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. Aisthesis Volume 14, 2023120 Author and Artist Biographies Author and Artist Biographies Aisthesis Volume 14, 2023121 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.