SU Mass Comm student wins Best Presenter at 2025 GEDSI Research Conference

Ryan Rikaz Ibrahim, a fourth-year mass communication student, earned the Best Presenter Award (student category) at the 2025 Research Conference on Gender Equality, Diversity, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) in Education held on November 28–30 at the Silliman University Multipurpose Room.

Ibrahim was recognized for his thesis, “Believing What We Watch: Cultivation Aftermath of Political Media Exposure on the Interpretive Skills of Grade 12 HUMSS Students in Negros Oriental High School,” which examined how political media exposure influences students’ ability to interpret political information, alongside the effects of key senior high school subjects, Media and Information Literacy and Philippine Politics and Governance.

Anchored on the theme “Expanding Learning Spaces through Gender-Responsive and Inclusive Pedagogy,” the conference underscored the role of education in advancing equality, diversity, and inclusion. Guided by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’s commitment to “leave no one behind,” discussions highlighted the need to build learning environments where individuals of all gender identities, abilities, and social backgrounds can equitably access quality education.

The event also emphasized the interconnected goals of SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality), serving as a platform for research presentations, plenaries, and capacity-building initiatives focused on addressing discrimination, inequality, and marginalization in education. Participants included educators, researchers, policymakers, social workers, psychologists, health professionals, GAD advocates, NGO representatives, government employees, and students.

Co-organized by the Pathways Center for Lifelong Learning, Inc. and Silliman University, in partnership with the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College, the three-day conference was held in a hybrid format.