Major: English, Literature
Research Interest: Female representation in modern to contemporary literature

Alexis’ flair for words and literature began when she was young and has flourished into a passion. Studying literature for her Bachelor's degree has been exciting and inspiring, influencing her personal writing and connecting all of her outside interests into one medium. Outside of her academic studies, Alexis is a poetry and prose editor at the undergraduate literary magazine Glass Mountain and their online publication Shards. She also has a strong love for music and likes to spend time playing instruments, performing, singing, and songwriting.  Alexis plans to pursue graduate studies in the hopes of becoming an English professor as well as publishing more of her own creative works to share with the literary community.

Majors: English and Spanish
Research Interest: Language, culture, gender, and Hispanic/Latino identity

Laura’s love for literature blossomed in the second grade around the time she immigrated from Ecuador. Upon arriving to the U.S., she did not have access to much at first, but her mother would often take her to the public library in her neighborhood. Laura would spend hours indulging in stories written in her new-found language. She was most infatuated by audio books because through listening she could learn how to pronounce words properly. This is the primary reason why she is now passionate about conducting research on the relationship between language, culture, gender, and how it relates to the overall Hispanic/Latino identity within the U.S.—particularly among migrants. When Laura is not experimenting with poetry, she loves to practice yoga and spend time with her dog, Clutch. 

Major: English, Creative Writing
Research Interest: Minority literature and poetry

Abigale's research focuses on minority literature and poetry—specifically pertaining to the Native American and LTBTQ communities.  She feels these genres are of importance because of the lack of representation within the literary canon of American education, from primary through higher education. Abigale is also interested in examining how Native Americans are represented in film, and why. She plans to purse a graduate degree in English literature, and aspires to write her own bodies of work.  Abigale writes in both English and Spanish. 

Senior Honors Thesis: "The Moorean Oculus: Observations of the Unconventional in the Late Works of Marianne Moore"

Major: History
Research Interest: Japanese political and military history

George is enthusiastic about history. For it is through history, he believes, that we can better understand the political, economic, and social implications of our time. His research interest is in imperial powers.  George is currently studying the Roman and Japanese empires. Following the Meiji Restoration in the mid 19th Century, Japan was transformed from a feudal society into formidable military power.  It was under these conditions that Japan, for the first time in history, was able to colonize in other parts of Asia.  Working with Dr. Kristina Neumann, George will examine the factors that led to the overwhelming success of both Rome and Japan in building and maintaining their empires.  An aspiring academic, George plans to pursue a Ph.D. in history upon graduating from the University of Houston.

George taught in Japan following his participation in the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (2019-2020).

Majors: History and Spanish
Research Interest: 20^th Century female authors in Spanish literature

Spanish Literature has been an intricate part of Mireya’s life since before she could read. Much of what she was exposed to as a child entailed a general theme of history, and this allowed her to understand that literature should not be written or read in a vacuum. Mireya’s upbringing inspired her decision to major in History and Spanish at the University of Houston. Mireya is a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, and plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Spanish upon receiving her bachelor’s degree. Within the next decade, she hopes to be a Spanish professor and an ambassador for Hispanic culture.

Senior Honors Thesis: "Poniatowska y sus siete cabritas dentro del imaginario nacional mexicano"

Mireya is pursuing a PhD in Spanish at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Major: History
Research Interest: Native American history in Texas

Tim is currently working on his honors thesis, which examines whether or not the Karankawa, a local Native American indigenous group, practiced anthropophagy--the eating of human flesh by humans. His research aims to deconstruct the question of whether or not the Karankawa were in fact cannibals and explore how Spanish myths influenced the extermination of a people. Upon completing this project, and graduating from the University of Houston, he will pursue a Ph.D. in History. A life-time resident of the Texas Gulf Coast, Tim hopes to stay in the Houston area and continue his studies in the field of Native American History.

Senior Honors Thesis: "Karankawas: Reexamining Texas Gulf Coast Cannibalism"

*UH Outstanding Thesis Award recipient

Tim is pursuing a PhD in History at Southern Methodist University.

Major: Philosophy
Research Interest: Ethical and moral psychology

Abdul enjoys ethical philosophy, but more specifically, moral psychology—the branch of philosophy that studies people’s psychological relationship to ethics. The highly acclaimed 20^th century philosopher Bernard Williams once wrote that ethics was boring. Ethics, the thought was, either gives us boring self-evident rules of conduct, or impossibly high standards that do not directly impact lives. Abdul believes moral psychology remedies this lacuna by analyzing the way in which psychology relates to ethics. Abdul hopes to continue studying ethics in graduate school, eventually obtaining a Ph.D. in philosophy. His ultimate aim is to become a professor of philosophy. 

Senior Honors Thesis: "Reasons and Decay: Still Too Many Reasons"

*UH Outstanding Thesis Award recipient

Abdul is pursuing a PhD in Philosophy at the University of Michigan.

Major: Philosophy
Research Interests: Ethics, feminist philosophy, and masculinities

Phillip has always held a strong, personal sense of morality and social justice. Through the course of his studies he has acquired the language and tools to refine his own moral intuitions and shape them into normative claims about the world. Phillip has taken a particular interest in pursuing ethics and feminist philosophy as methods of interrogating social and political institutions that perpetuate injustice. In his ongoing research, he plans to examine masculinities and the ways in which performances of hegemonic masculinity subordinate emotional labor. Phillip is particularly interested in exploring ethics of care and their intersections with masculinity, mental healthcare, militarism, and self-care. He hopes to continue his research in graduate school by pursuing a Ph.D. in Philosophy, and eventually enter academia.

Senior Honors Thesis: "The Epistemic Harm of Normative Masculinity"

Phillip completed a MA in Philosophy at the University of Houston. In 2021 Phillip was named a Gates Cambridge Scholar and is pursuing a doctorate in the Department of History and Philosophy Science at the University of Cambridge.

Majors: Philosophy and Political Science
Research Interest: Ancient political thought

Phillip aspires to understand the prudent and imprudent ways for individuals to act in the political sphere. He also values the wisdom brought by the experiences of those who came before us, as it is through understanding the past that we can come to understand how we ought to act in the present. With these ideas in mind, under the direction of Dr. Dustin Gish, Phillip intends to study the way in which political leaders in the Ancient world applied the wisdom of their ancestors, focusing on how Cicero applied Platonic and Aristotelian political thought to his consulship during the Catiline Conspiracy.

Senior Honors Thesis: "Cicero and Roman Civic Education"

Phillip is pursuing a PhD in Political Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.