Projects - Humanities Edge Undergraduate Research Symposium | Spring 2021 - LibGuides at Miami Dade College Learning Resources

Homestead Campus

Kendall Campus

Psychological Perceptions of Masks: A Comparison of Men and Women	The Accomplishments of Women Throughout Chinese Art History

Lauren Jimenez Faculty Mentor: Shannon Kennedy	Maria Rodicio Faculty Mentor: John Frazier
Lauren Jimenez is freshman at Miami Dade Homestead campus, and is majoring in psychology. She graduated with the class of 2020 and decided to enroll into college right away. Originally from New York, she moved to Miami at 3 years old and has lived there ever since. Growing up, Lauren developed a passion for helping people and decided she would like to pursue the career of becoming a clinical psychologist. Lauren’s hobbies include of painting, reading, volunteering, and helping in any way she can. After completing her A.A. at Miami Dade, She hopes to transfer to a university where she can seek an higher education and better her knowledge in psychology. She hopes to become an independent woman who’s job is doing something she loves.	Maria Rodicio is a student at Miami Dade College pursuing an AA in Art Education. She plans to continue her studies at Florida International University as an Art History major beginning in Fall 2021. She aspires to work in curation, research, or as a professor. She was born and raised in Miami, Florida.

North Campus

The Problem of Attribution in Cybersecurity Ethics	The Healing Power of Animal-Assisted Therapy

Jenny Chen Faculty Mentor: David DiDomenico	Samantha Gonzalez Faculty Mentor: Jessica Aubuchon
Born and raised in Miami, Jenny plans to further develop Miami as a tech and security hub of the future. The experience of being on the web and learning about the national implications of computer security at a young age inspired her. Currently a freshman at Miami Dade College, North Campus, Jenny aspires to generate interest in, discussion of, and provide resources and mentorship in cybersecurity at MDC. After becoming the Wolfson Cybersecurity Club president, Jenny increased membership from 50 to over 100 members. She continues to bring in cybersecurity professionals and hackers into the club to speak on their experiences and pathways to the industry.	Samantha Gonzalez is a first-year student at Miami Dade College Honors College North Campus. Currently, she is working on completing her Associate in Arts degree as a Psychology major and her Biology prerequisites. Throughout the school year, Samantha looks for medical programs and research opportunities. She has a passion for community service and demonstrates this passion through her extensive community service participation. She works with the Earth Ethics Institute and the YES! Club to do gardening services and is a mentor in the We the Pieces Mentorship Program, a program where she has to mentor a Miami Dade College student on the spectrum. Samantha’s mission is to help as many people as possible through her community service and by encouraging other people to do community service. She hopes that through her hard work, she can become an inspirational leader. In her spare time, she enjoys drawing, painting, and sculpting.

Diverse Literary and Philosophical Perspectives Contributed to Kahlil Gibran’s Global Impact

Bechara Karam Faculty Mentor: Michael Lenaghan
Bechara Karam is a second-year honors student at the Wolfson Campus. He is involved in an array of clubs and serves as Vice-President of Model United Nations, Fundraising Director for Phi Theta Kappa, and as a contributor and editor for Metromorphosis Literary Arts Magazine. Bechara is an English major, hoping to double major with Political Science or Philosophy at his transfer institution in the Fall. His goal is to become a civil rights lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union and advocate for victims of discrimination or a Human Rights officer for the United Nations. In his free time, Bechara enjoys studying German and reading novels.

Padrón Campus

The Education System and Its Students' Mental Health	Cultural and ethnic Diversity in Early Childhood Education

Lionel Rodriguez Faculty Mentor: Tricia Foster	Jason Verduga Faculty Mentor: Alicia Garcia
Lionel Rodriguez is a sophomore at Miami-Dade College. He is currently pursuing an A.A. in Biology and will be completing his final semester in the summer of 2021. He is motivated by his passion to help others and create a better environment for all to express themselves freely. In his research, he will be speaking about mental health. More specifically the effects that school can have on a student’s mental health and how schools can take a step to create better learning environments to help their students thrive. Lionel will be presenting his research in the form of a research paper.	Jason Verduga was born in Orlando, Florida but raised in Miami. Jason is a first-year student at Miami Dade College majoring in Early Childhood Education. He is thrilled to pursue his dream career, a teacher, and hopes to educate students to have a better understanding of the ever-changing world, where all types of people are more accepted. As a Latinx LGBTQ+ person, Jason is a strong advocate of equality and diversity. When Jason is not studying, he spends his free time painting. He has always had a passion for art ever since he learned to pick a Crayola crayon as a little kid. Jason is also a current member of the Florida International University Color guard/ winter guard.

Sunset Tragedy: A Screenplay about Discrimination and Violence against the LGBTQ+ Community during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Rocio Vicentela Faculty Mentor: Emily Sendin
Rocio Vicentela is a sophomore at the Miami Dade Honors College in the Padrón Campus. This spring she will complete her associate’s degree in accounting and will transfer to a four year university next fall. During her time at MDC, she has constantly participated in the national Up to Us competition. The campaign encourages students to advocate elected officials to propose a nonpartisan solution to the fiscal issue that is the national debt. Working as team leader this semester, she planned and hosted events with other campus organizations to present students with the fiscal outlook affecting the country’s economy. Additionally, she is working as the secretary for the Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) Padron Chapter. PBL is the largest career business organization in the world that presents many learning opportunities for members. Collaborating with other PBL officers, Rocio has engaged students to participate in upcoming PBL competition with hopes of reaching the state competition. When Rocio isn’t studying or attending to club duties, she enjoys working on theatrical monologues and tackling new languages such as Japanese.

West Campus

Wolfson Campus

The Progressive Legacy: Changes and Continuity of Progressivism from the 1900s to Today	The Exploitation of Children: A Historical and Current Perspective

Aquiles Barreto Faculty Mentor: Taurie Gittings Wheeler	Andrea Richart Faculty Mentor: Carmen Lopez
Aquiles Barreto is a current Miami Dade College student where he is majoring in Communications, but plans to continue his studies as a Film Major. From an early age, he has been interested in storytelling, a passion that was confirmed when he joined his High School's Film and Broadcast club. In this club he was able to explore filmmaking and even had the privilege to win a Suncoast Chapter Emmy. He aspires to one day be able to direct his own feature film and eventually own a production company	Andrea Richart was born in Santa Cruz, Bolivia; her parents are Spanish and emigrated to Bolivia following the Spanish Civil War as children. She is in her last year at MDC and her major is History. She is interested in continuing her studies at Florida International University. She completed elementary school in Spain, then returned to finish high school in Bolivia where she majored for two years in Marketing and Publicity. She then moved to Miami and to start college all over again with English classes at MDC. She is an active member of the Catholic church, where she helps feed the homeless and support animals in finding a home. Her hobbies are dancing, boxing, yoga, meditating, and visiting ancient places. She also enjoys reading about spirituality, historic places, and politics in her spare time.