Projects - Humanities Edge Undergraduate Research Symposium | Fall 2020 - LibGuides at Miami Dade College Learning Resources

Hialeah Campus

Homestead Campus

The Role of the Humanities in Communicating Science and Activism	The African American Male Motivated Through Culture

Ashlie Rodriguez Faculty Mentor: Melissa Lammey	Lawanda Samuel Faculty Mentor: Alison Davis
Ashlie Rodriguez is a second-year Mass Communications major at the Eduardo J. Padron Honors College Dual Language Program. She’s currently Secretary of the Youth for Environmental Sustainability Club, and a writer for The Reporter, Miami Dade College’s official student newspaper. Her passions involve politics, as well as a desire for communication and social activism through the spread of awareness in regard to local, national, and global issues. She aspires to one day use these skills to combat injustices by becoming an environmental lawyer at EarthJustice - "because the Earth needs a good lawyer!"	Lawanda Samuel is currently in her last year at MDC and studying on the pathway of Psychology. She was born in Broward County and has lived over forty years as a resident in Miami Dade County. She received all of her early education through the Miami Dade County school system and truly loves the city of Miami. Lawanda is the mother of two beautiful adult children. She enjoys the beach, cooking, and beautiful flowers. She has a passion for serving the less fortunate and her community. This is Ms. Samuel's second time being a part of the Humanities Edge Research program and she is honored for the opportunity. Ms. Samuel has been employed with the Miami Dade County schools for over twenty years in the Exceptional Educational Department. She has also spent the past 13 years being a part of an amazing group of leaders that mentor & teach Anger Behavior Technique for incarcerated women at the Homestead Correctional Institution. This is her last year at MDC and it has been an amazing journey. Her future plans are to continue with a BA and Masters and to open a beautiful program that will help restore felons back to society (Restoring Women For Purpose, Inc.)

Kendall Campus

Dis-connected at All Times	Music Royalties: Creative and Economic Disruptions and Opportunities in the Digital Age

Alexandra Camejo Faculty Mentor: Marisol Varela	Jonathan Jesion Faculty Mentor: Ed Calle
Born in Plantation, Florida, of parent's native to Venezuela, Alexandra Camejo graduated from Archbishop Edward A. McCarthy and is perusing her Associates in Arts in Mass Communication. Alexandra has been a proud servant leader at VOUS Church in Miami, Florida since 2016, serving with her community through outreach programs and involved in ministering with the production team. Some of her interests include: writing, psychology in personal development, environmental sustainability, and theology. Alexandra hopes to continue her academic career at Florida International University, graduating with her Bachelor of Arts. Through her experience and educational opportunities, Alexandra aspires to achieve her calling of publishing books in personal growth, community, relationships, and the importance of human connections, where she hopes to reach young adults and contribute to the betterment and development of society and humanity.	Originally from Miami, Florida, Jonathan Jesion is currently majoring in music business creative performance at Miami Dade College. Jonathan will be graduating in June 2022 and will be focused on continued pursuit of academic and professional goals. After MDC, Jonathan plans to earn a degree in Music Business from the University of Florida. Jonathan’s passion is music and the creative industry. Jonathan’s experience and energy are focused on sound design, composing, and performance. Jonathan is currently taking classes in MIDI and music business, while also working towards playing the saxophone in a professional setting. Inspired by the multitude of songs and artwork present in the film and video game industry, Jonathan’s objective is to create a lasting impression in both of them. When not studying, working, or performing, Jonathan enjoys chess, animation, and video game design. Recognizing that many opportunities and challenges lay ahead, Jonathan embraces the future with a commitment to excellence that will undoubtedly facilitate the realization of lifelong dreams.

Peace for Papi: Life After Tragedy	Gender and Sexuality in Hispanic Culture

Sandra Leon Faculty Mentor: Lara Cahill-Booth	Victoria Silvera Faculty Mentor: Maria Carolina Hospital
Sandra Leon is a sophomore at Miami Dade College, Kendall Campus. She is on an Education pathway at MDC and plans to pursue her B.A in K-12 Education. Her goal is to shape the young minds of the future by becoming an elementary school teacher. She is excited to be participating in the Undergraduate Research Mentorship program using a personal narrative because it will open many opportunities for her. She also loves to write in her free time.	Victoria Silvera was born and raised in Miami, Florida, by her two Argentine immigrant parents. Being a second-year student at the Miami-Dade Honors College, studying English with a focus on education, has allowed her to gain insight on the importance of service learning, specifically at schools across the county. She has shadowed a teacher at Homestead Senior High School and is currently a Teacher’s Assistant at Killian Oaks Academy. Additionally, she is an active member of several clubs. She is the Membership Chair of Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) as well as a member of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK). She aspires to get her Ed.D in Leadership and to one day open her own school. Victoria plans to transfer to the University of Florida after graduating in May 2021, with her Associate’s degree.

North Campus

Human Rights Research Illustration: "Reaching"	Living Spaces, Changing Places

Andrea Canales Faculty Mentor: Victor Gomez	Emily Gonzalez Faculty Mentor: Ginny Peterson Tennant
Andrea Canales is a college student finishing her last year at MDC North Campus as an associates of arts where she is interested in Arts. Although she has not decided a major, she is considering Digital Arts as a possible major. She is interested in continuing her career by transferring to Florida International University. She has been attracted to the arts from a young age, from seeing art represented in a wide variety of mediums she has always appreciated the beauty and the importance that art represent in the past and present world, she considers arts as the best way to express feelings and ideas that do not need any letter or language to be comprehended. In her free time, she enjoys watching animated series and sketching.	Emily Gonzalez is a second-year student at The Honors College at MDC where she is majoring in photography. Ever since she can remember, she has been interested in various art forms and even won several photography awards in high school. This interest in photography carried over into college where she has had a photography piece of hers published in Axis Magazine, the literary magazine at North Campus. Emily is the President of Kendall Campus’s Miambiance Magazine where she also edits prose and visual arts pieces. Participating in this magazine has confirmed her desire to go into the photography field and learn essential skills to improve her craft. In the future, Emily plans to start her own photography business and eventually manage her own art gallery. She enjoys reading novels and designing clothes in her spare time.

Music in Culture: Its Social and Personal Meaning to Individuals	Sounds of the Movement: The Influence of Dance and Music on the Fight for Social Justice

Ronsard Mondesir Faculty Mentor: Michael Lenaghan	Sheamar Robinson Faculty Mentor: Sabrina Walters
Ronsard J Mondesir is a first-year student of The Honors College at Miami Dade College where he is receiving a biology and chemistry condensed schooling with an intent to major in biochemistry. He found his passion for this scientific field when he first recognized his inability to control or recognize the many frailties affecting the human body. Born and raised in a third-world country, Haiti, he experienced and saw first-hand the troubles imposed by diseases born from unsanitary living conditions and the non-availability of proper medical healthcare. However, along all these troubles, he moved forward with the thought that he could impact his community through becoming an educated individual capable of finding solutions and answers for scientific phenomena. In his post-secondary education, he dedicated himself to his studies which reflect the many distinction and remarks he has received academically. Currently, he is a Stem Ambassador, the President of a Chemistry Club, the Director of Service of Leadership of Phi Theta Kappa, an active voter registration fellow, and an advocator for increasing awareness of Breast Cancer through social media. He enjoys playing chess and billiard with his friends but mostly enjoys conversing with like-minded individuals about the sciences and relevant topics in today’s society.	Sheamar Robinson is a second year Health Services Administration major. He plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in dance after graduating from Miami Dade College and aspires to become a professional dancer. He is currently a member of the Young Contemporary Dance Theatre, in Miami. Sheamar’s goal is to audition for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York.

Human Trafficking: Violating Human Rights & Reducing Its Prevalence	The Controversy of the Parthenon (Elgin) Marbles

Alexandra Santamaria Faculty Mentor: Selena M. Respass	Yamilet Trinidad Faculty Mentor: Ildiko Barsony
In the Fall term of 2017 Alexandra Yvette Santamaria began her role as a full-time student at Miami Dade College majoring in Public Safety. While completing her studies at school, Alexandra has maintained her status as an active member within the student body. Positions that she has achieved include Vice President of the Intelligence Community – Center for Academic Excellence; Vice President of the Justice Student Organization; AmeriCorps VISTA for the Single Stop Department; and Student Assistant for the Dean of Student Services Department. Academic achievements are also a testimony to Alexandra’s time at Miami Dade College. Having a membership in honor societies such as Alpha Phi Sigma and Phi Theta Kappa as well as maintaining Dean’s List with a 3.96 GPA are Alexandra’s proudest educational accomplishments. Lastly, volunteering and maintaining a healthy community is the greatest passion she possesses. Participation in events such as the Domestic Violence Awareness Walk, Seeds for Haiti, and the Law Enforcement and Government Career Fair are only a few examples of her dedication to create longstanding change in the lives of others.	Yamilet Trinidad is currently an undergraduate student at New World School of the Arts. She is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in fine arts (BFA) with a concentration in photography. Her artwork investigates the different aspects of herself, as it is an outlet to reflect her life. The qualities of cultural artifacts have always intrigued her, inspiring her to research the important achievements within those artworks in our society.

Padrón Campus

The Mental Disorder Monologues	Freudian and Jungian Perspectives in Literature

Karla Cardoso Faculty Mentor: Alicia Garcia	Daniela Lopez Faculty Mentor: Emily Sendin
Karla Cardoso is a biology major at Miami Dade College. She is in her second year at Miami Dade Honors Dual Language program. She is President of Psych Force, a psychology club at the Padron campus. She is also an editor at Urbana Literary & Arts Magazine, and a member of PTK and TriBeta. Her goal is to become a psychiatrist who uses both medication and therapy to treat her patients. She also hopes to spread mental health awareness along the way.	Daniela Lopez is a psychology major at Miami Dade College, currently in her second year at the Honors College Dual Language program at Eduardo J. Padrón Campus. She is also co-Editor-in-Chief of Urbana Literary & Arts magazine for its volume XIV, as well as the secretary of the recently founded club JapAnime. Her greatest passions consist of spending quality time with her loved ones (including her cat Chessi), reading, consuming audiovisual content, and learning curious psychological facts.

Feminist Analysis of Little Red Riding Hood

Amanda Santiago Faculty Mentor: Tricia Foster
Amanda Santiago is a second-year student at the Miami Dade College Padron Campus, where she is working on her degree in Early Childhood Education. As a future educator, Amanda aims to help her future students through the use of individualized lesson plans, the ability to facilitate meaningful conversations, and creating personal bonds to help facilitate academic growth. She has worked in the classroom as a teacher’s assistant at Banyan Elementary and enjoys the sporadic behaviors of the students of younger grades. This assistant teaching position was done during her high school career, where she excelled at holding the requirements of both a student and teacher. Immediately following her position at Banyan Elementary Amanda graduated from Miami Senior High. Amanda currently works at the Access Department at the Miami Dade College Padron Campus. Here she works to help students with specific academic needs receive the appropriate accommodations to help facilitate the students’ ability to learn.

West Campus

The Art of Protest	Diversity Training: Age Sensitivity

Maria Cuevas Faculty Mentor: Taurie Gittings	Eugenia Ruiz Faculty Mentor: Trinidad Arguelles
María María Cuevas, a pre-medicine student, is a true melting pot. Born in Guatemala, she is 75% Latina and 25% Chinese. Aspiring to be a pediatric specialist in Pathology she is also President of the Creative Arts Club at MDC West Campus. Her hobbies range from painting with oil to watercolors to photography and music. María is an animal lover, living with four Pomeranians. She is also a creative art teacher at Michael’s with a passion for expressionism and culture through the visual arts.	Eugenia Ruiz is nineteen years old and is a Miami, FL native. Eugenia is a Psychology major currently enrolled in her last semester at Miami Dade College. In January, she will be transferring to Florida International University to pursue a B.A. in Psychology in the Industrial-Organizational Psychology Track. Her other interests include health and fitness, traveling, and helping others. Currently, Eugenia works at an elementary school as a substitute teacher and an after-care leader and she truly enjoys working with children. She is looking forward to making advancements to her academic career and learning more about the aging process and developmental stages. Eugenia belives that, as the world sees an aging workforce, it is important that workers are informed about the challenges and needs of their colleagues. With the guidance of her mentor, Dr. Trinidad Argüelles, and established research, Eugenia has put together a sensitivity training on age discrimination. The presentation can be used to protect the older workforce or the younger incoming workforce from experiencing discrimination and unfair treatment. The presentation will discuss the challenges older workers face in the workplace, the effects of discrimination, and why age sensitivity training is so important.

Wolfson Campus

Wynwood: World of Street Art	The Blue Loophole: Social Contract Theory and Law Enforcement in America

Sebastian Maseri Faculty Mentor: Robert Henry	Gabriella Ramos Faculty Mentor: Kristin Borgwald
Sebastian Maseri is a fine art major with a passion for street art and art in the community. Sebastian specializes in the arts and is responsible for curating Art Basel Paste Up. Sebastian is enthusiastic about influencing his community as he volunteered at Downtown Miami Charter School to facilitate street art classes for inner-city children. Sebastian is inspired to educate his community and expose others to the arts. Sebastian’s hardworking and driven qualities allow him to achieve his goals and positively impact his collaborative partners. In his free time, Sebastian enjoys skateboarding and surfing.	Gabriella Ramos was born and raised in the heart of Miami, Florida to a family of exiled Cuban immigrants. They fostered her inquisitiveness as a child which greatly influences her current quest for knowledge. Ramos graduated from Immacultata La Salle highschool with two awards in Comprehensive Law studies and is currently a student of the Wolfson campus at Miami Dade College. Ramos is pursuing a degree in political science with an additional interest in social science and philosophy, with a focus on social justice and social contract theory. Ramos has long been an eager seeker of a deeper understanding of the intricacies making up our society.