Geneseo Recognizing Excellence, Achievement & Talent Day is a college-wide symposium celebrating the creative and scholarly endeavors of our students. In addition to recognizing the achievements of our students, the purpose of GREAT Day is to help foster academic excellence, encourage professional development, and build connections within the community. This issue of The Proceedings of GREAT Day seeks to prove that creative research is not bound by location, gender, or time. Ranging anywhere from the current political climate in Eurasian countries to the presence of gender representation in video games, the authors highlighted this year challenge readers to consider on-going issues regarding diversity, music, climate change, and even cooking with earth ovens. These pieces are delightfully unexpected, shamelessly dynamic, and packed with information that spurs its readers toward action and growth; while one piece touches on the history of modern dance, another searches to find alternative fuel resources in chlorella algae species. Sometimes, these pieces work in conversation with each other: by analyzing the current social issues surrounding college campuses, we're given pieces that touch on issues of diversity, relationships, and perceived self-efficacy on our own campus. By utilizing hands-on experiences and personal interviews for their research, our authors are able to bring a level of personability that is unprecedented in GREAT Day. These authors yearn to break the stigma surrounding the typical definition of scholarly research and craft essays that push readers to consider new perspectives on the diverse challenges we face today. In its ninth year, The Proceedings of GREAT Day continues to publish creative and scholarly student work presented at the college-wide symposium GREAT (Geneseo Recognizes Excellence, Achievement & Talent) Day. The journal is available online at go.geneseo.edu/greatjournal.