Maya Shamari ’26: Mentorship and Satisfaction Across Work Modalities: A Study of Remote, Hybrid, and In-Person Capstone Experiences at Vanderbilt University

• Presenter Bio: Maya Shamari is a senior at Vanderbilt University studying Human and Organizational Development with a focus on Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness. She is a Crescere Aude, MOSAIC, and Honors Scholar with minors in Business and Data Science. Her research examines how mentorship structures, communication quality, and learning modality influence student outcomes in work-integrated learning environments. She has held a variety of internships across media, sports, consulting, healthcare innovation, and strategic communications, experiences that inform both her academic research and applied leadership work. She was recently nominated for Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe in the Science and Healthcare category for her work in educational and healthcare innovation. In addition to her academic research, Maya is an entrepreneur and founder of Bambini & Bubbles, leading international educational initiatives that blend professional development with experiential design. She is passionate about building systems that improve access to mentorship and create meaningful learning experiences across industries.
• Abstract: This HOD Honors Thesis project investigates how remote, hybrid, and in-person Capstone placements shape student satisfaction, emphasizing the role of mentorship accessibility rather than work modality alone. Through a mixed-methods analysis of 160+ Vanderbilt Capstone site assessments, the study demonstrates that an in-person work format with consistent, relational mentorship is the strongest predictor of meaningful experiential learning across formats for Generation Z: the first ‘digitally-native’ demographic.

Julia Weissman ’29: The reflection we resist

• Presenter Bio: Julia Weissman is a first-year student at Vanderbilt University.
• Abstract: “The Reflection We Resist” examines how Frans de Waal’s Mama’s Last Hug and G.A. Bradshaw’s Elephants on the Edge challenge the belief that emotion and morality are uniquely human. Through close readings of chimpanzee empathy and elephant grief, the project suggests that denying animal emotion often stems from our discomfort with recognizing ourselves in other species. Together, these texts call for a reimagining of personhood rooted in shared empathy across species.

Sam Alexander ’26: Evaluating the Effect of PFAS Regulation and Compliance on Birth Outcomes

• Presenter Bio: Sam is a senior from Wyoming studying Economics and Spanish. He is particularly interested in environmental and health economics research and has completed various projects in these fields, including one publication. At today’s symposium, he presents research examining the impacts of regulating “forever chemicals” (PFAS) in U.S. drinking water on birth outcomes. In his free time, Sam enjoys hiking, reading, and travelling.
• Abstract: This paper examines the impacts of PFAS regulations on health. It analyzes whether adoption of or compliance with PFAS regulations have a significant impact on birth outcomes.

Loren Brodie ’29: The Hand That Kilt the Congo

• Presenter Bio: Loren Brodie is a first-year student here at Vanderbilt by way of NYC. She is pursuing a degree in Law, History, and Society with a minor in Culture, Advocacy, and Leadership on the pre-law track. She credits her large Caribbean immigrant family for helping to shape her values and character. At the heart of Loren’s personal, academic, and professional goals is a strong belief in community, culture, and collective responsibility. Throughout her time here at Vanderbilt, Loren hopes to amplify historical narratives that expose injustice and encourage critical conversations about accountability and reform.
• Abstract: By using King Leopold II’s brutal rule of the Congo as a historical case study, the paper demonstrates how Adam Smith’s “invisible hand” free-trade ideology was manipulated to justify imperial violence, forced labor, and mass death. Ultimately, the essay reveals that true economic progress requires ethical accountability, not blind faith in markets driven by self interest and profit with no moral restraints.

Sarah Kane ’27: What Happens When You Exercise a PH-RVF Sheep?

• Presenter Bio: Hi! My name is Sarah Kane, and I am a current junior at Vanderbilt University studying Medicine, Health, and Society and minoring in Biology and Strategy and Design. I have a heart
  for cardiology (get it?) and am passionate about making clinical research accessible and understandable to everyone, no matter their educational background. Since I am from Texas, I love anything that puts me in the sun, so you can usually find me outside on a walk, practicing calligraphy, or lying in the grass.
• Abstract: This project investigates how structured exercise influences cardiac adaptation in sheep with Pulmonary Hypertension–Right Ventricular Failure (PH-RVF). By integrating biomarker analysis, tissue histology, and hemodynamic data, the study evaluates whether exercise reduces cardiac stress and slows right‑ventricular decompensation. The findings aim to strengthen preclinical assessment strategies and inform future approaches to safely incorporating exercise in PH-RVF patients.

Sophia DiFalco ’26: Mindful Organizing In Hospital Nursing Units And Its Role In Safety And Quality

• Presenter Bio: Sophia DiFalco is a senior at Vanderbilt University double majoring in Medicine, Health, and Society and Human and Organizational Development. She is completing research for the Human and Organizational Development Honors Program, examining how organizational behavior in healthcare settings, particularly mindful organizing, influences patient safety and quality outcomes. She is passionate about improving health systems and patient outcomes and plans to pursue a career in healthcare consulting following graduation.
• Abstract: This honors thesis investigates how mindful organizing, everyday team habits that support early error detection and recovery-connects to patient safety, care quality, and overall patient experience in hospital nursing units. Drawing on survey data from 125 nurse units in 13 hospitals, the study discovers that mindful organizing is positively associated with both patient safety and care quality, with no evidence of a trade-off with patient experience. Overall, this piece found mindful organizing to be a key organizational approach for improving healthcare reliability while addressing key gaps in existing literature.

Elías Haig ’29: Sa druge strane jastuka (Bajaga & Instruktori, 1985): a jewel from the other side of the pillow

• Presenter Bio: Elías Haig is a first-year student majoring in Chemical Engineering and Applied Mathematics from Los Teques, Venezuela. He has been writing all sorts of miscellaneous texts in his blog, Noción de la Procrastinación, since 2018. His work has been featured in newspapers and magazines in Venezuela and Latin America, and he hopes to someday find a way of truly existing at the intersection of science and writing. He is a big fan of rock music, Tolkien books, and long discussions.
• Abstract: Having lived alone for two years in Bosnia and Herzegovina, I got to experience how beautiful it is to find yourself surrounded by people you don’t know, speaking a language you don’t understand, and still realizing that there is far more in common between me and them than I could have ever imagined. The main way in which I realized this incredible connection was through music: although I had never listened to Bosnian music before, I found myself quickly learning the rhythms and patterns that make Bosnia and Herzegovina one of the countries with the richest musical history in the world. This assignment was, simply, a tribute to this life-changing experience.

Ellie Vlahakos ’26: Shaping the Past: Architecture as a Carrier of Meaning in the Restorations of Pantokrator Monastery / Zeyrek Camii

• Presenter Bio: Ellie is a senior from Houston, Texas, double majoring in Political Science and Art History. Her academic interests include cultural heritage, history, art, and politics. Outside of class, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, painting, running, and reading. She plans to attend law school this fall.
• Abstract: My research is centered on a 21st-century restoration project in Istanbul on the Byzantine monastery of Christ Pantokrator, which altered the architectural character of the building to visually articulate it as an Ottoman-era mosque and erase Byzantine elements. I connect this project to a broader political agenda that is reliant on historical revisionism, arguing that this ideology simultaneously enables and is the product of material manipulations like this restoration project.

Majo Mendoza Gonzalez ’29: The Power of Speech and the Empathy–Action Gap: Why Moral Inspiration Rarely Turns into Moral Action

• Presenter Bio: Majo Mendoza is a first-year student at Vanderbilt University majoring in Medicine, Health, and Society with a minor in Business, pursuing the pre-med track. Born in Mexico City, she is interested in how culture, language, and psychology shape moral responsibility. Her CORE 1010 essay, “The Power of Speech and the Empathy–Action Gap: Why Moral Inspiration Rarely Turns into Moral Action,” examines why emotionally powerful speeches often fail to produce sustained behavioral change. Through interdisciplinary analysis, her work explores the fragile conditions under which rhetoric can move audiences from empathy to meaningful action. She is especially interested in how communication influences ethical decision-making in society.
• Abstract: This essay examines why morally powerful speeches so often generate emotional inspiration without leading to meaningful action. Drawing on moral psychology and rhetorical theory, my paper analyzes speeches by significant historical figures such as alongside rare counterexamples to explore the psychological and contextual limits of language as a catalyst for change. Ultimately, it argues that rhetoric succeeds only under specific conditions that bridge the gap between empathy and responsibility.

Mimi McCrea ’29: Beneath the Veil of Words

• Presenter Bio: Mimi McCrea is a Chicago native, former competitive gymnast, and diver whose love of storytelling is rooted in a lifelong fascination with language. She is majoring in French and Law, History & Society, with a minor in Spanish. With her language background, Mimi has been captivated by words, cultures, and the power of communication since childhood. Her academic interests explore the intersection of language, identity, sports, and global connection. Growing up as an athlete, she is especially interested in how sports can shape communities, reflect social values, and create spaces for diplomacy across cultures. Mimi hopes to one day work for the International Olympic Committee, combining her passion for athletics, international relations, and cross-cultural dialogue. Outside of her academic work, she enjoys Pilates, traveling, discovering new foods, and proudly considers herself a pickle connoisseur.
• Abstract: In this CORE 1010 essay, I step into Friedrich Nietzsche’s claim in On Truth and Lie in a Nonmoral Sense that truth is not discovered in the world but constructed through language, becoming a shared illusion built from forgotten metaphors. While Nietzsche argues that words separate us from reality, I challenge this view by showing that language, though imperfect, still points toward a reality that exists before and beyond it. Through examples of translation and shared human experience, I argue that the limits of language reveal the limits of our understanding, not the disappearance of truth itself.

Caitlin Kuang ’28: La force des choses: The Social Contract of Property in the French Revolution

• Presenter Bio: Yufei (Caitlin) Kuang is a sophomore at Vanderbilt University majoring in History and Computer Science, with a minor in French. She is interested in the history of the French Revolution, particularly the years leading up to the Reign of Terror. Beyond academics, Caitlin enjoys making art, watching European musicals, and obsessing over high fantasy franchises with her friends.
• Abstract: This paper looks into émigré property in the French Revolution to examine the paradox of citizen rights in revolutionary France, simultaneously enshrined in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and violated by policies of restriction and confiscation. To justify this disparity between ideals and actions, the revolutionary government used a framework of the social contract, redefining property as a contractual reward for patriotism contingent on first being an active citizen, as opposed to a sacred, inherent right.

Cady Butcher ’26: an inundation of women and writing women: the elephant in the room

• Presenter Bio: Cady Butcher is a senior at Vanderbilt majoring in English on the Creative Writing track, and Biological Sciences as a Pre-Med. While she prefers the realm of novel writing and fiction, poetry has become a new interest of hers, particularly when engaging with unique form and voice. Upon graduation, she will continue her studies in medical school and hopefully find time to revise her in-progress novel and put together a small poetry collection.”
• Description: These pieces, an inundation of devotion and Writing Women: The Elephant in the Room, are a duo set of poems written on the themes of women, literature, and the female voice. The first poem, a sestina, discusses the historical impact of the suppression of the female voice, while the second is a satirical prose poem on the convenient representation of women in literature. These two poems were originally written separately, but I find value in reading them sequentially, and believe the first acts as a good ‘prep’ for the second.

Alejandra Lievano Bonilla ’28: a random sunday in summer

• Presenter Bio: Alejandra Lievano Bonilla is a sophomore at Vanderbilt University.
• Description: Amid the political chaos surrounding immigrants, it is easy to feel helpless, especially when I am hundreds of miles away, unable to protect my immigrant family. Still, rather than dwelling on our present reality, I choose to return to 2016, to a fragile snapshot of my naïve world where time seemed to pause. I cling to this memory, vivid and close to my heart, alive with immigrants and children of immigrants, and within it I find a quiet peace. In remembering, I become ten years old, and for a brief moment, we can finally breathe.

Huiyoun Pyo ’28: Cheeto Lee

• Presenter Bio: Huiyoun Pyo (she/her) is a sophomore studying Political Science and Creative Writing with a minor in Legal Studies. On campus, she is proud to be an Executive Board member of the Asian American Advocacy Project and the Vanderbilt Historical Review. Her writing interests are primarily in short fiction and poetry, with an emphasis on exploring Asian American cultural forms and American politics.
• Description: This short story follows thirteen-year-old Korean American boy, Cheeto Lee, as he absorbs the beauty of his Kentucky home, his family life, and his friendships. However, his story is complicated by fights with local bullies, submissive fathers, and his mother’s miscarriage.

Aissatou Bah ’29: Beyond No Kings: Structural Problems in American Executive Power

• Presenter Bio: Aissatou Bah is a freshman at Vanderbilt University from Baltimore, Maryland, where she is pursuing a major in Cognitive Studies. On campus, she serves as Secretary of the Black Student Alliance, Freshman Liaison for the NAACP chapter, and Operations Assistant for the Vanderbilt Black Student Leadership Conference. She also conducts research at Vanderbilt Medical Center, where her work has deepened her interest in the stories and voices often overlooked in public discourse. Her writing draws on her background in cognitive studies and her commitment to understanding the structural forces that shape communities like the one that raised her.
• Abstract: “Beyond No Kings: Structural Problems in American Executive Power” argues that the controversy over Trump and presidential immunity obscures deeper structural problems in how executive power has accumulated since the founding. Drawing on John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government and legal scholarship on presidential removal power and separation of powers, the essay contends that Americans must move beyond focusing on individual presidential accountability to pursue constitutional reforms that restore congressional authority over spending and limit unilateral executive action. The piece reframes the “No Kings” movement’s well-intentioned resistance as insufficient without addressing the systemic erosion of legislative constraints on executive power.

Pelin Cokuslu ’26: How Sight Makes a Space: A Comparative Analysis of Christian and Muslim Perspective of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem

• Presenter Bio: Pelin Cokuslu is a senior at Vanderbilt University.
• Abstract: Analyzing writings on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre throughout the 4th to 11th century, I showcase the difference in rhetoric and relation to the structure, which I argue is dependent upon one’s learned affinity, experiential knowledge, and moral cognizance of that space. A multiplicity of experiences and dynamic engagement ingrains the reality of Jerusalem, and this paper offers an innovative, enriching lens to add to our understanding of the cumulative and enduring exegesis of the Holy Land.

Sana Abbas ’29: Women, Pietas, and the Economy of Sacrifice: Female Disposability in Vergil’s Aeneid

• Presenter Bio: Sana Abbas is a first-year Chancellor’s Scholar at Vanderbilt University majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology on the pre-med track. She is from Austin, Texas, and her interests include cardiology, disease research, language studies, and disability advocacy. In her free time she enjoys playing the violin and reading horror novels. She serves on the executive board of the Vanderbilt Alliance on Disability and Condition, works on the Anchorthon Corporate Committee in support of Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital, and is training to become a Facilitator Fellow for Dialogue Vanderbilt.
• Abstract: This paper examines how Vergil’s Aeneid complicated the Roman ideal of pietas (piety) by tracing the emotional and human cost that accompanies Aeneas’s sense of duty. By bringing together close readings of the Latin text, points brought up in class discussions, and modern scholarship, this piece explores how the epic’s treatment of women—through recurring demonstrations of silence, grief, and sacrifice—shapes its moral center and challenges what readers are supposed to take away from traditional heroic readings.

Keya Chanda-Rastogi ’29: “Small is the gate and narrow the road”

• Presenter Bio: Keya Chanda-Rastogi is a freshman from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She plans to double major in Economics and Political Science and minor in Environmental and Sustainability Studies. She is interested in the intersection of politics and environmental justice, particularly in the context of the U.S. South. On campus, she is a First Year Ambassador for Dialogue Vanderbilt and a member of Vanderbilt Student Government’s Environmental Affairs and Facilities Committee.
• Abstract: This essay was inspired by Ta’Nehisi Coates’s article “Acting French,” in which he blends personal narrative and social critique to examine how social and cultural capital reinforce systems of inequality among low-income and Black Americans. The essay weaves Coates’ metaphor of institutions as a labyrinth with scholarly literature on social and cultural capital, offering a comprehensive analysis of the mechanisms that reproduce inequality. The translation project that accompanies the essay is a visual representation of Coates’ labyrinth metaphor.

Layne Foeder ’26: Mismatch in Gendered Sustainable Investment Practices: Evidence from Agricultural Plots in Ethiopia

• Presenter Bio: Layne Foeder is a senior in the undergraduate Economics Honors program. She is also majoring in Climate Studies and has a minor in Business. She will work in the environmental field and hopes to contribute to conservation, clean energy, and sustainable development. Layne currently serves as the Vanderbilt Student Government Environmental Affairs Committee Chair. Throughout her time at Vanderbilt, she has done undergraduate research for the Climate, Health, and Energy Equity Lab, served as a first-year orientation leader, volunteered with Alternative Spring Break, and performed in a Vanderbilt University Theatre eco-grief play.
• Abstract: This paper investigates how gender-differentiated rights to own, manage, and control resources affect each Sustainable Agricultural Practice individually and how this subsequently impacts yield-increasing, risk-protecting, and resource-conserving outcomes.

Isha Shukla ’26: Assessing the Impacts of Food Retailer Openings on Urban Food Deserts in the United States

• Presenter Bio: Isha is a senior double-majoring in Economics and Medicine, Health, & Society with minors in Business and Environmental and Sustainability Studies. She plans to work in the financial services industry after graduating from Vanderbilt. On campus, she is involved in Tour Guides, the Finance Development Program, Students Promoting Environmental Awareness and Responsibility, and ‘Dore for a Day. In her free time, she enjoys spending time in nature, dancing, and exploring local coffee shops.
• Abstract: This study examines the effects of SNAP-authorized grocery retailer openings on nutrition-related health outcomes in urban food deserts in the United States. Using a tract-level panel dataset, I combine CDC PLACES obesity and diabetes data from 2014-2023, USDA food access indicators, and historical SNAP retailer authorization data. I employ a Difference-in-Differences design to exploit variation in the timing of store openings across urban food desert census tracts. The results indicate that grocery store openings lead to a small, statistically significant reduction in obesity and diabetes rates. These findings provide evidence that store openings contribute to incremental improvements in health outcomes in urban food deserts.

Lindy Barnes ’29: The Intuitive Man’s Folly: How On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense Contradicts Itself

• Presenter Bio: Lindy Barnes is a first-year student from Elizabethtown, KY, majoring in English. A member of The Vanderbilt Review and Alternative Spring Break, she is passionate about the connection between art and activism.
• Abstract: This essay was the second piece I wrote for CORE 1010, and I was asked to grapple with a reading from Being Human that I struggled, disagreed, or resonated with. While reading Nietzsche’s On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense, I deeply resonated with some arguments and disagreed with others. Mainly, I took issue with Nietzsche’s rejection of social institutions and obsession with the individual.

Aaron Borukh ’29: How Language Became Real: Symbolic Cognition from Evolution to Institution

• Presenter Bio: Aaron Borukh is a first-year student studying Political Science and Economics. Born and raised in Queens, New York, Aaron brings a lifelong curiosity about the systems and institutions that shape everyday life. He is a member of Vanderbilt’s Mock Trial team and is deeply interested in the law as a lens for understanding how society is built and how it can be changed. At Vanderbilt, Aaron looks forward to sharpening that understanding and finding his place in the broader conversation about justice, policy, and the world around him.
• Abstract: This paper explores why humans are the only species that can be moved to tears by a song, willing to die for a flag, or bound by the words “you’re under arrest”—all arbitrary symbols that somehow generate concrete realities. It traces how our brains evolved to process language not just as communication but as reality itself, explaining why abstract concepts like “justice” or “freedom” feel as solid as physical objects and shape civilizations. The analysis reveals that we are both creators and prisoners of our own symbolic worlds: we collectively believe institutions, money, and social hierarchies into existence, yet this same capacity for symbol-making also gives us the power to imagine and create alternative realities.

Caroline Cho ’29: The Necessity of Truth as the Foundation for Morality

• Presenter Bio: Caroline Cho is a first-year student studying Architecture, Business, and English. Originally from New York City, Caroline is passionate about writing and engaging with questions of morality, history, and the built environment. She is especially interested in architectural history and in how design reflects cultural and social values. Outside of class, Caroline enjoys reading, spending time outdoors, and pursuing creative work, including writing, model building, and crafting.
• Abstract: This essay examines Friedrich Nietzsche’s On Truth and Lie in a Nonmoral Sense and his claim that truth is an illusion constructed through language and metaphor. By analyzing the philosophical and ethical implications of denying objective truth, the essay argues that shared foundational truths are necessary to preserve meaning, moral accountability, and the pursuit of justice within society. While acknowledging Nietzsche’s insight into the role of perspective and lived experience in shaping human understanding, this analysis contends that such perspectives must coexist with a stable ethical framework. Ultimately, the paper asserts that without some basis of truth, civil discourse and moral responsibility become untenable, undermining the foundations of a functioning society.

Cecilia Cui ’29: Where Journalism Wears the Mask of Literature: Rethinking Red Star Over China

• Presenter Bio: Cecilia Cui is a first-year student from Guangzhou, China, planning to pursue a double major in Chemistry and Economics with a minor in Scientific Computing. She is interested in Gothic literature and often thinks about how narratives reflect power and social structures, an interest she also brings to exploring how tragic portrayals of women shift across different periods of Chinese history. In her free time, she enjoys reading, dancing, and watching anime.
• Abstract: This essay reexamines the definition of literature through a close analysis of Edgar Snow’s Red Star Over China, a text widely used in China’s compulsory education system. It argues that the book challenges the boundary between reportage and literature by combining first-hand observation with narrative and rhetorical strategies. Ultimately, the project considers how literary form, political purpose, and educational function intersect within a single text.

Nishitha Daniel ’29: Education

• Presenter Bio: Nishitha Daniel is a first-year student from Greensboro, NC. She plans to major in Biochemistry with potential minors in Spanish for the Professions and English. An avid reader and writer, she is especially drawn to science fiction and historical fiction and is currently drafting a dystopian novel that explores power and political structure. In addition to her literary interests, she hopes to pursue a career in medicine, with aspirations of working as a flight surgeon and one day applying to the Astronaut Candidate training program.
• Abstract: This is the story of how words can change a life and carry a person through various challenges, becoming a constant and lifelong companion in a journey of finding identity and a voice. In an age where many question the purpose of a college degree, the true value of an education lies in its ability to open us to worlds of thought and perspective, especially those of others.

Landon Goo ’29: An Examined Life

• Presenter Bio: Landon Goo is a first-year student from Santa Clarita, California studying philosophy and computer science. He enjoys interdisciplinary approaches to learning that address fundamental questions about the world. Landon is interested in pursuing a career in academia.
• Abstract: Education is not merely a task; it is a transformative process. Real learning is achieved through constant reflection and inquiry.

Bahja Hassan ’29: What’s Set in Stone

• Presenter Bio: Bahja Hassan is a freshman at Vanderbilt University, studying Biological Sciences in order to pursue medical school. Born and raised in Vanderbilt’s home city, Bahja has always been passionate about STEM, yet holds space in her heart for creativity and theatre. On campus, Bahja participates in Black-organized events and STEM-focused clubs. Beyond the classroom, Bahja enjoys spending time with her family, baking, and drawing.
• Abstract: Education, in itself, is typically seen as an enlightening tool that has, since the beginning of time, allowed humans to widen the scope of their own knowledge and learn more about the world around them. This piece examines a differing perspective in which education is used, not for good, but as a coercive tool that forces young minds to avoid questioning that could disrupt the system around them.

Max Kolev ’29: The Purpose of Fiction: Challenging Nietzsche on the Importance of Socially Constructed Truths

• Presenter Bio: Maximilian Kolev is a freshman majoring in Economics and Mathematics with a minor in Business. Originally from Chappaqua, New York, Maximilian’s academic interests include capital allocation in public and private markets as well as the economics of entertainment industries, and he is a member of the Vanderbilt Investment Club. Outside of the classroom, he loves playing and watching soccer as an Arsenal supporter.
• Abstract: In this essay, I challenge Nietzsche’s contention in On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense that social conventions and agreed-upon “truths” are arbitrary. I argue that these conventions, while inadequate in their ability to represent reality and thus more akin to constructed fictions than truths, have been paramount in unifying our species and preserving its prosperity from a biological lens. The second tenet of my argument is that said fictions evolve similarly to biological organisms, reiterating themselves over generations to prioritize the unity, safety, and success of the collective.

Elise Mason ’29: The Silence and the Screams

• Presenter Bio: Elise Mason is a first-year student at Vanderbilt University.
• Abstract: This essay was the first assignment in CORE 1010, which built upon our study of memoirs and the benefits of education. The prompt encouraged students to write about an educational experience that had altered their perspectives on the world.

James Tsekouras ’29: When Philosophy Ruled: Marcus Aurelius

• Presenter Bio: James Tsekouras is a freshman studying philosophy, history, and jazz. Originally from Long Island, New York, he is passionate about using philosophy as a lens to view the world and better the self. Outside of the classroom he enjoys playing jazz trombone, writing poetry, and playing basketball.
• Abstract: This essay examines the intersection of philosophy and power as it manifested in the emperorship of Marcus Aurelius in ancient Rome. Through the lens of his Meditations, a work that has come to be a foundational text of stoicism, his rule is examined to determine how he was such a successful emperor in a time of many challenges facing the empire. A synthesis of diverse historical sources and philosophy, this essay explores how Stoic thought can make us all better leaders in every aspect of life.

Ivy ye ’29: Reading Against Erasure

• Presenter Bio: Ivy Ye is a freshman majoring in Political Science with minors in Legal Studies and Human & Organizational Development. Originally from Vancouver, her piece explores Indigenous storytelling as a framework for relationality, reciprocity, and responsibility, examining how narrative operates as a living system of law and ethics. Beyond the classroom, she plans to pursue a career in law, integrating scholarship with advocacy.
• Abstract: This project examines Indigenous storytelling as a framework for understanding relationality, reciprocity, and responsibility. Drawing on Indigenous scholars and teachings, the paper argues that stories function not merely as cultural artifacts, but as living systems of knowledge that shape
  ethical obligations and community structures. Through close textual analysis and personal reflection, the project explores how narrative can challenge dominant Western frameworks of individualism and instead center interdependence and accountability. Grounded in the author’s experience growing up in Canada and engaging with conversations around reconciliation, this research considers what it means to learn responsibly across knowledge systems. Ultimately, the paper positions storytelling as both an intellectual and moral practice that invites listeners and readers into relationships that require action, humility, and ongoing commitment.