Next cohort of Multifaith Scholars selected for 2023-25

The seventh cohort will recieve grants to support their research, academics

Anne Thyfault Elon News Network | @Amthyfaulted

The Multifaith Scholars consists of juniors and seniors who will participate in a mentored undergraduate research program related to interreligious studies. Scholars design their own research project to devote time to and undertake a major or minor in religious or

Grace London

Sophomore Grace London is Jewish and grew up having religion as a prevalent part of her life. She said she was exposed to different viewpoints when she attended a Christian high school. Since she is a biochemistry major, she said she didn’t plan on having an interreligious studies minor, but was interested in it when provided the opportunity.

Hunter Siegel

Sophomore Hunter Siegel grew up as a Reform Jew, attending Jewish high school, did youth group programming and led Sunday School. He said that Judaism encourages questioning what you know. Judaism’s tenet of questioning and investigating the world, has given him the attitude and skills of a researcher.

“I’m a very curious and investigative

Jasper Serenity Myers

“The Secret History,” a book by Donna Tartt, combined with a passion for history, inspired junior Jasper Serenity Myers to become a classical studies major. She also has minors in Asian and interreligious studies. Myers said she values learning from history, emphasizing her interest in Greek and Roman mythology.

“History is cyclical and we must do the

Kaelyn Rosenberg

Sophomore Kaelyn Rosenberg developed an interest in fantasy and horror through watching TV as a kid. She said she observed the programs she watched to see how they related and influenced the world. Freshman year, she took a class that spiked her interest in religion and applied the same observational mindset to interreligious studies, which ended up being her minor.

“I’ve always been really interested in

Kiara Cronin

Sophomore Kiara Cronin’s passions lie in learning social policy and social justice. Cronin, a human service studies major and interreligious studies, leadership studies and French triple-minor, said that her own religious identity has helped form her value of community and that learning about diverse religions and cultures is crucial to helping people.

“I think that learning about different religions, people’s cultures and different places around the world is important if

Sandoh Ahmadu

During the COVID-19 pandemic, sophomore Sandoh Ahmadu began struggling with his mental health, and tried a variety of coping mechanisms, until he came upon mediation, which has since stuck with him. Ahmadu said that it was originally more secular, or non-religious, meditation until he began reading and adapting more Buddhist perspectives, which he said helped him.

“Meditation was really the thing that centered me for my senior year, especially also interreligious studies. Scholars receive $5,000 grant annually to support their research and academic development.

“I often see a great deal of growth and transformation over the course of the two years,” Director of the multifaith program

London said that her minor in interreligious studies is relevant to her premed studies as she’ll be working with people from different backgrounds.

“I think medicine has a lot to do with interreligious studies because when you’re working with people, you can’t always separate the religion from the person,” London said.

Since Elon’s nursing program is new, London’s research focuses on ways to improve and further develop the program. Her project person in the way that carries over to religion,”

Siegel said. “The Multifaith Scholars program is an amazing way to learn more about the world, the people and cultures within.” due diligence of looking back before we can move forward,” Myers said. Myers’ research — “Between the Monstrous and the Modest, a Symposium of Female Same Sex Erotic Encounters in the Ancient Mediterranean Religious Landscape” — examines the way that lesbian relations and sexuality were portrayed in Greek and Roman religious and astrological texts, specifically mythology. She will investigate two types of female homoeroticism — the way that society is reflected in the art it makes,” Rosenberg said. “Before Elon, I don’t think I’ve really ever thought about how much influence religion has over American society and the rest of the world.”

Titled “Examining the Relationship between Religious Identity/Ideology, Political Identity/Ideology, and Pro-Environmental Orientation in American Christians, Muslims, and Jews,” Siegel’s research will investigate how environmental values are affected by religious and political identities.

A cinema and television arts major, Rosenberg said her research surrounds the occurrences of Christianity being used and sometimes weaponized to portray vampires in video media and how it applies outside of media. Her plan for her project, “Vampire Media as a Reflection of Christian Values and you want to serve people,” Cronin said, “because you need to be able to understand people, recognize differences and respect differences.”

Cronin was raised Catholic and is currently part of the Catholic Campus Ministry. She said that religion has strengthened many aspects of her life.

“It gives me a sense of purpose,” Cronin said. “It gives me a sense of just meaning and that what I’m doing here on this earth is important.”

Cronin’s research, “How Generation Z is Deconstructing Traditional Faith for freshman year coming into Elon because I graduated from a very small school,” Ahmadu said.

Now, Ahmadu is a psychology major with minors in neuroscience and interreligious studies.

Ahmadu’s research looks at the seven chakras, well-known through Buddhism and Hinduism, as a connection to different emotions. Titled “Bridging West & East: An Alternative for Emotional Regulation,” he will see the extent that Buddhist traditions tie to European and American neurobiological

Amy Allocco said. “I’m really excited to work with this particular cohort of students as they advance their projects and begin that transformational learning that happens at the confluence of deep mentoring, undergraduate research and global engagement.” is titled “Elon Nursing on Spirituality and Religion” and will review how Elon Nursing teaches religion and spirituality with the hopes of suggesting improvements for the program in the future.

“I’m hoping I can really influence Elon to make some changes in their curriculum, obviously, if those changes are needed,” London said. “Cultural competency is such a hot topic right now for good reason, so Elon is looking to make these changes.” masculine and feminine women who love women — and why masculine lesbians were considered bad.

Siegel is a double-major in international & global studies and political science, as well as a triple-minor in peace & conflict studies, Spanish and interreligious studies. Aside from excitement about beginning research and learning of a variety of religions and cultures, Siegel said he is looking forward to getting to know other Multifaith Scholars.

“It just seems like a very tight-knit community and I’m excited to be a part of that,” Siegel said.

Myers said she has personal stakes in the matter because of the way the trend has persisted into modern day.

“Not just as an academic, but as a lesbian, I owe it to my fellow sisters to do this work of uncovering social biases that have existed long before they were born and is ultimately not their fault,” Myers said.

Prejudices,” is to create a mini-documentary covering her findings.

Rosenberg herself is not very religious, but she said she sees it as a way to express fears and desires. She hopes to become a filmmaker in the future and wants to gain a deeper understanding of diverse cultures and faiths.

“It really does say so much about what people do and why,” Rosenberg said. “Having that understanding is very useful as somebody who wants to make films for a wide audience.”

Practices,” will culminate into a podcast mini-series, where she looks into the ways that Generation Z has pulled away from the Christian faith. She will compare Gen-X to Gen-Z, observing different values and the role that media has played in the shift, as well as conducting a literature review, which is research based on previously published works.

“It’s very much happening around us right now,” Cronin said. “Also, the information that we collect in the research that we find is going to be very valuable and understanding other aspects of our generational differences.” findings.

“My research is finding a way to bridge the language of the east with the language of the west so that we can all find a way to just be mentally and emotionally okay,” Ahmadu said.

Ahmadu plans on traveling to India as part of his research and said he looks forward to learning and growing as a person.

“I’m also really excited to meet different people and connect and learn how they live and hopefully reach a lot of people that might need this information,” Ahmadu said.