benefits of gratitude journaling. Despite this limitation, Smith concluded that the practice of gratitude journaling is “a way to not only see the good in your life but also develop your language skills.”
Lifelong Learning
Three other students competed at the event: Dani Woodstock (Linguistics MA ’26) analyzed the correlation between religious affiliation and discrimination against English speakers with Spanish accents, arguing the importance of recognizing biases in order to build bridges with others. Eva Greenwell (Second Language and Teaching MA ’26) exposed the gap in authentic cultural representation in French language textbooks and the need to better represent the people of French-speaking countries. And Idamae Wallace (Spanish MA ’26) explained the significance of need-based instruction in Spanish language classrooms with a variety of skill levels.
The top three students received prize money, and Gabriella Schwartz moved on to compete with students at the university-wide 3MT competition, which took place on March 5, 2026.
At the conclusion of the College’s competition, all six contestants were given a chance to share what inspired their theses and the lessonsthey’ve taken away from their programs, demonstrating the opportunities available through graduate study. Wallace said, “We can always continue to grow and to learn, and I definitely have done that here at BYU and in this program. That’s what the best part is, the growth.”
Learn more about graduate programs at BYU here.