Tuesday, March 24 – Thursday, March 26, 2026
UTSA Main Campus, HEB SU Ballroom
Get ready for the 2026 COLFA Research Conference and Showcase! This annual event offers students at all levels (graduate and undergraduate) opportunities to showcase their original academic and creative work for a community of scholars, friends, and the community.
Presentation Categories
· Oral Presentations
· Poster Presentations
· 3MT (Three Minute Thesis) – graduate students only
· Digital Projects and Digital Storytelling
· Music Lecture-Performance
· Creative Writing
· Film & Video
· Art (the 42nd Annual Juried Student Exhibition will be held in conjunction with the COLFA Research Conference and Showcase.)
For any questions, please contact colfa.conference@utsa.edu
Winners of the 2026 COLFA Research Conference & Showcase
Three Minute Thesis (3MT)
1st Place: Tam-Hien Vuong, “How to See Abstract Artworks”2nd Place: (tie)
Bianca Zúñiga “Complicating Nora: How Latino Pentecostals Create Milieux at the Margins”
Paige De La O, “An Exploration of Spectral Analysis as a Potential Pedagogical Tool in Flute Education”
MUSIC LECTURE & PERFORMANCE
Graduate
1st Place: Brianna Martinez, A Performance Guide to Valerie Coleman’s Danza de la Mariposa for solo flute
2nd Place: Nick Hladio, The Voice of Ukraine: Evolution, Pedagogy, and Performance of the Bandura
3rd Place: Amanda Garcia, Female Agency in Violetta’s Vocality in Verdi’s La Traviata, Act I
Undergraduate
1st Place: Cynthia Elias Nuñez, El violín por su paisaje huasteco (the violin through its journey huasteco)
2nd Place: Nicholas Garza, The Development of Maximalism in Emo
CREATIVE WRITING
Graduate1st Place: (tie)
Lizzie San Miguel for Untitled Poetry Collection
Monica Barbay for Evening at the Palladium (genre bending play-poem)
2nd Place: Levi Smith for "The Collectors" (short story)
3rd Place: Crosby Price Gaines for "Bruits de Train dans Faille" (short story)
Undergraduate
1st Place: Alda Velasco Cepeda for Palimpsest (poetry collection)
2nd Place: Ren Koppel for Etymology of Hunger (poetry collection)
3rd Place: Crystal Jackson for What Survives the Dark: Colors of Harm (poetry collection)
Honorable Mentions
Sandra Huffman for "Carpe Noctem" (short story)
Lizzie San Miguel for "Hair of the Dog" (short story)
42nd ANNUAL JURIED ART SHOW
Wai Ching Best of ShowMeryssa Hampey, "Sick and Tired"
Graduate
1st Place: Braulio Gutierrez Gonzalez, Daniel El Dragon
2nd Place: Tiggy Augery, Root Rot
3rd Place: Ashley Lillian, Undefined
Undergraduate
1st Place: Nana Bueno, With My Dolls
2nd Place: Erin Stanley, All You Love About Her is Fleeting
3rd Place: Vy Nguyen, The Tiger’s Maw
Honorable Mention
Fernanda Quezada, What I carry, What I LoveSamantha Garcia, Caras de Nopal
ORAL, POSTER & DIGITAL PROJECTS PRESENTATIONS
These sessions focused on audience engagement and feedback instead of competition scoring. While awards were not given in this category, we hope the comments and conversations offered helpful insight and encouragement.
View our 2026 COLFA Research Conference and Showcase Photo Gallery
COLFA Conference & Showcase Workshops: Question & Answer Sessions
Have last minute questions before you present or perform at the COLFA Research Conference and Showcase? Join us for this informal, come-and-go session designed to answer your questions and help you do your best!
