







































Madiha Ahmed is a senior honors student at Elmhurst College. She will be earning 
dual degrees in psychology and human resources management, with plans to become 
an industrial-organizational psychologist. Currently President of Elmhurst College’s 
Student Government Association, Madiha has a vested interest in promoting the 
wellbeing and performance of individuals in any group or organization. She hopes to 
use her skills in various areas, from non-profits to schools, and to inspire others to be 
the best leaders they can be. While she loves her many roles in college, Madiha enjoys 
spending down time with family and friends.

Jakob Bermas is a junior at the University of Minnesota Duluth, originally from 
Washington state. He studies English and communication and is interested in 
how technology impacts society and interpersonal relationships. On campus, he is 
involved with the student-run news organization, The Bark, and likes to write about 
art exhibitions in the campus museum. He loves to play badminton and to visit lakes 
and forests. After college, he hopes to pursue his passion for writing by becoming a 
journalist or enrolling in an MFA program.

Kacie Brown is pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree in saxophone performance at 
Indiana University under the guidance of Dr. Otis Murphy. She is also pursuing a 
certificate in journalism through IU’s Media School. She is a member of the Indiana 
University Hutton Honors college, where she serves as an ambassador. She regularly 
performs with the Kanaderu Saxophone Quartet, most recently at the United States 
Navy Band’s International Saxophone Symposium. She is also a member of the North 
American Saxophone Alliance. 

Emma Ellis is a first-year Foundation Fellow in the University of Georgia’s Honors 
Program. She is pursuing a double-major in genetics and classics, along with a minor 
in Spanish. On campus, Emma researches treatments for fungal infections, serves 
on the executive board of the Global Health Union, and tutors a Syrian refugee in 
English. In her free time, Emma enjoys reading medical fiction, playing intramural 
soccer, and spending time with her family and friends. Emma plans to work abroad 
on women’s reproductive rights as a bilingual OB-GYN after graduation.

Aisthesis      Volume 10,  201953

Author Biographies



Justin Flick is a graduate student at Georgia Institute of Technology in the M.S. 
Computer Science program where he is specializing in machine learning. Justin 
completed his undergraduate work at California State University, Chico in 2017, 
graduating with a B.S. in business information systems. During his time at CSU Chico, 
Justin was a member of the undergraduate honors program and a Pi Kappa Delta All-
American debater. In addition to his graduate studies, Justin works full-time as a data 
engineer for Engage3, a retail price optimization start-up based in Davis, CA. Justin 
also volunteers as an assistant coach for the debate team at California State University, 
Sacramento.

Alyssa Gargagliano is a senior honors student, graduating from The College of 
New Jersey with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and a minor in psychology.  
She is particularly interested in organismal and evolutionary biology and conducts 
undergraduate research on the effects of climate change on songbird feather quality.  
After graduation, Alyssa plans on pursuing a degree in veterinary medicine, which 
integrates her interest in science with her love for animals and helping others. 

Matthew Henderson, from Winthrop, Minnesota, is a junior honors student 
studying civil engineering at the University of Minnesota Duluth. He is active in 
several engineering organizations and serves as the president of UMD’s chapter of the 
American Concrete Institute and the treasurer of UMD’s chapter of American Society 
of Civil Engineers. When he isn’t studying, you can find him exploring the outdoors 
by hiking, kayaking, or biking. During the winter, he enjoys skiing and curling. He 
plans to continue conducting research in areas of interest during his senior year.

Brianna Howard is an honors student at Boston University, majoring in painting 
with a minor in arts leadership. Inspired by contemporary figure painters, Brianna 
seeks to find a balance between representation and abstraction in her work, primarily 
through oil painting. Recently, Brianna has begun dissecting her more classically-
based paintings and drawings to explore more abstract forms. Outside of class, 
Brianna volunteers as an admissions ambassador and works at a local art center. This 
summer, she will attend the New York Studio School and teach youth art classes at an 
art center in her hometown of Jacksonville, Florida.

Author Biographies

Aisthesis      Volume 10,  201954



Addie Johnson is a senior at Virginia Commonwealth University in the Honors 
College. She is majoring in graphic design with minors in product innovation and 
Spanish. Informed by a critical understanding of photographic distortion, she digitally 
deconstructs conventional subjects to examine the space and politics of physical 
bodies within an image. Outside of class, Addie conducts sustainable environmental 
systems research, volunteers as a Spanish translator, and works as an independent 
contractor. She also enjoys running triathlons, rock climbing, weightlifting, and 
jumping on trampolines.

Mateen Karimi is a sophomore Honors student in the Special Program in Law at the 
University of Connecticut, majoring in business management with a concentration in 
entrepreneurship. He hopes to one day start his own business. Mateen has aspirations 
of attending law school after his undergraduate education in order to provide legal 
help to new arrivals to the United States. He is also a member of the UConn Men’s 
Club Ice Hockey team, and in his free time, he enjoys playing both the alto saxophone 
and piano.

Madeline Leibin is a graduate student in Israel-Palestine pursuing an International MA 
in Conflict Resolution and Mediation (Public Policy). In her undergraduate degree, 
she studied philosophy, international studies, and religious studies at the College 
of Charleston. She is interested in topics related to identity, democracy, pluralism, 
and human rights. She has worked extensively within civil society initiatives to hold 
public officials accountable for institutional injustices and inequities, most recently 
with Amnesty International. Next, she plans to attend law school in the United States 
and build a career in civil and human rights, both as a litigator and a community 
advocate.

Rojina Nekoonam is a third-year student at California State University-Fresno. She 
is currently pursuing a degree in biology and wishes to attend medical school after 
graduation. Last summer, Rojina participated in an interdisciplinary tropical field 
program, where she learned about Costa Rica’s rich biodiversity, had a chance to 
study quantitative field methods, and got inspiration for her research project. Back in 
the U.S., she works as an undergraduate researcher at a cancer research lab and hopes 
to contribute to the ongoing research on cardiovascular disease. In her spare time, she 
enjoys landscape photography.

Author Biographies

Aisthesis      Volume 10,  201955

 



Lydia Pack is a first-year honors student at the University of Kentucky, working 
towards dual degrees in biology and psychology with a minor in health advocacy. 
After graduation, her goal is to become a genetic counselor. Beyond her studies, she 
volunteers as a crisis counselor for the Crisis Text Line and fosters and trains possible 
future service dogs for 4 Paws for Ability. This summer, she’s studying abroad in four 
countries in Europe and hopes to continue traveling to new places in her spare time.

Born and raised in Malaysia, Sanjna Selva is a sophomore from Skidmore College 
with a passion for writing, film, photography and social justice. At Skidmore, she 
is an international affairs major and documentary film minor, and her research 
interests center around exploring untold stories of marginalized populations and on 
expanding narratives of the Middle East. Sanjna would like to extend her gratitude 
to Professor Murat C. Yıldız for his incredible support and guidance on this project, 
her first publication. A storyteller at heart, Sanjna is in the process of filming her 
first independent documentary about child trafficking in orphanages across Nepal. 
She serves as the news section editor for Skidmore News and hopes to someday 
pursue a career as a foreign correspondent and to continue dabbling in the world of 
documentary film-making. 

Julio Montalvo Valentin (they/them) is the author of two chapbooks, Don’t Give up 
the Ship and Ship Lost, with a forthcoming chapbook, Those Who Pray to Rice, later 
this year with NightBallet Press. No longer an editor and publisher, you can find them 
working on their next project: converting a school bus into a poetry caravan this 
summer.  

Mara Walters is a junior at Elon University, where she is an Honors Fellow. She is 
majoring in public health studies, with a concentration in biological aspects of health 
and illness and a minor in neuroscience. Mara has a strong interest in promoting 
environmental opportunities for low-income children. She is currently conducting 
undergraduate research investigating the socio-emotional and resilient effects of a 
school garden at a Title I elementary school. After graduation, Mara plans to attend 
medical school and incorporate her passion for public health into the discipline of 
medicine.

Author Biographies

Aisthesis      Volume 10,  201956



Hannah Willis has just finished her junior year at the University of Utah, where she 
is majoring in biology with an emphasis in environmental and organismal biology. 
Currently, she is studying how the behavior of mammals in the Wasatch Mountains 
changes in relation to human activity through camera traps. Hannah also enjoys 
creative writing and hopes to find a way to incorporate it into her degree.

Nicole Wong is a sophomore at Skidmore College, majoring in English and French 
and minoring in art history. Originally from Toronto, Canada, but with roots in Hong 
Kong, Nicole focuses her study on understanding cross-cultural translation and 
exploring the identities of immigrants and diasporic peoples. Her academic inquiries 
include exploring translation as a bridge between not only different cultures, but also 
between past and present, thought, and word. She intends to study how to translate 
“untranslatable” ideas and delve into the intricacies “untranslatable” concepts reveal 
about their respective cultures. 

In 2018, Jaden Wright graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth, where 
he studied accounting and finance as a University Honors student. His research tests 
whether an equity investment strategy based on the tax avoidance aggressiveness of 
publicly-traded firms can generate abnormal returns for investors. He has worked 
in both the public and private accounting sectors and is currently in the process of 
earning his CPA accreditation. 

Author Biographies

Aisthesis      Volume 10,  201957


