Publicly Engaged Scholar Award Nominee Presentations

Tuesday, April 22nd
4:30 - 6:00 p.m.
Lutnick 200

Since 2019, the Center for Peace and Global Citizenship has presented graduating seniors with the Publicly Engaged Scholar award in recognition of research that advances peacework, social justice and/or global citizenship. Join us Tuesday, April 22, to hear from this year’s nominees.

Each nominee will present a five-minute Ignite talk about their thesis research to an audience of peers, faculty, and CPGC staff members and community partners. The Ignite presentation process challenges seniors to communicate concisely about their research to diverse audiences. Following CPGC guidelines for community-engaged learning, prioritization is given to research questions that emerge through relationships with organizations and networks advancing justice. For the past several years, the CPGC has asked the audience to weigh in on each of the presentations by using a survey. The survey feedback is then tabulated and the CPGC Steering Committee makes a final decision, based on the survey data along with faculty and staff discernment. 

This event is open to everyone, and is an opportunity to hear from students whose work has emerged from, or in collaboration with, the community to advance justice and sustainability. Read more about past winners and nominees here.

2025 Nominees:

• Ellie Baron, Sociology; The “Inmate Grievance System”: A Deceitful Procedure Failing to Remedy Harmful Treatment of Incarcerated People in Pennsylvania State Prisons

• Kyla Hayes, Anthropology, Health Studies Minor; Tender is The Flesh: Stigma and Survival in the Undead Metaphors of the Addicted Body in Philadelphia’s “Zombieland”

• Brisa Kane, Anthropology and Education; How we care for each other: Mutual Aid Organizing on College Campuses

• Estrella Pacheco, Growth and Structure of Cities, Spanish Minor, & LAILS Concentration; “Why do we always have to be resilient?”: How Latin American Immigrant Communities Navigate Natural Disaster Through Social Infrastructure Response in Sonoma County, California

• Ileana Rodriguez, Political Science; Psychology Minor; Criminal Minds: An Analytical Look at the Entrenchment of Organized Crime in Mexico

• Nathan Schechter, Philosophy; Economics Minor; Against Human Exceptionalism

• Julianna Watson, English, Education Minor; Dethroning Daffodils: Education as Linguistic Imperialism in the Postcolonial Novel

• James Wayman, Political Science, Spanish Minor; Resistance Through Resilience: Guatemala’s Anti-Corruption Movement, 2015–2023

• Kira Wu-Hacohen, Anthropology and Education; Planting Seeds: Educator Reflections on Fostering Youth Political Engagement Through Art Education