2019-2020 Ricci Scholars

Emily Been, from Appleton, Wisconsin, is a member of the Interdisciplinary Honors Program and is majoring in art history with a minor in studio art. Her project draws inspiration from LGBTQ+ artists. Her research focuses on how their art interacts with society’s attitude towards the queer community in the areas that they live and work.

Patrick J. Dover, from Los Gatos, California, is majoring in advocacy and social change with a minor in multimedia journalism. His project focuses on education for deaf students in the middle school age range. In Rome and Ho Chi Minh City, he will specifically study schools’ educational standards for deaf language acquisition and competency of students in their language of development.

Madeline Horiuchi, from Salt Lake City, Utah, another member of the Interdisciplinary Honors Program, is double majoring in political science and economics. Her research will look at the culture of female entrepreneurship in both Italy and Vietnam. She will focus on the challenges and successes that women face when starting or operating a business in these countries.

Mackenzie O’Donnell, from Kansas City, Kansas, is a member of the Interdisciplinary Honors Program and is majoring in biology on the pre-med track. Mackenzie’s project will analyze the various healthcare strategies and policies in Rome and Vietnam. Her research will compare the way Western and Eastern cultures vary in approaches to the rise in life expectancy and the newfound need for geriatric healthcare.

Thomas Olson, from Vernon Hills, Illinois, is majoring in biology and Latin with minors in Greek and classical studies. Thomas’ project will focus on the way Italy and Vietnam memorialize traumatic moments from its recent past. He will focus specifically on the time periods of Fascism and WWII.

Sydney Williams, from Louisville, Kentucky, and another member of the Interdisciplinary Honors Program, is majoring in global and international studies with a minor in Arabic language and culture. Her project will focus on the education, recruitment and training of diplomatic personnel in Italy and Vietnam. It will analyze whether the diplomatic training processes represent the countries’ foreign policy priorities and missions.