Sac State & CSU Grad Slam Competition

Congratulations to our top three 2026 presenters!

First Place: Kimberly Cervantes $400 (Presented: What Predicts Rapid Weight Gain (RWG) in Rural WIC Infants?)
Second Place: Monzerath Ramos Gonzalez $250 (Presented: Exploring the Impact of Family Legal Status on CalFresh Use and Food Insecurity Among College Students)
Third Place: Megan Smith-Fajardo $100 (Presented: Continual contestation of power: The case of the California State Auditor and California Department of Education)

CSU Grad Slam: Virtual 6th Annual CSU Grad Slam competition

What is Grad Slam?

Grad Slam is an academic research communication competition that challenges graduate students to present a compelling speech about their research and its significance to non-academic persons in just three minutes using only one presentation image. The goal is to not only support our students but also to raise the profile of graduate education in the CSU system. The winner of the Sac State Grad Slam competition will go on to represent the campus at the CSU Grad Slam competition. Here's a video from 2024’s competition: https://csus.zoom.us/rec/play/7v59LPMSF8yrTGIZNvUnvqv33QS5MbhsQvJyVmdqs2sfENreUtispfdrAa8GYLQ-tZIykpv8-QhsDkCu.FCYvrJK4W7-0Bd9s?autoplay=true&startTime=1711495931000

Eligibility: All active master's and doctoral students who are conducting independent research or projects, including independent research projects done for a graduate-level class, are eligible to participate in Grad Slam competitions at all levels. Entrants must be current graduate students at the time of the competition.

This opportunity is open and available to all who are interested in applying and/or participating, regardless of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin.
Group projects or group research is not eligible for submission and/or presentation in Grad Slam competitions. All projects and/or research must be conducted independently by the student applicant.

Additional Resources: need a place to hone your presentation? Check out these University Library practice spaces!