The Freshman Convocation at West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) will be taking place next month, and the University has chosen UK-based expert Sarah Jones to address the 1,200 students expected at the welcoming assembly on the topic of virtual reality (VR).
Sarah Jones is the Head of the Birmingham School of Media at Birmingham City University. Jones was chosen to address the students since the ‘common reader’ book chosen for the WTAMU students for this year was Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, in which VR plays a central role.
Taking inspiration both from the book and the recent film adaptation by Steven Spielberg, Jones will speak to the students about VR as well as addressing some of the central themes the book explores, such as perseverance and teamwork.
The ‘common reader’ is a book that all new WTAMU students are asked to read before they arrive on campus, as an attempt to give new students something in common that can be used to start a discussion or make new friends.
Ahead of her keynote at West Texas A&M University, Sarah Jones said: “It’s a great privilege for me to be able to address the WTAMU freshman at the start of their university journey and I hope I can inspire the students to make the most of the opportunities that will come their way over the next few years. My work across journalism, academia and tech has taken me to some fantastic places – both real and virtual – and I have met incredible people from all over the world as part of this. Just like Wade in ‘Ready Player One‘, I’ve only been able to achieve my dreams through perseverance, and I hope to be able to convey this as integral to the student’s personal development as part of my speech.”
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