

































Isaac Conrad graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2023 with 
his BA in communication and biology. As a member of University Honors at 
UMD, he served as President of the University Honors Student Association 
and was the recipient of the 2023 Zenith Award. His current research focuses 
on the critical role of communication in mobilizing action to respond to the 
climate crisis. Isaac aspires to build a career developing theoretically informed 
climate action campaigns through applied communication research and will 
attend the University of Minnesota’s Hubbard School of Journalism & Mass 
Communication this fall.

Petra Ellerby is a fourth-year student at Western Washington University with 
emphases in both history and global humanities. She has published work in 
the journals Palouse Review, Scribendi, and UReCA, and has two manuscripts 
forthcoming from Columbia University's Columbia Journal of History. Her 
research interests lie at the intersection of historiography, humanism, and 
political philosophy, with a speci!c focus in the socioeconomic history of 
the ancient Near East. A"er graduation, Petra plans to pursue a PhD in the 
humanities.  

Ainsley Gill is a sophomore and College Scholar at Vanderbilt University from 
Houston, Texas. She is majoring in political science and law, history, & society 
and minoring in gender & sexuality studies, while planning to pursue a career 
in law. On campus, she enjoys competing and traveling with the Vanderbilt 
Debate Team and is a member of the Undergraduate Honor Council. She also 
serves as an editor for the Vanderbilt Political Review and dances with VU 
Pointe.

Katherine Held is a senior student-athlete at Southern Illinois University. 
Graduating summa cum laude, Held will earn her Bachelor of Science in 
!nance as an Honors Pre-Law Scholar with minors in environmental studies, 
Spanish, and economics. On campus, Held serves as a sector leader for a $3.7 
million mid-cap equity investment portfolio. She is also involved with the 
Alumni Council, Delta Zeta Sorority, University of Innovation Fellows, SIU's 
Sustainability Council, the Women's Leadership Council, and NCAA Division 
I Women's Soccer. Held will continue studying the intersections of law, !nance, 
and sustainability at law school.

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Author and Artist Biographies



Author and Artist Biographies

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Greta Hermann graduated summa cum laude from SUNY Geneseo in 
December 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, as a member of both the 
Edgar Fellows Honors Program and Psi Chi, the national psychology honors 
society. While attending Geneseo, she helped to create the Makerspace Initiative 
and the Cra"ivist Coalition. She interned at the VA, where she worked on a 
website called Worried About a Veteran, which helps family members of suicidal 
military veterans. She is currently a Research Assistant at Mizzou focusing on 
Alzheimer’s disease. She plans to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology, focusing 
on either Alzheimer’s or the military veteran experience.

Madeline Kinsella is a senior honors student at SUNY Geneseo !nishing her 
BS in biology while applying to veterinary schools. She is a leadership mentor 
for Geneseo’s Opportunities for Leadership and Development program and 
a Sigma Kappa sorority member. Madeline has conducted research on dairy 
farms for the past three years and has worked for Cornell University on their 
Quality Milk Protection Services mastitis project. She aspires to become a large 
animal veterinarian while continuing her passion for research.

Sam Markley is a freshman honors student at the University of South Dakota, 
where he is double-majoring in history and political science, with a minor in 
public policy. Along with being active in the honors program, Sam is secretary 
of United Nations Association, competes in mock trial, and coaches high school 
debaters over the summer and during the school year. A"er graduation, Sam 
plans to pursue a PhD in public policy or a law degree to work with underserved 
and marginalized communities.

Lily Nguyen is a graduate from the University of Kansas, with B.A. degrees in 
global and international studies and East Asian languages and cultures and a 
minor in political science. She currently lives on a subtropical island in rural 
Kumamoto, Japan, teaching English and foreign culture to grades 3-9 at !ve 
elementary schools and one junior high school. In her free time, she enjoys 
hiking mountains and exploring Japan. During university, she served as a 
Resident Assistant, a Seminar Assistant and Global Scholar in the KU Honors 
Program, and a student leader at the St. Lawrence Center.



Author and Artist Biographies

Aisthesis      Volume 14,  2023122

Samantha Oleschuk is a third-year university and departmental honors 
undergraduate student at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. 
She studies art and visual culture with a concentration in art management 
and minors in nonpro!t organizations and French and Francophone studies. 
Oleschuk currently works as the Art Collections Manager and Art Program 
& Looking Glass Gallery Manager at her university’s Plemmons Student 
Union. She also writes visual and performing arts reviews for the Cultural 
Voice of North Carolina (CVNC). As an emerging arts professional interested 
in exhibitions, education programming, and accessibility, she anticipates a 
career in museums and nonpro!t arts organizations, hoping to engage others in 
inclusive, transformational art experiences a"er graduation.

Sophia Podolsky is a junior at Vanderbilt University, where she is a Cornelius 
Vanderbilt Scholar and a member of the College Scholars Honors Program. 
A double major in psychology and cinema and media arts, her research and 
academic interests focus on human cognition, perception, relationships with 
media, fan culture, and technology. A"er graduation, she intends to pursue a 
PhD in communications/media & technology studies.

Jenna Riedl (she/her) is a senior honors student at Boston University, studying 
painting with a minor in statistics. Her honors thesis explores young adult 
conservative beliefs on government regulation of queer expression. When not 
painting, reading, or singing with her a cappella group, she can be found sitting 
under trees at Boston Common, complaining about the lack of real forests 
in the city. A"er graduation, she plans to hike the Appalachian Trail before 
conducting further research on how individual political beliefs impact queer 
people. Unless, of course, she does something totally di#erent.

Sallianne Roher is a recent graduate from the University of Houston with 
a degree in biology and a minor in medicine & society. During her time at 
UH, Sallianne was involved with student housing as a Resident Advisor and 
clinical research with Texas Children’s Hospital, and she now spends much of 
her time working as a medical scribe. She is passionate about interdisciplinary 
approaches to solving health disparities from a perspective where scienti!c and 
humanistic inquiry intersect. Following graduation, Sallianne will be spending 
the summer in Jordan studying health accessibility for vulnerable populations, 
working with the humanitarian agency Jordan Health Aid Society International.



Author and Artist Biographies

Aisthesis      Volume 14,  2023123

Sierra Swenson is an honors student at the University of Minnesota Duluth 
graduating in the Spring of 2024. She is double majoring in psychology and 
Spanish studies, with a minor in cognitive science. Her research involvement 
includes assisting as a student researcher in an experimental psychology lab 
and pharmaceutical neuroscience lab. She is also a TA for an honors freshman 
seminar course. She is an active NSCS member and PsiChi member. In her free 
time, she enjoys being outdoors on the North Shore, spending quality time with 
friends, and photography. Sierra plans to attend graduate school to pursue a 
PhD in neuroscience.


