College-aged women are getting surgical and non-invasive cosmetic alterations at rates higher than ever before. Noticeably, many of these women are in sororities. No prior research has identified a definitive relationship between sorority women and cosmetic enhancements. The purpose of this research was to investigate why sorority women are increasingly getting cosmetic work done, particularly examining the influences behind those procedures. Research questions include: Is there a physical standard of beauty in sororities? If so, does this physical standard of beauty influence sorority women’s decisions to undergo cosmetic procedures? Possible benefits of this study include helping to educate people about how Greek life might play a role in influencing beauty standards among college-aged women, as well as providing insights to clinics about their marketing to college-aged women. An anonymous digital survey evaluating cosmetic procedures and physical standards of beauty was sent to every sorority at Arizona State University, University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University to share with its members. In total, 15 chapters chose to participate, resulting in multiple-choice and text responses from 74 sorority women. Additionally, several interviews with sorority women and a local psychologist took place. The results revealed a clear demand and interest for cosmetic alterations, with almost half of respondents having already undergone at least one cosmetic procedure, yet it’s not so clear whether or not Greek life is really to blame for sorority women increasingly going under the knife. The study’s results were compiled into a report and a long-form, narrative reporting journalism article.

College-aged women are getting surgical and non-invasive cosmetic alterations at rates higher than ever before. Noticeably, many of these women are in sororities. No prior research has identified a definitive relationship between sorority women and cosmetic enhancements. The purpose of this research was to investigate why sorority women are increasingly getting cosmetic work done, particularly examining the influences behind those procedures. Research questions include: Is there a physical standard of beauty in sororities? If so, does this physical standard of beauty influence sorority women’s decisions to undergo cosmetic procedures? Possible benefits of this study include helping to educate people about how Greek life might play a role in influencing beauty standards among college-aged women, as well as providing insights to clinics about their marketing to college-aged women. An anonymous digital survey evaluating cosmetic procedures and physical standards of beauty was sent to every sorority at Arizona State University, University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University to share with its members. In total, 15 chapters chose to participate, resulting in multiple-choice and text responses from 74 sorority women. Additionally, several interviews with sorority women and a local psychologist took place. The results revealed a clear demand and interest for cosmetic alterations, with almost half of respondents having already undergone at least one cosmetic procedure, yet it’s not so clear whether or not Greek life is really to blame for sorority women increasingly going under the knife. The study’s results were compiled into a report and a long-form, narrative reporting journalism article.

Immigration policy in the United States today is complex and far-encompassing. This project aims to present it in an easily accessible way: Through the eyes of those who have experienced its effects in a deeply personal manner. This online project, housed at http://immigrant-experience.com/, includes profiles of four people who have immigrated to the United States from other countries. The website includes graphics and multimedia elements, that help to tell their stories. It also provides information about immigration statistics, research and policy. The DREAMer who came to the country as a child, the young Mexican man on a seasonal visa, and the Eritrean refugee share in the immigrant experience, but the effects of U.S. policy on their lives are vastly different. Factors at play include age, education, country of origin and socioeconomic status. These factors are what shape the policy that dictates whether an immigrant can become an American citizen. They are also what make Gloria, Adrian and Azarya's stories so unique. It is a multitude of personal stories that collectively define the immigrant experience. These stories may be drastically different, depending on the country of origin and circumstances of each individual, but some aspects of the experience are shared. The difficulties inherent in uprooting oneself from a familiar community are common to "immigrants" of all shapes and sizes: students moving out of state for college, new hires moving to a new city, parents moving their children into a better neighborhood, etc. Through in-depth profiles of immigrants from a wide variety of backgrounds, this project highlights those shared experiences while showing the diversity of personal stories, challenging contemporary stereotypes about immigrant populations.

As the premier colligate summer league in the country, the Cape Cod Baseball League has operated since 1885 and has seen over one thousand all-time alumni step foot in professional baseball. Every season, each of the CCBL's ten teams call upon some of the nation's top aspiring sports broadcasters, writers, and social media managers to spearhead the coverage of the league and tell the stories of the summer. However, while the season offers hours of repetition and exposure to players and journalists alike, the league's coverage capabilities fall short of its high potential due to inconsistencies and inadequacies that restrain its media content from matching the level of baseball that takes place on the field. Through the identification of specific problems within the league's broadcast equipment, its varying platforms, and its growing gap between individual coverage teams, this thesis offers both short-term and long-term solutions that aim to raise the standards and capabilities of league content while also raising awareness of the issue itself. While considering the Cape Cod League's unique non-profit business model and its most recent financial situation, this thesis also illustrates opportunities within fundraising events, the league's online audience, and its vast alumni network that can create a sustainable business plan for the near and distant future of the Cape Cod Broadcast Network.

This study examines the relationships between the success of Instagram health and fitness influencers and the images they share. As social media continues to grow as a source of information and interconnectedness, the sway influencers hold over their followers and potential consumers grow too. The success of these influencers in gaining followers, motivating opinions and achieving an aesthetic physique, result in monetary gain. On the media site Instagram, influencers with one million followers can garner over $50,000 per sponsored post. Specifically, the research focuses on four Instagram influencers who have over 200,000 followers. The subjects, Amanda Bucci, Nikki Blackketter, Maxx Chewning and Christian Guzman, were selected based on their popularity within the weight lifting community. Together, these influencers have over 400 million followers on Instagram. The study analyzed 32 photos sourced from the influencer's Instagrams. Of the 32 images, 16 were selected as branded content and 16 were selected as candid content. These images were then coded to answer the following research questions: (1) is there a pattern in the visuals weight lifters share, (2) is there a difference between branded or candid content, (3) how do these similarities or lack thereof influence number of Instagram followers and financial success, and (4) what physical dimensions contribute to a weight lifter's success on Instagram? This study uses content analysis to understand the symbolic meaning of texts and visuals. With the findings showing recurrent themes between (1) posture of subject, (2) use of brand affiliation and (3) professional grade photography, we confirm that bodily capital, sponsorship and authenticity are successful tactics used by influencers to generate a following.

For my honors creative project, I designed my own travel website. Through my travels over the last three years, serving as an au pair and studying abroad in the U.K., I decided to incorporate all that I had learned on a user-friendly platform for people to find. I hope to inspire the young and old alike to experience the world as I have. The title of my website is globalgetaway.me.

"Drama Drama" is an original story idea that I hope to one day develop into a full-length screenplay. For my honors creative project, I wanted to conduct the planning process of writing a full-length screenplay and start to work through the fundamental story problems, character motivations and the story itself. Loosely based off experiences in my own high school theatre troupe, "Drama Drama" tells the story of Josh Simpson, a diehard Thespian, whose only goal is to graduate and go to a New York acting conservatory. Josh counts on nabbing the lead in the school's spring play, using it to spruce up his resume and seal his admittance, however he loses out to Spencer, a first-year actor and otherwise dumb jock. Inspired by campy off-Broadway musical "Ruthless!," Josh accepts a role as stage manager and tries to get to Spencer to drop out. Sabotage doesn't come so easy, however, and in trying to ruin the show, he's forced to confront his future, his friendships and the kind of person he wants to be.

Journalists' increased and continuous exposure to trauma on the field is seldom talked about with the depth it requires. The DART Center for Journalism and Trauma, established in 1999 at Columbia Journalism School, has contributed valuable information concerning reporting trauma and mental disorders in the journalism field. Studies show that 80 to 100 percent of journalist have been exposed to work-related trauma. The most common traumatic events that journalist experience are automobile accidents, fires, murder, mass casualties, war and disaster. But exposure to work-related trauma comes with a price: At least 59 percent of journalists are living with mental disorders. The most prevalent disorder, anxiety, is broken down into several categories: phobias, general anxiety disorders, social anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorders and panic disorder. Common symptoms are anxiety, grief, and depression. In this short series, I examine why reporters stay in journalism despite the risk of exposure to trauma, what trauma means to them, how they cope during times of grief, and measures that can be taken to start a conversation. I interviewed five media professionals - a freelance photojournalist, azcentral.com sports columnist, New York Times national correspondent, and director of communications at Clean Energy for a Healthy Arizona. All discussed what it means to be a reporter at risk of traumatic exposure in the field.

Television is currently in a changing state. There is no longer a singular broadcast format for series to follow. Streaming websites such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime now release series in their entirety; this is known as a full-season release (FSR). Viewers are now able to act independently and determine the pace they wish to watch a new FSR series. This not only affects how fans engage in social television discussions on social media, but also changes the previously proposed viewer engagement model. Whereas previous research suggests that fans follow a static linear engagement model consisting of pre-communication, parallel communication, and post communication phases, fans are now able to move freely through viewer engagement phases. This creates a new type of engagement model: The Atomized Engagement Model. As fans move freely through the atomized engagement phases, they choose social media platforms to engage in fandom discussion. Research suggests that although there are distinct types of posts that occur in relation to social television discussions, the platforms used have a direct effect on the content and length of the post.