What if a single story could change how you see homelessness and incarceration? Our project challenges common stereotypes by sharing personal narratives of resilience and transformation. Through an interactive multimedia journal, we aim to foster empathy and encourage informed discussions on reentry and social reintegration. Using qualitative research methods, we conducted case studies on individuals who overcame incarceration, analyzing how personal storytelling influences perception. Pre- and post-surveys measured shifts in participants' empathy and comfort levels, while participant observation captured real-time engagement and emotional responses. Finally, we gathered peer feedback through discussions to refine our journal, ensuring it effectively addresses reentry challenges. By humanizing these experiences, we strive to shift perspectives and promote a more compassionate understanding of those affected by homelessness and incarceration.

Our project is to educate people about the overcrowding crisis in animal shelters, and how spaying and neutering can help prevent it. Too many pets end up in shelters because of unplanned litters, and sadly many never find homes. Through this workshop, we hope to raise awareness about responsible pet ownership and provide a hands-on activity to engage participants. As part of the workshop we will be making dog toys, which will be donated to local shelters. Not only will we be donating these to our partner shelter, Berkeley Humane, we hope it will help participants feel connected to the cause in a tangible way. By combining education with action, we aspire to create a meaningful experience that inspires people to spread the message to their friends and family, in order to raise awareness. We hope this also helps individuals take responsible steps with their own pets when it comes to spaying, as well as neutering. We want those who attend to leave with a deeper sense of understanding on how these procedures directly impact shelter populations and what individuals can do to help. Our goal is to make this workshop informative, interactive, and inspiring so that we can all contribute to reducing shelter overcrowding together.

This oral history project examines narrative plurality in education through Asian American studies, focusing on experiences across generations. By collecting personal testimonies, it highlights overlooked stories that shape understandings of history, identity, and cultural memory. This research documents experiences of migration, displacement, and resilience—narratives often excluded from mainstream curricula. Through in-depth interviews, it explores struggles, successes, and intergenerational identity formation. Beyond preserving personal histories, this project investigates how Asian American studies influences multicultural education. Analyzing the inclusion—or omission—of these narratives in curricula provides insight into historical representation. By documenting lived experiences, this research promotes a more inclusive educational framework, ensuring that diverse histories and perspectives are recognized as integral to American history.

Queerness and literary arts are deeply interconnected. As of 2023, roughly a quarter of those in writing-related work in the United States identify as LGBTQ+ (Lee & Low Books et al.) Simultaneously, queerness and trauma also have deep connections. Queer people, as a marginalized population undergoing unique stressors, are at a far higher risk of experiencing clinical symptoms of trauma, such as PTSD (Valentine et al.) Due to the intersections between queerness, writing, and trauma, queer authors are often faced with the question of how they should breach the topic of trauma in regards to their works. On one hand, writing about one’s trauma has proven an effective outlet in some studies (Glass et al.) However, to some queer writers, writing about their trauma can feel reductive and repetitive (Sisley, Taylor). In an effort to shed more light on this specific demographic and analyze its output, this study explores how trauma impacts the writing of a number of queer authors, and finds common themes between their experiences.

This research paper explores the impact of acculturation on Asian American youth and young adult (AAYYA) substance use behaviors, both in aggregate and in regard to specific subgroups. Asian Americans are significantly underrepresented in research on substance use, due to inaccurate perceptions of them as a group that does not use substances and is largely unaffected by the risks and harms associated with it (Ryabov, 2015). Previous research points to acculturation as a strong predictive factor for substance use risks. This paper analyzes 9 articles published between 2008 and 2022 with results pertaining to acculturation and synthesizes a recommendation for if and how these factors should be incorporated into substance use education to be more effective and culturally appropriate, taking an ethnographic approach. The overall aim of this research is to create an actionable recommendation for educators that will reduce the risks and harms associated with substance use for AAYYA.

Goblins are increasingly an integral part of fantasy media. Historic goblin depictions were often used as antisemitic propaganda. Due to this, goblins receive many of their core characteristics from these antisemitic roots. Fantasy holistically as a genre has been plagued with intelligent non-humans (aka elves, dwarves, goblins) having these consistent traits often without intention or nuance. This wouldn't be the biggest problem for fantasy stories since most look towards the genre for escapism more than anything else. Science fiction was the genre that often attempted to predict future outcomes and provide social commentary. However, since technology has increased quicker than ever, science fiction can quickly become outdated. This has led authors and readers to turn towards fantasy to fit the role of social commentary. The purpose of this research is to analyze contemporary works of fantasy that include goblins and decipher if they simply repeat old characteristics of goblins that were problematic from their time or if they add nuance by "humanizing" goblin characters and using world architecture to craft reason behind the goblin's status.

Media consumption impacts the everyday lives of American citizens, influencing decisions from as trivial as what haircut to get to as integral as how identities are defined. From newspaper articles to television productions, American culture is constantly being absorbed by audiences, shaping perceptions of populations into the images permeated through society. This paper aims to analyze these intersections of identity and media representations through examining the portrayals of Black mothers in television sitcoms over time and their influence on stereotypes associated with Black women. Through four main stereotypes, the “matriarch,” “m*mmy,” “j*zebel” and “welfare mother,” behaviors and dialogue from seven sitcoms over several decades featuring Black families were coded, with five episodes randomly chosen from each show. These data points were then quantified by counting appearances of each code, resulting in the calculation of a linear square regression line. From this, statistical significance will be either determined or dismissed, showing either a shift in stereotype appearance or not. Ultimately, this research is important as identity is not formed in a vacuum, and looking at television shows provides a model for how populations are perceived in our society, mirroring societal values and impacting individual lives.

Cinema has a huge influence in today’s society and people need to know more background knowledge on the type of content they are viewing. Most popular movies consist of ideologies that were created by major film industries to change the way we act in our society, influencing the different belief systems we grow to identify with. This project will begin with observational research by reviewing data on different genres of film. It will study what large companies or corporations do to make their movies successful by correlating the box office performance to the film’s critical acclaim. The research will be based on what elements or ideologies entertainment companies implement into their films that resonate with their audiences through cultural relevance and narrative techniques. The content analysis process will begin with categorizing what the overall goal or agenda of the film is. Then the second process of this project will analyze media and text by looking at the ratings, reviews, revenues, ideologies, and agendas of the selected films. Using a hybrid or mix between coding qualitative data will measure the quality of what is meaningful in the research and quantitative data to figure out the correlation and result of the research.

Instrumental music can provide high school students with various benefits both long and short term, from improved response to auditory stimulus to increased ability to learn at a young age. However, the high cost of entry serves as a barrier to these benefits for those who can’t afford it. In addition, oftentimes the musical programs offered by high schools don’t interest students enough to consider joining, further locking away these benefits from a wider audience. This research paper aimed to employ an evaluation approach on various bay area schools. This was to determine the most effective programs to implement for high amounts of student absorption and retention. A survey was to be provided to students participating in band programs, rating their satisfaction with the program, the quality of their instruments, and their desire to continue with music throughout their high school years. These results would be cross-compared with external data from teachers, such as if the school loaned their students instruments or how many ensembles were offered, and important factors were to be picked out from the high rated schools. Ultimately, due to a lack of responses both from students and teachers, the research could not come to a conclusion.

Sports participation remains a significant and unexplored part of equality in society. In the United States, there has been a significant increase in the expenses associated with youth sports participation for families, with average costs ranging from $700–$1,000 per child annually for fees, gear, and travel expenses. Studies show that financial barriers heavily impact access to sports opportunities. Young kids from poor families are six times more likely to leave sporting activities as a result of an inability to pay. Only 22% of students from households with an annual income of less than $25,000 attend organized sports, while 43% of students from households with annual income over $100,000 attend organized sports. These disparities highlight the urgent need to address financial challenges and create equitable access to sports. My assessment contains a detailed analysis of financial challenges, participation disparities, and policy recommendations in order to find strategies for establishing equity in access to sports opportunities. The evidence will be comprehensive for designing interventions for low-income people and advocating for policy changes. Finally, my study aims at promoting the rights of disadvantaged youths and creating a more inclusive sports culture.