The education that a student receives in the United States is influenced by an array of factors. One of the main influential factors is the financial resources a school has access to. Additionally, identities such as race, class, and gender all substantially impact the level of education a student has access to. Often students in minority groups, such as Hispanic students, experience additional challenging educational experiences than others. This is due to the intersectionality of their identities impacting their education. Within the Hispanic population, the unique educational experiences of Hispanic females are often disregarded. This paper analyzes the implications of intersectionality on the education of Hispanic females in Arizona. In order to examine this, a qualitative research study involving interviews with Hispanic female college students was done. Interviews consisted of questioning the participants about their K-12 educational experiences in Arizona’s education system, the school factors impacting their education, the familial factors impacting their education, and their college experiences. Key findings show that the educational experiences of Hispanic female students in Arizona are impacted by (a) familial support, (b) the role of Hispanic values/traditional gender roles, (c) a lack of financial resources, (d) an underrepresentation of Hispanic culture, (e) and inadequate college readiness resources. The findings of the study show that the intersectionality of gender and race/ethnicity creates additional disadvantages for the education of Hispanic female students. Furthermore, the results emphasize the need to take intersectionality into account when examining the educational differences that exist in the education system.

The Task of the Soul is a novel-length historical fiction manuscript depicting the major events surrounding the murder of the Imperial Romanov family. Set in Revolutionary Russia in 1918, the story follows the spiritual breakdown and moral dilemmas of the impoverished and idealistic laborer Dmitri Durakov as he struggles to support his young family. In an effort to amend his financial failings and to clear his name of an incidental crime, Durakov attaches himself to Isay Rodzinsky, a Cheka officer, under whose influence Durakov becomes embroiled in the historic executions of Tsar Nicholas II and the Imperial Romanov family. The Task of the Soul is a philosophical drama that enters into questions of truth, love, and patriotism in the context of a revolutionary state, with a plot that revolves around the psychological and emotional effects of murder. Additional themes include faith, wisdom, reason, morality, parenthood, and marriage.

If you’ve ever been driving cross country along the highway and seen a sign from the window of your car advertising the world’s largest rocking chair, or smallest museum, or biggest ball of string, then you’ve caught a glimpse into a closing window on a unique and fascinating chapter of American history, namely the essentially distinctive and often academically overlooked age of Roadside Americana. When most people think of Roadside Americana, they likely first think of Route 66 in the 1950s. There are immediate associations with the kitsch and hyperbolic: dramatic signs, themed diners and motels, and of course an abundance of roadside attractions like the ones listed above. Ask them to think a little harder and they might define their idea of Roadside Americana by its stereotypically friendly strangers, small towns, and open roads. All of these elements together create a conceptual definition of Roadside Americana as it is often optimistically considered today. However, while Route 66 at its commercial height is undeniably the blueprint for this collective definition, the influence of Roadside Americana has long since outgrown the original setting of its birth. Despite the ongoing decline in functionality and visibility of the Mother Road itself, the image of the era it gave rise to is one that has persisted throughout the decades in the American imagination. One place the evidence of this persevering fascination can be observed is in the close examination of media. The truth of a culture’s values is often revealed in storytelling, and the story of the American road trip is one that has been told time and again, so much so in fact that it’s become a widely acknowledged genre in its own right. Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath, Kerouac’s On the Road, SNL’s The Blues Brothers, Pixar’s Cars, all these and more. The tone may differ drastically between works, ranging from poignant and tragic to downright ridiculous. And yet, there is a consistency across these fictional narratives. There is an appeal that unites them all. Despite practicality and the passage of time, despite maybe even challenging internal cynicism, there is something about Roadside Americana that we, as a culture, just aren’t ready to let go of.

Influencer culture has, within the last few decades, evolved into a distinguishable subset of social media, as well as the entertainment and business worlds. This project seeks to highlight core aspects of what makes an influencer and what distinguishes the role from traditional celebrities through the experience and thoughts of Hannah Palmer, an influencer most popular on Instagram in the fashion and lifestyle market. Using her as a case study, this project seeks to analyze how Hannah exists in the culture and the unique approach to the culture that she takes. The core concepts Hannah interacts with, as most influencers do, include self-branding, parasocial relationships and communication, the concept of authenticity, the role of labor (both aspirational and invisible), and gender dynamics of the entertainment industry.

The Man Behind the Sun is an unfinished manuscript that is 114 pages long. The goal for this thesis was to focus on writing forward through a story. Previously, this manuscript was a short story that turned into a bigger project. Mostly, the manuscript deals with the mystery of light and the light-waves our human eyes can not see. The research and writing of this hopefully will be novel is being continued even after the defense.