Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection

Food is one of the most universal and uniting human experiences. It is a powerful tool to bring communities together and it is a simple way to bring joy to an individual. This project is an exercise in marketing and entrepreneurship that was inspired by these ideas, which culminated in a fundraiser bake sale to benefit Creighton Community Foundation, a local nonprofit.

In January of 2022, 61 women from Afghanistan were accepted to Arizona State University and joined our campus from the Asian University of Women. Of One Heart is a Phoenix based nonprofit which aims to connect refugees with mentors to cultivate intercultural relationships, assist refugees in integrating into a new community, and to empower refugees to utilize their unique perspectives and talents in their new home. In addition to these goals, these relationships aim to connect refugees with the networks their mentor has and to assist them in understanding the new systems and norms of American culture. The relationship is reciprocal in the sharing of background and stories to facilitate trust and to recognize the value refugees have to contribute to society. The mission of this project is to implement the Of One Heart mentoring model onto ASU campus to help facilitate intercultural friendships between our new students from Afghanistan and other ASU students, faculty and staff. In doing so, we hope to create a model demonstrating refugee student success by collecting data through pre and post program surveys to track if involvement in the program improved participants utilization of existing ASU resources, cultural competency, mental health, and participation in community activities and internships/job opportunities. Ideally, we hope to create a program model which is proven to support refugee students to be replicated for future semesters as the program expands to serve not only the students from Afghanistan, but all refugee and asylum seeking students.

Yoga has become one of the most popular contemporary health approaches practiced by young adults in the United States. It is an ancient mind and body practice with origins in Indian philosophy dating to over 5,000 years ago. Yoga combines physical postures, rhythmic breathing, and meditative exercises to offer the participants a unique, holistic mind-body experience. In this report, the Sutras first introduced by Patanjali, an ancient Indian sage, are broken down into modern definitions. Each sutra has its own unique mental and physical benefits that can be attained by college students. Yama encourages maintaining a personal moral code. Niyama allows for personal connection and self-awareness. Asana refers to the poses that are still commonly practiced today. Pranayama helps to practice deep breathing. Pratyahara offers a disconnect from the world around us. Dharana allows us to focus and hone in on one thought. Dyana promotes a continuous flow of focus in meditation. Samadhi is reaching a state of pure relaxation. All of these take time and practice, but when implemented in different aspects of daily life, college students can reduce their overall stress and anxiety to improve focus and success.