One of the 2025 recipients of the Center for Undergraduate Excellence Scholarly/Creative Grant was Victoria Hess, a fourth-year student double majoring in Theatre and Integrated Educational Studies. Thanks to this funding, she spent this past summer on a creative project adapting a children’s book into a one-act play. Hess leveraged her double major to create an interdisciplinary thesis project. “I knew I
For the first time in Chapman University’s history, we are excited to announce that two students were named Goldwater Scholars, Benjamin Janda (‘23) and Kevin H. Nguyen (‘24). This is the 3rd year in a row that Chapman has successfully mentored Goldwater Scholars. A big congratulations to the remarkable students and their faculty mentors! The
Serving his community and being a leader has always come naturally to recent Chapman graduate Shun Kato (he/his). Kato (‘21) graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with a minor in Health Sciences. As someone who aspires to become a Pediatric Cardiologist and devote his life to service, Kato knew
Sara Iisaka (she/her) has always been intrigued by the way people’s perceptions about themselves are influenced by the circumstances and environment around them. Needless to say, the COVID-19 Pandemic has impacted the entire world in various, complex ways. Following her curiosity, Iisaka took part in a research project in the midst of the pandemic that
As a queer person in STEM, Debbie Nguyen (she/they) always gravitated towards topics related to the LGBTQ+ population. In addition, their personal experiences growing up in religious spaces as a Vietnamese-American planted a seed of curiosity about the effects of religious and ethnic identity on anti-LGBT stigma. Nguyen is currently a senior (‘22) majoring in
Upon graduating from Dodge with a Film Production degree in 2019, Keshav Srinivasan pursued a Master’s degree in Film and Screen Studies at the University of Cambridge, England. Now, based in Brooklyn, New York, he teaches film classes at a community college and is in the process of acquiring his Teaching English as a Foreign
Lee Sottile (they/them) has always been a huge fan of musical theater since high school. Continuing this love for theater, Sottile decided to pursue their interests in a combination of art and humanities. Sottile graduated from Chapman in May 2020 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Television, Writing, and Production as well as a
Recent graduate Corinne Tam was curious to learn more about masculinity within the Asian-American community, after understanding female empowerment and patriarchy. Tam took a particular interest in studying the experiences of Asian-Americans, which stemmed from her studies in sociology and women’s studies. Through the sociology club, she received a travel grant to go to Philadelphia,
For senior art history major Prabhnoor Kaur, research is much more than long academic papers. It’s a way to communicate, express, and paint people’s stories. Kaur spent last summer participating in SURF – the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship – which is overseen by the Center for Undergraduate Excellence. During her fellowship, Kaur explored the history of
Research comes in many different shapes and sizes. Sometimes students find themselves drawn to fields they had never known existed. Sometimes students find their new work so interesting that they decide to pursue it over the summer. The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF), a program within the Center for Undergraduate Excellence, provides support for students