The thesis represented here was for my Honors undergraduate thesis project, which explored the social stigma of disability and its representational differences between congenital and acquired disability within the user comments in an online forum of discussion. Existing literature on Critical Disability Studies and Rehabilitative Psychology has noted the nature of disability stigma and lack of accurate representation in social settings as well as the ramifications that follow. (Mis)representations of disability can result in bias, inaccessibility, and other social ramifications such as microaggressions because of the long history of oppression and stigmatization that disabled individuals have experienced (Keller & Galgay, 2010). Data was collected from two online forums addressing disability stigma and analyzed using both deductive coding and inductive emergent analysis of recurrent themes, experiences, or ideas that were expressed in user comments. Analysis of user comments helped address the goal of this research which aimed to explore stigma, identity, and disability within a representational context. This thesis, then, wanted to better understand disability stigma by analyzing the representational differences (if any) of congenital and acquired disabled user’s comments.

Classic & Current is a sustainable e-commerce business that provides affordable, appropriate, and fashion-forward business clothes for college female students. Through customer discovery and market analysis, we have identified a need for trendy, affordable business wear that is tailored to a younger demographic. Our strategy includes a circular component where customers can send back items for a discount on a new piece, which will be listed on “Our Closet,” along with hand-picked, thrifted items exclusively available to verified college students at a lower price point. Classic & Current targets females ages 18-25 who are either college students or young professionals in the United States. Our mission is to provide affordable, fashion-forward, work-appropriate, comfortable, and durable clothing while also addressing sustainability concerns. Our marketing efforts will focus on social media, specifically Instagram and TikTok, using micro-influencers and paid advertisements to push our brand and gain traction. Our financial plan includes seeking funding opportunities through ASU’s entrepreneurship programs. Classic & Current distinguishes itself from competitors by providing unique solutions for sustainability while offering elements of a classic wardrobe and trendy, seasonal items to keep customers current.

Classic & Current is a sustainable e-commerce business that provides affordable, appropriate, and fashion-forward business clothes for college female students. Through customer discovery and market analysis, we have identified a need for trendy, affordable business wear that is tailored to a younger demographic. Our strategy includes a circular component where customers can send back items for a discount on a new piece, which will be listed on “Our Closet,” along with hand-picked, thrifted items exclusively available to verified college students at a lower price point. Classic & Current targets females ages 18-25 who are either college students or young professionals in the United States. Our mission is to provide affordable, fashion-forward, work-appropriate, comfortable, and durable clothing while also addressing sustainability concerns. Our marketing efforts will focus on social media, specifically Instagram and TikTok, using micro-influencers and paid advertisements to push our brand and gain traction. Our financial plan includes seeking funding opportunities through ASU’s entrepreneurship programs. Classic & Current distinguishes itself from competitors by providing unique solutions for sustainability while offering elements of a classic wardrobe and trendy, seasonal items to keep customers current.

“Man, the bravest animal and most prone to suffer, does not deny suffering as such: he wills it, he even seeks it out, provided he is shown a meaning for it, a purpose of suffering.” -Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche Juvenile justice reform is a complex and contentious topic. Despite the increased attention and focus throughout the years of looking for more effective ways of dealing with youthful offenders, America is still one of the most punitive countries regarding juvenile crime – averaging nearly 60,000 incarcerated youth daily. In recent years, there has been a trend toward reforming the juvenile justice system to prioritize rehabilitation over exclusion and punishment, with a preference for restorative approaches and strategies instead of traditional exclusionary and punitive responses. However, continued high incarceration rates combined with almost 90 percent recidivism rates suggest these approaches are ineffective and lack the necessary elements to address the underlying causes of juvenile crime or help position our youth for successful reentry or participation in society. As we learn more about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the devastating long-term effects on a child’s development, we recognize a connection between ACEs, toxic stress, and juvenile crime. ACEs refer to adverse or traumatic events that occur during childhood, such as physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, neglect, or household dysfunction. These experiences can pose significant risks to children’s physical and mental health. Toxic stress refers to the chronic exposure to the body’s stress response systems reacting to severe and prolonged adversity, such as child abuse or neglect. Developmental changes in the body and brain due to toxic stress can increase the risk of physical and mental health problems, including anxiety, depression, and substance abuse, and lead to increased negative behaviors and criminal activity. This paper argues that a trauma-informed approach to reform juvenile justice is needed to help survivors of ACEs and toxic stress repurpose their adversity into a tool of opportunity and empowerment. This trauma-informed approach will, in turn, help trauma survivors find purpose in life, alter their perspective of their world, and perform actions and behaviors in service of their goals. Only by including an individualized trauma-informed approach will we finally realize collective juvenile justice reform.

The goal of this creative project is to produce digestible information for Jewish and Christian faith leaders who may interact with people who are or were incarcerated. The brochures can be downloaded and used as resources for faith leaders. The data for this project was collected from ASU's Center for Correctional Solutions.

This creative project is a compilation of the research of three Latin countries, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico and the influence on popular cuisines. The project focuses on how colonization and indigenous cultures from the respective countries blended and created fusion foods. The project findings will ultimately be compiled into an interactive recipe book. By examining Latin immigrant recipes and their different variations, as well as the history of certain ingredients and their usages, I understood that the history of these recipes is not black and white. Researching certain ingredients helped me understand what pattern in history I was looking for when it came to indigenous recipes to the country and what was influenced. I sought out the roots of these famous recipes expecting to find how European and national roots influenced them. Further research indicated that fusion foods were not experimental recipes but a modernized fusion of the roots.