Nearly 60 students from the Class of 2020 presented the culmination of their senior research projects to the wider Emmanuel community during the College’s annual Candidates for Distinction in the Field Presentation Day on Thursday, April 30.
As the College is operating remotely due to COVID-19, students this year presented their research virtually via video.
Distinction in the Field of Study is an honor for Emmanuel students. The opportunity to conduct and present a significant research project is only granted to senior students who hold a 3.5 grade point average or higher in their major course of study. It is representative of the candidates' dedication to their field and commitment to academic excellence.
This year's projects spanned a wide range of academic areas, including graphic design, mathematics, political science, biology, history, business and economics, education and more.
Megan Kimball
“Representations of the Rural Poor in Popular Culture”
American Studies
Advisor: Matthew Elliott, Ph.D.
Lucy McGing
“The Ravensbruck Portraits of Jeannette L'Herminier: Bearing Witness to the Holocaust through Clandestine Art”
Art History
Advisor: Cynthia Fowler, Ph.D.
Caitlin Amorin
“Spend Big, Princess: An Examination of the Ethics of Commodity Feminism in Marketing”
Communications & Media Studies
Advisors: Andrea McDonnell, Ph.D. and Mark Flynn, Ph.D.
Angela Romilla
“Like a Good Neighbor: Exploring Parasocial Relationships between Politicians and College-Aged Twitter Users”
Communications & Media Studies
Advisors: Andrea McDonnell, Ph.D. and Mark Flynn, Ph.D.
Christina Eng
“Editorial Merchandising: “What’s The Good Word?”
Graphic Design
Advisor: Erich Doubek, M.F.A.
Alexandra Mezzo
“The Civil Rights Movement and its Impact on the Democratic Party in the 1960s”
History
Advisor: Violetta Ravagnoli, Ph.D.
Lucy McGing
“Problematizing Progressive: Reevaluating Frances Benjamin Johnston's Advocacy for Women Photographers at the turn of the 20th century”
History
Advisor: Violetta Ravagnoli, Ph.D.
Michael Montesanti
“The Balance of Power during the Russo-Japanese War”
History
Advisor: Violetta Ravagnoli, Ph.D.
Theodore Miele
“Syrian National Identity Past and Present”
History
Advisor: Violetta Ravagnoli, Ph.D.
Jessica Gavin
“What I Told You Is the Truth: Survivor Narratives from the Khmer Rouge”
History
Advisor: Violetta Ravagnoli, Ph.D.
Ava Doogue
“Was Urban Renewal Good or Bad?”
History
Advisor: Violetta Ravagnoli, Ph.D.
Megan Kimball
“Transcendentalism, Fruitlands, and Louisa May Alcott”
History
Advisor: Violetta Ravagnoli, Ph.D.
Shai Palmer
“Worshipping the Leviathan: The Lake Champlain Cryptid and Religion”
History
Advisor: Violetta Ravagnoli, Ph.D.
Elizabeth Duvall
“The Dark Side of Fashion: The Globalized Effects of the Fast Fashion Industry”
International Studies
Advisors : Laurie Johnston, Ph.D. and Rose Gould, M.A.
Lama Jaber
"Fear of Multiculturalism Leading to Far-Right Immigration Policies: Us vs. Them"
International Studies
Advisors: Laurie Johnston, Ph.D. and Katrin Križ, Ph.D.
Rahel Sirack
“The Consequences of Chinese Infrastructure Investments in Africa”
International Studies
Advisors: Laurie Johnston, Ph.D. and Lenore Martin, Ph.D.
Emery Veilleux
“Rewilding Life: Responding to the Biodiversity-Poverty Relationship with Agroforestry and Nature-Based Economies”
Individualized Major: Global Sustainability
Advisors: Laurie Johnston, Ph.D. and Katrin Kriz, Ph.D.
Robert A. Columbus
“European Union Intelligence Agencies' Incoherencies”
International Studies
Advisors: Laurie Johnston, Ph.D. and Adam Silver, Ph.D.
Dillon Williams
“Jose Marti: A Contested Legacy”
International Studies
Advisors: Laurie Johnston, Ph.D. and Violetta Ravagnoli, Ph.D.
Mia Ghigliotti
“Made in America: MS-13 as a Product of U.S. Intervention”
International Studies
Advisors: Laurie Johnston, Ph.D. and Violetta Ravagnoli, Ph.D.
Elizabeth Duvall
“Los beneficios de la inmigración latinoamericana a Estados Unidos en su contexto histórico y en la situación actual”
Modern Languages: Spanish
Advisor: Jose Álvarez Fernández, Ph.D.
Michael Legere
“In Defense of Altruism”
Philosophy
Advisor: Michelle Maiese, Ph.D.
Jillian Fino
“Democratic Responsiveness, Congress and Climate Change in the United States”
Political Science
Advisors: Adam Silver, Ph.D. and Catherine Bueker, Ph.D.
Christina Heiler
“Exploring the Effectiveness of the Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in the Middle East North African Region”
Political Science
Advisors: Adam Silver, Ph.D. and Lenore Martin, Ph.D.
Theodore Miele
“On the Notion of Peace in Syria”
Political Science
Advisors: Adam Silver, Ph.D. and Lenore Martin, Ph.D.
Jessica Gavin
"Ordinary Equality: Anti-Discrimination Laws in the United States"
Political Science
Advisors: Adam Silver, Ph.D. and Petros Vamvakas, Ph.D.
Ben Craig
"Citizen Competence in a Polarized Informational Environment"
Political Science
Advisors: Adam Silver, Ph.D. and Marie Natoli, Ph.D., J.D.
Jorian Gallucci
"School connectedness among new Americans in a public high school"
Sociology
Advisor: Catherine Bueker, Ph.D.
Jenny Marie Jobe
“To be or not to be insured: A critical assessment of barriers to healthcare shaped by medical capitalism”
Sociology
Advisor: Katrin Križ, Ph.D.
Melissa Allen
“Polycomb Group Proteins in Drosophila S2 Cells – Using TurboID to Find New Interactors”
Biology
Advisors: Janel Cabrera, Ph.D. and Mitzi Kuroda, Ph.D. (Brigham & Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School)
Sam Tierney
“Responding to mitochondrial damage: Implications for neurodegenerative disease states”
Biology
Advisors: Jill Falk, Ph.D. and Thomas Schwarz, Ph.D., (Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School)
Ashleigh Meyer
“It’s Raining MEN: Elucidating the Impact of the Mutant NUD1 Allele on the S. cerevisiae Mitotic Exit Network”
Biology
Advisor: Anupama Seshan, Ph.D.
Cameron Goldsmith
“Neuroprotection against zinc- and copper-mediated apoptotic cell death induced by oxidative stress”
Biology
Advisor: Paul A. Rosenberg, M.D., Ph.D., (Boston Children’s Hospital)
Jenny Marie Jobe
“Let’s talk about X baby – Spreading mechanism of the MSL dosage compensation complex”
Biology
Advisors: Janel Cabrera, Ph.D. and Mitzi Kuroda, Ph.D. (Brigham & Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School)
Rachel Corsetti
“Investigation of a Potential Secondary Function of Mitotic Exit Activator LTE1 in S. cerevisiae”
Biology
Advisor: Anupama Seshan, Ph.D.
Moriah Murphy-Thornley
“Detection of Red Blood Cell and Plasma derived Extracellular Vesicle microRNAs by Molecular Beacons”
Biology
Advisors: Getulio Pereira De Oliveira Jr., Ph.D. and Ionita Ghiran, M.D. (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center)
Maggie Loiselle
“Examining the role of an uncharacterized gene in Shigella flexneri pathogenesis”
Biology
Advisor: Christina Faherty, Ph.D. (Massachusetts General Hospital)
Rachel Pierce
“Lineage Tracing of Chondrocyte Stem Cells and Their Regenerative Response to Growth Plate Injury”
Biology
Advisor: Andreia Ionescu, Ph.D., (Harvard School of Dental Medicine)
Melanie Bruno
“Design of a Risk Stratification Tool for Emergency General Surgery Patients”
Biology
Advisor: Joaquim M. Havens, M.D., Ph.D., ( Brigham & Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School)
Gandolina Melhem
“TORC1 Inhibition Promotes Treg Viability and FOXP3 Stability through Downregulation of Granzyme B”
Biology
Advisor: Jamil R. Azzi, M.D. ( Brigham & Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School)
Megan Goncalves
“Confidence Breeds Success: How self-perceptions and self-confidence affect math anxiety”
Mathematics
Advisor: Rebecca Hehn, M.A.
Patricia Steinhagen
“Amplifiers and Suppressors of Selection on the Spider-Islands Graph under Birth-death Updating”
Mathematics
Advisor: Benjamin Allen, Ph.D.
Julia Shapiro
“Investigating the effectiveness of a public health approach for suicide prevention at Emmanuel College”
Mathematics
Advisors: Benjamin Allen, Ph.D., Yulia Dementieva, Ph.D. and Helen MacDonald, Ph.D.
Sydney Iacoi
“Differences in Cognitive Deficits between Patients with Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective Disorder, and Bipolar I Disorder with Psychotic Features”
Neuroscience
Advisor: Melanie Leussis, Ph.D.
Amanda Perez-Rodriguez
“The Effect of Self-Defeating Humor on Individuals with Depressed and Euthymic Mood”
Psychology
Advisor: Samantha Moshier, Ph.D.
Liam Arteaga
“An analysis of the association of parenting style on executive functioning within Autism Spectrum Disorder”
Psychology
Advisor: Melanie Leussis, Ph.D.
Skylar Steffes
“The Effect of Target Gender on Perceptions of Orthorexia”
Psychology
Advisor: Linda Lin, Ph.D.
Gisselle Gonzalez
“An Analysis of the Impact of Fintech on the U.S. Digital Economy”
Economics
Advisors: Rebecca Moryl, Ph.D. and John Barrett, M.S.
Ian A. Tait
“Investing in Green Initiatives: The integration of ESG into investment decision making”
Economics
Advisors: Rebecca Moryl, Ph.D. and John Barrett, M.S.
Robert A. Columbus
“Wars, Terrorism, Financial Markets & Defense Industries”
Economics
Advisors: Rebecca Moryl, Ph.D. and John Barrett, M.S.
Erin Umlauf
“Rules of Resettlement: Analyzing economic integration of refugees”
Economics
Advisors: Rebecca Moryl, Ph.D. and Florencia Gabriele, Ph.D.
Hayley Deluca
“A New Britain: An Analysis of Brexit's Effect on Trade in the United Kingdom”
Economics
Advisors: Rebecca Moryl, Ph.D. and Florencia Gabriele, Ph.D.
Katie Thompson
“Requiring Financial Literacy: An Approach to Improving Consumer Behavior”
Economics: Finance
Advisors: Rebecca Moryl, Ph.D. and Florencia Gabriele, Ph.D.
Mariella Louisa Hansen
“The Effects of Foreign Direct Investment on Income Inequality Given the Absorptive Capacity of the Host Country”
Economics
Advisors: Rebecca Moryl, Ph.D. and Shuyi Jiang, Ph.D.
Rahel Sirack
“Race and income inequality in Boston”
Economics
Advisors: Rebecca Moryl, Ph.D. and Shuyi Jiang, Ph.D.
Giana Cofman
“Direct-to-Consumer Advertising in the Pharmaceutical Industry”
Marketing
Advisor: Jing Yang, Ph.D.
Kelly Bagdonas
“Continuing Equitable Education Opportunities in BPS by Engaging with the Science Practices”
Education
Advisor: Sr. Karen Hokanson, SNDdeN, Ed.D.
Bryanna Guarnieri
“Rethinking Literacy to Foster Empathetic and Understanding Readers: A Curriculum Design Project Focused on the Integration of Inclusive and Culturally Relevant Texts in Elementary School”
Education
Advisor: Christine Leighton, Ed.D.
Amie Knowles
“Teaching Equity: How School Environments Effect Identity Formation”
Education
Advisor: Lisa Schneier, Ed.D.
Emily Hanson
“Teacher Talk: How it can Help First-Grade Students to See Themselves as Scientists”
Education
Advisor: Christine Leighton, Ed.D.
Samantha Onessimo
“Equality and Equity: Ensuring Success for All Students”
Education
Advisor: Lisa Schneier, Ed.D.
Mary Kate Harper
“The Impact of Interest: An Aspiring Teacher’s Reflection on Incorporating Interest to Promote Engagement”
Education
Advisor: Christine Leighton, Ed.D.
Elisa Welch
“Teaching Kindness in the Classroom: The Importance of Fostering Empathy and Self-love in Students”
Education
Advisor: Lisa Schneier, Ed.D.
When it came time to search for an internship, Philip decided to go big—and looked to the accounting industry’s Big 4 of Deloitte, EY, PwC and KPMG, each of which has a Boston-based office just a few miles from campus.
"If anyone would ask me what to do in college, I would tell them to do everything. Get as much experience as you can. Meet people and do things. Take advantage of all college has to offer."
Jumping into her Emmanuel experience, Shakirah was sure of two things: that what she had planned was going to be a “tall task,” and that she was up for the challenge.
Katherine’s foray into biology might seem an unlikely one for a future dentist.
As a future educator, Jonathan understands there is a lesson to be learned in everything.
For career inspiration, Erin looked no further than her family of first responders and their calling to “help people on their worst days.”
During the Fall 2022 semester, MacDonald and her research team of psychology majors Madeline Bradley ’23 and Matthew Lemansky ’23 (pictured) investigated the lived experiences of participants in an 8-week mindfulness training program.
One transformative high school law class changed Alyssa’s college plans from STEM to political science.
Nick grew up in a family of medical professionals—his mother and grandmother are both nurses and his father is a paramedic. “I’ve always been surrounded with medical jargon and stories of health incidents, crises, and the rewarding benefits of providing care,” he said.
Emmanuel College is one of 140 local nonprofits to receive grants of $100,000 to $500,000 each through the Cummings Foundation’s $25 Million Grant Program.
Counseling & health psychology major Christine came to Emmanuel knowing she wanted to pursue a career in health care, and the College’s opportunities and connections for students interested in the field—as well as a neuroscience course she attended at EC Incoming—made the decision an easy one.
When asking secondary education and biology double major Angela Girodier '22 if she’s more passionate about research or teaching, she quickly and emphatically says “both.”
Emmanuel is a place where students broaden their sense of what’s possible and prepare for inspiring careers in an ever-changing world. Be here.
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