Major: Anthropology

Minors: Applied Linguistics; Sociology

Research Interests: Influence of Language on Pain Expression

Mentor: Laurie Lambeth, Honors College

Alora found her passion in Anthropology because of its holistic approach to humanity that many other studies lack. She was drawn to the subset of linguistics because it is one of the most integral parts of culture, yet it is not well studied. Alora hopes to research the complex relationship between pain and language by combining her knowledge of how pain is expressed in a variety of settings as well as her personal experience with chronic illness.

Major: English Literature

Minors: Classical Studies

Research Interests: Folklore; Mythology; Literature

Mentor: Ann Christensen, English

Victoria was born in South Texas and raised in Mexico City. Growing up in a story-centered family with a rich personal folklore, Victoria has always had a keen awareness of storytelling as foundational to all civilization, be it through literature, folklore, or mythology. Victoria plans on going to graduate school abroad to continue her education.

Major: English Literature

Research Interests: Sexual Violence; Legal Justice; Healthcare Access

Mentor: Zelma Oyarvide Tuthill, Sociology

Alissa is unraveling how we respond to sexual violence in the United States. She wants to understand why seeking legal justice and medical care after an attack is often antithetical to the process of emotional healing. She will identify the resources available to Americans who have experienced sexual assault, as well as the barriers that keep folks from accessing care. Her research will also address the history of state-sanctioned sexual violence in the United States, building upon scholars like Saidiya Hartman and Patricia J. Williams, who remind us that America’s present cannot be divorced from its past. Ultimately, she wants to understand how we can provide physical, financial, and emotional support to American victims of sexual violence. After university, Alissa will return to school to become a counselor, social worker, or healthcare provider driven to facilitate healing in individuals and communities affected by trauma.

Major: English Creative Writing

Minors: Communications

Research Interests: Ontology; Eulogy; Environment

Mentor: Michael Snediker, English

Born in New Jersey and raised near Galveston, Nicholai's research interests include ontology, eulogy, ambition, and the necropastoral. Over the summer, he hopes to explore these aspects and how they influence each other in a work of aphorisms, titled "Solstice." He plans on pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing following his time in the program.

Major: History

Research Interests: US-Mexico Borderlands Epidemics; Quarantine Politics; Medicine; Science; Racialization of Disease

Mentor: José A. Hernández, History

Joaquin's research interests focus on the history of quarantinable diseases in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands in the 19th century and how the occurrence of these was seen in the prism of race, class, and politics, among both U.S. and Mexican physicians. More precisely, his studies are focused on yellow fever and typhus fever on the Texas-Mexico border, and how the historical process of racializing diseases as part of 19th century medical doctrine in Texas pinpointed working-class Mexicans as public health threats. His research project in the Mellon program will deal with the history of murine typhus on the U.S.-Mexico borderlands in the 19th century. Joaquin plans to pursue a graduate degree in the History of Science and Medicine.

Major: Strategic Communications

Minors: India Studies

Research Interests: South Asian Studies; Communication Studies; Love Poetry

Mentor: Mohan Ambikaipaker, Modern & Classical Languages

As a South Asian living in the diaspora, Isha noticed different perceptions of what "acceptable" love is within her community. Because of that, she has decided to pursue research discussing queer love in the South Asian diaspora, and how many of these people tend to seek out a "found family". Her goal for this project is to address stigmas around queer South Asians and understand how this group of people align themselves with the greater queer community in the United States. She also seeks to align this with various definitions of love as discussed in bell hooks's book "all about love".

Major: English Literature; Strategic Communications

Minors: Global Engagement & Research

Research Interests: African American Literature; Caribbean Literature; 20th and 21st Century Gothic Literature; Media Literacy

Mentor: Haylee Harrell, English

Kelsey has always been drawn to how oral stories and suppressed narratives from people of color are intersected with digitization and mass media. Literature and rhetoric influencing perceptions in society prompted her majors in English Literature and Public Relations. She hopes to explore the literary African diasporic expressions paving "The Afterlives of Slavery." After transferring from American River College to UH, she preferred African American and Afro-Carribean texts that redefined narratives and perceptions of Black identities. As an aspiring novelist, and media relations enthusiast, her research interests are marginalized narratives of society's past and present. As a Mellon Scholar, Kelsey will explore media coverage and artistic responses to intergenerational trauma in the African diaspora. She plans to examine the racial biases of mass media and literary expressions of trauma, along with generational responses. After graduation, Kelsey hopes to write public academic research and pursue a PhD in English Literature.

Major: Sociology; Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies

Research Interests: Masculinities; Video Games; Homosociality

Mentor: Jennifer L. Adams, Sociology

Katerina is a junior who has completed previous research in the humanities through the Honor College’s FrameWorks program. Her research seeks to gain a new understanding of men's capability for empathetic connection through traditionally conservative, male-dominated spaces such as video games and gaming networks. After finishing her undergraduate studies, she hopes to pursue an interdisciplinary PhD in Gender Studies or Sociology.

Major: Political Science

Minors: Philosophy; World Cultures & Literatures

Research Interests: War; International Relations; Postcolonial Theory; Identity

Mentor: Sarasij Majumder, Modern & Classical Languages

Tuyen began studying political theory as a sophomore in high school and developed a strong curiosity for the human condition and its relationship to ideas of power. While it was primarily theories of the European Enlightenment Era that sparked her initial interests in philosophy, her exposure to critical theory in college has led her to develop an interest for studying the broader connections between Enlightenment ideas and the conflicts resulting from colonialism. This summer, her Mellon research will focus on analyzing the relationship between Orientalism and Japan’s cultural reconstruction post-WWII. She will explore the ways in which Japan utilized the Western fetishization and subordination of Asia as a tool to erase Japanese colonial history from global memory. After graduation, Tuyen plans to pursue a PhD in Anthropology or Political Science and eventually become a professor.

Major: Acting

Minors: Business Administration

Research Interests: African Diaspora; Film; Second-Generation, Ethnic and National Identity

Mentor: Marwa Ghazali, Comparative Cultural Studies; Gheni Platenburg, Journalism

As a child, Fejiro loved playing pretend as she took everyone into the world of her imagination. Since studying acting, she has become interested in exploring authentic storytelling. Her research will examine if the film Black Panther influenced a Pan-African identity among second-generation Nigerian-American and Black Americans. Findings may point to opportunities for improvement in future films and aid in positive identity development for second-generation Americans and the African Diaspora. Her hope is that her research will encourage the creation of film and television that is representative of this demographic's unique experience. After graduation, she plans to apply for a Fulbright that will allow her to travel to Jamaica to conduct research on the intersection between Jamaica's cultural and creative industries sector and cultural tourism. She hopes to capture the cultural exchange occurring through film and tourism.

Major: Public Policy

Minors: Laws, Values, & Policy

Research Interests: Digital Black Feminism

Mentor: Haylee Harrell, English

Saron is a student of Black feminism in theory and praxis, which leads her to explore both its academic and policy implications at UH. She studies public policy and competes as part of the UH Policy Debate team, where she designs and advocates for policy centered on her experience as a Black woman. Saron has also interned with social advocacy groups like the ACLU of Texas, the Environmental Defense Fund, and with Harris County Precinct One to bring her visions of policy into reality and help her community in Houston and Texas. This summer, Saron hopes to understand digital policy and practices through a Black Feminist lens and continue to pursue transformative change through a master's in public policy.

Major: Psychology; Sociology

Research Interests: Gender and Sexuality; Religion

Mentor: Amanda Baumle, Sociology

Dylan is a senior at UH studying sociology and psychology. Growing up in a religious household, she has seen that religious beliefs often act as a guide for people's lives. Through their participation in Mellon, they aim to explore the intersections of religion and sexuality. After graduation, Dylan intends to pursue further research through graduate studies in sociology.

Major: English Creative Writing

Minors: Corporate Communications

Research Interests: Black Speculative Fiction; Black Feminism; Latinx Literature; Mental Health

Mentor: Haylee Harrell, English

Brittany, a bilingual first-gen immigrant from San Andres, Colombia, finds inspiration in her Houston upbringing and intersectional identity, fueling her storytelling passion. As a versatile writer, poet, and filmmaker, she has worked at Arte Público Press internship, where she served as line producer and script supervisor for "Our Lady," a short film produced in association with PBS for their Primetime Broadcast Special, The Latinx Experience. Her creative ventures include Public Poetry's Library Reading series, where she was featured poet from 2022-2023 as Director of Photography for various short films and live events, most recent collaborations like TransRoad and TransUnity Banquet with Houston Media Source. Part-time, she works as a copywriter for Entertwine. Committed to mental health advocacy, her creative and research projects explore mental health in minority communities and its representation in Black Speculative Fiction, emphasizing Black women's significant influence on literary and societal narratives.

Major: Biotechnology; Philosophy

Minors: Medicine & Society

Research Interests: Decolonial theory; narrative medicine; undocumented Mexican immigrants

Mentor: Lesli Vollrath, Honors College

Adolfo is a humanist scholar pursuing the physician-philosopher path. His contrasting childhoods, split between the U.S. and a Mexican ejido (an indigenous communal landholding system), have shaped many of his interests and developed his views on coloniality, culture, and medicine. He previously explored how undocumented Mexican communities utilized curandersimo to address healthcare disparities. His current research investigates how narrative medicine analysis can be used to decolonize the bodies of undocumented Mexican mothers. Following graduation, Adolfo plans to pursue graduate and medical school to further explore this intersection and help pave the way for a more culturally sensitive and holistic approach to healing.

Major: Religious Studies

Minors: Jewish Studies

Research Interests: Esotericism; Lived Religion; Minority Practices

Mentor: Caryn Tamber-Rosenau, Jewish Studies

Fascinated by the rich history of esoteric practices and religion from a young age, Eric has cultivated this interest into a deep curiosity about where these practices are today. Intrigued by the extensive history of Judaism and its practices, his summer research project is centered on documenting the Lived Religious experiences of South Koreans who engage in the study of the Talmud. After completing the Mellon Research Scholars Program, Eric will take this experience with him throughout his career and hopes to pursue graduate school in the future.

Major: English Literature

Minors: Phronêsis; Arab Studies

Research Interests: Revolutionary History; Postcolonial Literature

Mentor: Bhavya Tiwari, Modern & Classical Langauges

Amna’s research interests focus on the way literature is informed by and influences political and historical events. Her current project looks at Muhammad Iqbal’s poetry and its impact on the formation of Pakistan. She hopes to highlight the importance of poetics on Partition and Islamic Modernism in South Asia. After graduation, Amna intends to attend graduate school to obtain a PhD in literature. She also hopes to work in translation studies for Urdu and Arabic.

Major: History

Minors: Teaching & Learning

Research Interests: The Rwandan Genocide

Mentor: Tshepo Masango Chéry, History

CJ is a scholar, Army veteran, gym and athletics enthusiast, anime fan, dog lover, future teacher, and aspiring Historian. His research project will cover the events of the Rwandan Genocide and the conditions that led to it, such as British colonialism and its harsh and gory details. When the average American thinks of genocide, they usually think of the Holocaust. Fair as that is, as the Holocaust was extremely gruesome, most are unaware of the conditions that led to the Hutu slaughtering almost a million of their Tutsi neighbors all under six months. Most are unaware of how the US stood by and did nothing as it transpired. CJ’s goal is both to provide basic information so that those seeking information are informed, and to shadow a seasoned Historian to continue arming himself with a vast repertoire of knowledge.

Major: African American Studies

Minors: History

Research Interests: Black Feminism; Black Cultural Phenomena; Queer BIPOC; Transnational Solidarity

Mentor: Ameenah Shakir, African American Studies

The Sankofa symbol, derived from the Akan tribe of Ghana, symbolizes the belief that the past serves as a guide into the future. In alignment with this concept, Andrea has rooted her scholarship in the study of the African Diaspora, calling forward lost and hidden histories that can be used as tools for actualizing imagined futures and filling historical gaps. Her research project highlights the student advocacy of Black women within the Black Campus Movement of the late 1960s to early 70s, which led to the emergence of African American Studies programs on college campuses across the country. Through this exploration, she hopes to draw attention to the underacknowledged historical identity of the Black woman as both scholar and activist. Andrea plans to pursue a master's degree in library and information sciences and a career as an archivist, submersing herself in historical preservation, information accessibility, and cultural memory.

Major: Political Science

Minors: Leadership Studies

Research Interests: Migration and Displacement; Incarceration; Resistance

Mentor: Erin Routon, Comparative Cultural Studies

Born in Toronto to Muslim-Indian parents, Eshal grew up listening to stories about displacement, identity, and culture. Over the past year, she worked as an intern at the University of Houston Immigration Clinic where she had the opportunity to speak to asylum-seekers of various backgrounds. The experience opened her eyes to the arbitrariness and rigidity of the US immigration system. As a Mellon Scholar, Eshal looks forward to understanding asylum seekers in the Houston area by exploring how they adapt their stories into palatable narratives for US immigration authorities. After graduation, Eshal hopes to enroll in a master's program that combines fieldwork among marginalized communities with academic research as well as attend law school to specialize in impact litigation.

Major: English Literature

Minors: Marketing

Research Interests: Comparative Film Theory; Victorian Literature

Mentor: Michael Snediker, English

Ria is a student in the English literature program at UH. She is addicted to mob movies, caffeine in all forms, and, most recently, canceling plans to stay home with her son (who just happens to be the cutest and most special German shepherd dog on the planet). This summer, her project will explore Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles through the theoretical lenses of Edward Said’s contrapuntalism and Achille Mbembe’s necropolitics. She dreams of making it through William H. Gass’s The Tunnel someday soon.