







































Ella Hansen is a third-year psychology and English double major with a 
humanities and medicine minor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. As well 
as being an honors student, Ella works as a Writing Consultant and Writing 
Fellow at the Writing Center and loves helping others get their ideas onto paper. 
She is the treasurer of UNL's competitive !gure skating club, volunteers with the 
St. "omas Aquinas Newman Center, and has a knack for making sandwiches. 
If you happen across Ella, she will likely be contemplating the psychology of her 
life on the way to class.

Mallory Heinzerling is a recent graduate from the University of Minnesota 
Duluth with cum laude honors. She obtained a Bachelor's degree in Exercise 
Science with a minor in public health. Mallory spent time working with the 
athletics department at UMD through her internship. She has also presented 
her academic work at the Northland American College of Sports Medicine 
Conference. Mallory will be attending Northern Arizona University to further 
her education and obtain a Master of Science in Athletic Training. She plans to 
further her research in graduate school and her career to help address the issues 
presented in her paper.

Lindsey Ho!man recently graduated summa cum laude from the Temple 
University Honors Program. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Health 
and a certi!cate in American Sign Language (ASL). During her time at Temple, 
she served on the executive board for Active Minds and Talking Hands, the 
Mental Health Club and ASL Club, respectively. She also volunteered for 
Temple’s Cherry Pantry and was a preceptor for ASL III and IV. Lindsey will 
continue learning about Deaf culture by working at the Pennsylvania School 
for the Deaf in Philadelphia. Her future goal is to become a Teacher of the Deaf.

Rachael Jenness is a recent graduate of Gonzaga University. She earned her 
B.A. in international studies and criminology, with a minor in Spanish and 
concentrations in international political economy and the European region. 
In her time at Gonzaga, she was an active participant on the Honors Council, 
studied abroad in Madrid, Spain, and competed in mock trial. She plans to 
attend law school next fall to pursue a J.D. in international law. In her free 
time, Rachael enjoys creating poetry out of fridge magnets, reading, and eating 
various types of potatoes.

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Author and Artist Biographies



Author and Artist Biographies

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Samantha Laurin is a senior honors student at the University of San Diego, 
pursuing a B.A. in psychology with minors in marketing and communication. 
On campus, Samantha researches spatial and cognitive awareness and serves 
as the president of Intervarsity Christian Ministries and scholarship director of 
Panhellenic. She is a part of two national honors societies, Mortar Board and 
Psi Chi, and is a captain of the honors club. She is furthering her education with 
a Masters of Arts in Clinical Counseling at Point Loma Nazarene University, 
hoping to help those struggling with mental health. 

Rachel Ledoux is a !rst-year honors student at Simmons University, where she 
is double majoring in political science and economics within an accelerated 
public policy graduate program. She is also pursuing minors in international 
relations, public policy, and law & justice. Rachel serves as co-President of 
Simmons Democracy Matters and Op-Ed Editor for the Simmons Voice, in 
addition to her work within the honors program. She has a passion for education 
policy and plans to pursue a career in the non-pro!t sphere a#er graduation. In 
her free time, Rachel enjoys reading, thri#ing, and musical theatre.

Avery Segall is a current senior at Seattle University, set to graduate magna 
cum laude in June 2025. She is pursuing a double major in English and women, 
gender, and sexuality studies and a minor in medieval and early modern 
studies. Avery is an alumni of the Intellectual Traditions track of the Seattle 
University Honors Program and a current Naef Scholar. She served as a student 
editor for the Seattle University Undergraduate Research Journal and is currently 
developing a joint departmental honors thesis paper.

Aashka Shah is a freshman honors student at Virginia Commonwealth 
University. She is double majoring in chemistry and psychology on the pre-med 
track and is a member of the Guaranteed Admission for Medicine Program. 
She plans to be an oncologist one day. She loves volunteering with Operation 
Smile, Doorways, and Medlife, and she spends a lot of her time doing research 
in public health, cancer genetics, and immunology. 



Author and Artist Biographies

Aisthesis      Volume 16,  2025108

Sedona Skenderian is a junior at the University of Wyoming. She is majoring 
in history with a minor in honors and museum studies. She has recently been 
inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi honors societies and works 
at the American Heritage Center archives as a reading room assistant. "ough 
she loves history, creative writing is a passion of hers, and she would love to 
continue to pursue it alongside her other interests. In the future, she hopes to 
obtain a law degree and specialize in museum law. 

Ansel Smith (he/him) is a senior at the University of Alabama earning his 
master’s and bachelor’s in mathematics with minors in Chinese, computer 
science, and the liberal arts as a Blount Scholar. Ansel is a founding member of 
the award-winning Red Rook Press, performs research in ornithology and early 
school history as an Emerging Scholar, and has served as a representative of the 
Honors College Assembly. He has spent a semester abroad in "ailand and will 
study math in Hungary in Summer 2025. Upon completion of his undergraduate 
coursework, Ansel hopes to pursue his interdisciplinary interests with further 
graduate studies.

Hillary Sotomayor is a sophomore honors student at the University of Colorado 
Denver, where she is a member of the University Honors & Leadership Program. 
She is majoring in biochemistry and minoring in psychology. In her free time, 
Hillary enjoys volunteering at a local OB clinic and at sexual assault and abuse 
safehouses. She also enjoys drawing, reading, playing the piano, and building 
terrariums for her betta !sh. She hopes to conduct more research with a focus 
on bringing greater awareness to sexual assault and abuse. While currently 
working in sales, Hillary hopes to pursue a career in psychology.

Natalia Turkiewicz graduated cum laude from SUNY New Paltz with a B.S. 
in psychobiology and a minor in evolutionary studies. An Honors College 
member and mentor, she served as Treasurer of the Biology Club and engaged in 
academic research via a social perception lab focused on morality, development, 
and cross-cultural research. In addition to her academic pursuits, Natalia 
is a Certi!ed Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) on the road to becoming 
a licensed EMT. Natalia has aspirations of becoming a neurosurgeon and is 
currently in her gap year applying to medical school. Currently, Natalia works 
as a medical assistant at a cardiology practice while also preparing case reports 
for publication. Driven by a passion for medicine, research, and community 
service, Natalia is committed to making a lasting impact in healthcare through 
compassion, innovation, and dedication.



Author and Artist Biographies

Aisthesis      Volume 16,  2025109

Jason Wang is an honors student at Ohio State University studying applied 
mathematics and French. He is also pursuing research in East Asian 
architecture, particularly the physical properties of the wooden bracketing 
system (dougong). On campus, he has worked closely with the Bliss M. and 
Mildred A. Wiant Collection of Chinese Art, and he is currently a student 
assistant in the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures. Given this 
involvement in a range of disciplines, he hopes to one day combine his interests 
in mathematics and the humanities into his future career.


