Honor Bound, a magazine from Pennoni Honors College

HONOR BOUND FROM DREXEL UNIVERSITY’S PENNONI HONORS COLLEGE • SPRING/SUMMER 2018

MILES TO GO BEFORE SHE SLEEPS PLUS: STREET ART AS STREETWEAR, SERIOUS GAMES, AND COMMUNITY ACTIVISM

Alumna Spotlight Christie Ruggieri (elementary education ‘13, higher education ‘17), is currently living in Beijing, China. After working for Drexel’s admissions office over the past four years, she is completing a fellowship with the organization InitialView. InitialView advocates for transparency on college applications by allowing international students the opportunity to conduct live interviews for admissions officers. Christie both serves as an interviewer and assists with growing the company’s presence around the world. In this photo, she is on a work trip to India.

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From the Dean

Dear friends, We are pleased to bring you a new issue of the publication, formerly known as PHC Magazine, renamed Honor Bound, a title that we think captures the spirit of aspiration and integrity of our students. This issue contains another snapshot of the activities, programming, and personalities that make up the Pennoni Honors College.

All of our units are thriving. We have a record number of Fellowship applicants, STAR scholars, Custom-Designed Majors, and Honors Program students — 520 freshmen this year — almost twice the anticipated enrollment!

We continue to offer additional programming: Pennoni Panels, Lunch ‘N’ Learns, Aspire workshops, Luminary coursework, and Dean’s Teas. We recently hosted our fourth Honors Program Dinner with guest speaker, Marla Gold, MD, Dean Emerita of Drexel’s Dornsife School of Public Health and former Philadelphia Assistant Health Commissioner. We also will be holding our second annual Week of Undergraduate Excellence May 14-18.

Some new initiatives currently underway: a travel option for students and alumni to Prague; a weekly Shakespeare Read Aloud; important guests like novelist Salmon Rushdie and cartoonist Roz Chast on the The Drexel InterView; and a new podcast out of the College called Pop, the Question, in which the PHC’s Dr. Melinda Lewis interviews Drexel staff, students, and faculty about topics in popular culture. Please check out the most recent of these at popqpodcast.com to hear good chatter on topics from superheroes to eco-scientists to celebrity crushes. We want to model for our students the ways in which pop culture can be dissected from an intellectual standpoint.

Our major goal for the coming year remains the Honors House and freshmen residence hall. We now have the support of the University to renovate Calhoun Hall, a semi-circular structure well-situated on campus. But we are dependent on you for additional support to turn the building into a state-of-the-art site for Honors education.

Our hope is to inhabit Calhoun by the fall of 2019, which means getting all the dorm rooms prepped and raising funds to renovate the first two floors for offices and seminar rooms, a lounge, a library, and a gallery. Each of these singular spaces can be a naming opportunity for a friend of Honors.

We see the Honors House and residence hall as a center for engagement not only for Honors Program students but for all students seeking to excel under the Honors College rubric. It will be a place to engage with passion and conviviality. Please help us realize this vision of intellectual exploration and community.

Sincerely,

Paula Marantz Cohen Dean, Pennoni Honors College Distinguished Professor of English 215.895.1266 • cohenpm@drexel.edu

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Dean Cohen in her office

CONTENTS Spring/Summer 2018

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In Brief

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Ripped from the Headlines: Teaching Current Events

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The In-Between of Design

BY ERICA LEVI ZELINGER

BY DRS. JONATHAN AWERBUCH AND DANIEL DOUGHERTY

The Citizen Lobbyist

BY ANA CASTILLO-NYE

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On Native Soil

BY JONATHAN FINK, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE ’18

Dean: Paula Marantz Cohen PHC Magazine is published biannually by the Marketing & Media team of Drexel University’s Pennoni Honors College.

Editorial Staff Editor: Erica Levi Zelinger Copy Editor: Melinda Lewis Designer: Diane Pizzuto

Comments? Contact us at pennoni@drexel.edu

Administration Director, Administration & Finance: Ann Alexander Executive Assistant to the Dean: Karen Sams

Honors Program Associate Dean, Director: Daniel Dougherty Associate Director: Katie Barak Assistant Director: Eric Kennedy

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Program Coordinator: Julia Wisniewski

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Miles To Go Before She Sleeps

BY ERICA LEVI ZELINGER

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Game Plan

The Quintessential Honors College Student

BY ERICA LEVI ZELINGER

BY ERICA LEVI ZELINGER

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Art’s Desire

BY ERICA LEVI ZELINGER

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ON THE COVER

Office of Undergraduate Research Associate Dean, Director: Suzanne Rocheleau Associate Director: Jaya Mohan Program Manager: Emily Kashka Program Coordinator: Roxane Lovell

Center for Scholar Development Director: Meredith Wooten Associate Director: Kelly Weissberger Program Coordinator: Martha Meiers Fellowships Coordinator: Emily Coyle

Alumni News

Center for Interdisciplinary Inquiry Director: Kevin Egan

SUPPORT THE PENNONI HONORS COLLEGE

Assistant Director: Ana Castillo-Nye

You can make a difference! When you make a gift to the Pennoni Honors College, you support the tradition of an interdisciplinary education. Every gift counts. To learn more about how you can support the Honors College, contact:

Pennoni Faculty Fellows: Chapin Cimino, Kristine Mulhorn Visiting Fellow: Julia Novak Colwell

Marketing & Media Director: Erica Levi Zelinger Associate Director of Marketing & Media, Managing Editor, The Smart Set: Melinda Lewis Assistant Director: Brian Kantorek

Susan Baren-Pearson 215.571.4907 sb3488@drexel.edu 3

In Brief

ILLUSTRATION: EMILY ANDERSON, GRAPHIC DESIGN ‘19

FRANCOPHONE FRATERNITY U.S. French Embassy says “bonjour” to Drexel’s French Club

BY ALISSA FALCONE

S

ince it was started a little more than two years

and promoting the club in newsletters. Executive Assistant

ago, the Drexel French Club has gone from a

to the Dean Karen Sams also helped with logistics and event

pipe dream to a fledgling student organization at

planning, serving as a mentor to Malik throughout the

Drexel to being recognized by the United States

process.

French Embassy. Having won a grant awarding funding

Pennoni, we were able to roll out more programming,”

organization now has enough money and resources to

said Malik.

start a mentorship group and host events (complete with delicious French food, bien sûr).

Membership increased as the club held more and more varied events, including conversation hours and cultural

When Sarah Malik started her freshman year at Drexel

events like French movie nights and holiday parties. Over

in 2015, the business and engineering major in the LeBow

the summer, the organization even received its first grant

College of Business and member of the Pennoni Honors

from the Student Activity Fee Allocation Committee.

College had no room in her schedule for language electives,

Things were looking up.

but she wanted to continue learning and practicing the romance language she’d honed in high school.

Then, last summer, the organization applied for and ultimately received the French Embassy's France on Campus

So, Malik founded the Drexel French Club. She sought

award, which provides funding, guidance and outreach oppor-

support from the French Department and found students

tunities for student organizations introducing French culture

to take leadership positions in the club, but the group

to their college campuses. The French Club’s now award-

lacked resources, a space to hold meetings, and funding for

winning idea morphed into the “Frenchy Friends” mentorship

food (which is, of course, the most effective way of getting

group in which fluent or advanced French speakers are paired

college students to show up).

with students who are new to learning the language.

Things changed, however, in 2016 when she happened

“It’s very rewarding when people like me want to stay

to explain all of this to Paula Marantz Cohen, PhD, dean of

engaged with the French culture and language and they

the Pennoni Honors College and Distinguished Professor of

have opportunities to dive into their interests at Drexel,”

English in the College of Arts and Sciences (who, coinci-

said Malik. “With every event, our goal is to have everyone

dentally, received a BA in English and French from Yale

learn at least one new word in French, whether they’re a

University). After that, the Honors College stepped in to

fluent French speaker or a beginner!”

help, offering a room for meetings, supplying food for events

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“Once we had that partnership and infrastructure with

and guidance from a U.S. French Ambassador, the student

—edited and reprinted with permission from Drexel Now

HONORS AT HOME

You don’t have to be on campus to get the Honors experience. Here are three ways to stay engaged with us at home: Read, look, and listen

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n November, Roz Chast, acclaimed cartoonist for The New Yorker visited Drexel to shoot two episodes of Pennoni Honors College’s 30-minute talk show, The Drexel InterView. Four Film & Video students (including sophomore Honors Program student Laurel Murr) from Westphal’s Dragon

Productions guided the shoot for Season 15 with Chast and host Paula Marantz Cohen, Dean of the Pennoni Honors College.

Chast is also author/illustrator of a handful of books, including two recent graphic memoirs: 2014’s award-winning bestseller Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?; and 2017’s Going Into Town: A Love Letter to New York. Both memoirs use illustrative humor to reflect on and poke fun at Chast’s upbringing in New York; her affinity for her native Brooklyn; her family culture and heritage; and her own personal quirks.

In the first episode, Dean Cohen talks with Chast about the artist’s formative years, her cartoon career with The New Yorker magazine, and her unique take

The first of The Drexel InterView season 15 episodes are

on the world. In the second episode, Dean Cohen explores the cultural depth

now available on the show’s YouTube channel. Stay tuned

and comedy of Chast’s two latest graphic memoirs.

for the Roz Chast interview.

The Drexel InterView’s 2017-2018 season also features controversial author Salman Rushdie, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Gordon S. Wood, and

Watch epsiodes at bit.ly/2xuDrM7

novelist/screenwriter Tom Perrotta.

’Twas the Season

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Pennoni’s New Podcast

t’s no longer the time of year for stocking stuffers and gift giving, but the Philadelphia Inquirer

headline last November seems pretty timeless nonetheless: “coffee-table books cry out to be gifted.” You can still get your hands on the beautiful catalog mentioned in the article from Pennoni Honors College’s exhibition, Howard Pyle, His Students & the Golden Age of American Illustration.

“Take a look at Why Don’t You End It? on Page 35,” the write-up suggests, “and you’ll see what Pennoni’s Dean

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t’s like sitting in on a conversation among friends, one listener described the new Pop, the Question podcast produced by Pennoni Honors College. Hosted by Dr. Melinda Lewis, PopQ is a spirited dialogue about the

ways in which popular culture intersects with the interests,

Paula Marantz Cohen means when she notes that “there

research, and fields of study of the guests. Tune in to hear

is a direct line of descent from [Pyle’s] illustrations to

Lewis’s humorous take on superheroes, Die Hard, and

Johnny Depp … in Pirates of the Caribbean.”

celebrity crushes.

Read the article at bit.ly/2CJaaMZ

Listen at popqpodcast.com 5

In Brief

ILLUSTRATION: EMILY ANDERSON, GRAPHIC DESIGN ‘19

AMBITION CAN’T WAIT Introducing the new cohort of Aspire Scholars

F

rom women in STEM to future health professionals, the new cohort of 14 sophomore Aspire Scholars is made up of talented artists, researchers, and active volunteers, many of whom serve as peer leaders and

tutors at Drexel and in the broader community.

The Center for Scholar Development’s Aspire Scholars program is designed to provide promising, curious, and

motivated Drexel undergraduates an opportunity to

This year’s cohort includes: • Blessing Adogame was born in Nigeria and raised in Germany and Scotland, co-founded the FreshWomen Cohort Program, an initiative in the College of Computing and Informatics (CCI) to actively engage incoming students.

• Computer Engineering student Jacob Baron, a former

further develop and clarify their goals, within a small

STAR Scholar (one of 6 in the cohort) is currently serving

community of peers and with guidance from alumni in

as an Undergraduate Research Leader, mentoring other

their field(s) of interest.

students about research benefits.

The idea for Aspire Scholars grew out of the mentor/

• All the world’s a stage for psychology student Vida

mentee relationship held by Leslee Voss Geltzer, an Honors

Manalang, who performed as Anne Frank in Drexel

College advisory board member, and environmental

Co-Op Theatre Company’s recent production of The Diary

science major Vincent O’Leary. Geltzer assisted O’Leary during his fellowship application process, serving as an

of Anne Frank.

• Information Systems student Antigone Bellanich

objective voice, and helping Vincent articulate his experi-

plays bassoon in Drexel’s concert band and clarinet in

ences in an informed and succinct way.

the pep band.

SUPER SCHOLAR: AYUSH PARIKH

The junior biological sciences student with minors in art history and business administration is mastering the art of undergraduate research • 1st place for poster presentation in the undergraduate session at the Drexel University College of Medicine Discovery Day Fall 2017 • 2nd place for undergraduate poster presentation at the American Society for Cell Biology and European Molecular Biology Organization 2017 Annual Research Meeting • Publication of the Virapocalypse bacteriophage genome in Genbank publications. This project was performed through the SEA-PHAGES program in the Biology department over the 2015-2016 academic year with the goal of isolating, characterizing, and annotating new bacteriophages.

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FULBRIGHT FINALISTS 10 Drexel students have been selected as semi-finalists for 2018-19 Fulbright U.S. Student Program grants. After being chosen as semi-finalists by the U.S. National Screening Committees their applications have now been passed to country-specific committees for final selection in the spring. Congrats to the following students: Nicholas Barber (BS geoscience ’18, Honors);

A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO HONORS

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ast September, Drexel welcomed the largest freshmen class in its history, and the Honors Program held orientation activities for a cohort of 525 incoming students. The Honors New Student Orientation (NSO) was our chance to set the tone for students and

challenge them to be their best selves from the moment they stepped onto campus. NSO activities began with a community building dinner on Friday, September 15 for Honors students and their families. This

gave students a chance to meet and interact with other Honors students and start the all-important process of acclimating to campus life. NSO activities continued with two sessions on Sunday, September 17, to review the opportunities and expectations of being an Honors student.

On Wednesday, September 20, we concluded NSO with 20 faculty- and staff-led "urban immersion tours" for groups ranging from 25-40 Honors students to public sites around Philadelphia. The students walked or took public transportation to unique locations including the Reading Terminal Market, Washington Square park, City Hall, and the "hidden" side of the city in the Septa concourses, among others. “Taken together, the Honors NSO experiences were designed to prepare students as a community with enhanced opportunities at a top-tier university within an exciting urban environment,” says Honors Program Director Daniel Dougherty.

Study/Research Grant, Indonesia Dalia Kirzner (BS/MS secondary education/ special education ’18, Honors); English Teaching Assistant (ETA) grant, South Korea Sergio Machaca (BS mechanical engineering ’18, Honors), Study/Research Grant, Germany Anna Monastero (BS environmental studies & sustainability ’18); English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Grant, Spain Ian Nichols (PhD student, biology); Study/ Research Grant, Cameroon Valerie Niemann (BS chemical engineering ’18, Honors); Study/Research Grant, Switzerland Dylan O'Donoghue (MLS legal studies ’18); Study/Research Grant, Taiwan Emily Ostrow (BS/MS environmental science ’18, Honors); Study/Research Grant, Colombia Marie Ruisard (BArch ’18, Honors); Study/ Research Grant, Norway Caitlin Walczyk (BA global studies ’18, Honors); Study/Research Grant, Ukraine

“We are so proud of these students who spent lots of time developing research proposals, crafting application essays, and incorporating feedback from supportive committee members and readers,” says Dr. Meredith Wooten, director of the Center for Scholar Development.

Fifteen students crowded into Dean Paula Marantz Cohen’s office for her January Dean’s Tea on the psychology of music. Dean Cohen invited Dr. Eric Zillmer (far right), the Director of Drexel Athletics and professor of neuropsychology, to discuss the topic and listen to John Penn (far left), a professional guitar performer specializing in classical and flamenco guitar. Also featured are Dean Paula Marantz Cohen, students Pavel Stan and Vida Manalang, and College benefactors Chuck and Annette Pennoni.

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In Brief CAMBRIDGE CALLING

Meet the recipient of Drexel’s second-ever Gates Cambridge scholarship

N

ick Barber, geoscience ’18, has been selected

He credits his research path to Jaya Mohan and Emily Kashka

from among 35 of the most academically

in the Office of Undergraduate Research, as well as mentors

outstanding and socially committed students

like Dr. Loÿc Vanderkluysen of Drexel, Dr. Anne Jay of The

in the nation for a 2017 Gates Cambridge

Open University, and Dr. William Chadwick of NOAA/Oregon

Scholarship. He is the second student in Drexel history

State University. The critical and keen insights of Dr. Meredith

to receive this award.

Wooten of the Center for Scholar Development not only helped

The postgraduate program at Cambridge University, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, aims

shape his application but the trajectory of his career.

“Nick’s approach to research and outreach embodies how

to build a global network of future leaders committed to

we think of ourselves as a University: innovative, experi-

improving the lives of others.

ential, interdisciplinary, engaged,” says Wooten. “Nick has

Nick was recognized for his talent and commitment

creatively used his co-op opportunities to pursue his interests

to improving the world through his forecast of volcanic

in learning more about geology, exploring (and excelling) in

eruptions and undergraduate research mentorship.

a range of areas and institutional settings. His achievements

Nick, who spent his childhood lifting up every rock, will head to the U.K. this fall to seek to explain the systematic

are a powerful testimony to his independence, energy, and passion for his work.”

behavior of trace metals in active volcanic systems.

“I want to wake up tomorrow to find it's October and I have already begun my PhD at Cambridge,” Nick says. “The anticipation building to work on a novel, transformative project with world-class researchers and equipment is almost too much for me to bear!”

Photo: Nick Barber celebrates his Gates-Cambridge scholarship with Pennoni Honors College staff (from left to right: Dr. Meredith Wooten, director of the Center for Scholar Development; Dean Paula Marantz Cohen; Nick Barber; Emily Kashka, program manager for Office of Undergraduate Research (Skyping in Jaya Mohan, associate director of Office of Undergraduate Research); Kelly Weissberger, associate director for the Center for Scholar Development; and Martha Meiers, program coordinator for the Center for Scholar Development.

Week of Undergraduate Excellence : May 14-18, 2018 Listen, watch, and appreciate Drexel’s undergraduate students as they hone their public speaking, demonstration, and research skills at the second annual Week of Undergraduate Excellence (WUE). Sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Research, WUE brings together undergrads, faculty, the greater Drexel community, and visitors to take part in a weeklong exhibition of accomplish8

ments, including poster sessions, oral presentations, and performances.

A COMEDY OF HORRORS

“J

okin’, writin’, and ’rithmetic” might seem like a butchering of the educational staples. There is, of course, something else that ties these concepts together: fear. At November’s Taste of

At the Stranger Things Honors Lunch ’n‘

Honors, alumni gathered for seminars about comedy and

Learn, the buffet was a little strange,

horror, mathematical fears, and writing terror from a few

too. Food served included Eggo waffles

of the Honors Program’s affiliated faculty. The day wasn’t

and Three Musketeers – favorites of the

immersion therapy, a means to self-help our way through

characters in the acclaimed nostalgic

anxieties, but rather a means to explore the whys and whats

horror show on Netflix.

that make math, writing, and humor so fear-inducing to some. The daylong affair also aimed to highlight the best of what the Honors Program has to offer students: insightful, interdisciplinary, and fun courses that engage and challenge them as scholars.

Honors students Alison Kane (left) and Nicole Tavormina (right) hold on tight during an Honors Program Mentor event, where about 75 freshmen had the opportunity to skate with their upperclassmen mentors at UPenn’s 1923 rink.

9 PHOTO: KEVIN LY, MECHANICAL ENGINEERING ’22

Consider This THE CITIZEN LOBBYIST A new citizen’s tips on civic engagement and political activism

BY ANA CASTILLO-NYE

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n May of 2015, I had the privilege of naturalizing as

to take active part in their democracy after years of feeling

a U.S. citizen. In the months following, I was on a

disconnected from the political process.

constant search for a way to celebrate my citizenship; something I had to work very hard to earn. I found that

for Interdisciplinary Inquiry — chose “Community” as

way by getting involved in an anti-poverty movement led

The Symposium theme for the 2017-2018 academic year,

by a bipartisan advocacy group called RESULTS.

I suddenly had the opportunity to bring the skills of my

RESULTS trains its volunteers to write and speak power-

volunteer life and my work life together. Working closely

fully about poverty in order to gain support from members of

with instructors for the fall term course and our partners

Congress for legislation aimed at tackling the toughest global

at the Dornsife Center for Community Engagement, I put

health and education issues. At no cost to me, I gained the

together an advocacy training for Drexel students and

skills to become an effective citizen lobbyist. After only a few

members of the Philadelphia community.

months I received the necessary training to pass those skills along to other willing individuals, those searching for a way

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When we — the staff at Pennoni Honors College’s Center

In November, we gathered with students from the community course alongside members of the Mantua and

process. Instant gratification is virtually non-existent and rejection is an everyday occurrence. As the cliché goes, “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.” Unfortunately, civic engagement is a marathon that you sometimes run without supporters on the sidelines. On top of it all, the stakes are astronomically high in terms of resources toward initiatives that end poverty; life and death in very literal terms. But this work is also balanced by many wonderful experiences — the excitement of face-to-face meetings with elected officials, the satisfaction of gaining support for an issue that is near and dear to you, the relief of getting a bill passed that you know will change the lives of millions for the better — those moments make the long hours worthwhile.

With all of these ideas in mind, I decided that my ultimate goal should be to simply ignite in others the feelings that I’ve had myself about critical civic engagement. Since the workshop attendees already possessed a strong sense of political will and democratic spirit, my task was to offer them better tools for the work they were already doing. I first spoke to the group about the importance of building relationships with congressional offices through consistent positive outreach from constituents. We also discussed the difficult but important task of taking the time to relearn basic American civics. Together we practiced writing effective letters and traded tips on ways to keep our communities encouraged Powelton Village Civic Associations. While I had

and leaders accountable. Time flew by and I was

hosted a number of these trainings before, I was

so impressed with the level of engagement that

extremely nervous on that day. The students in

occurred that evening — it was a reminder of why

the room most likely had more experience as

this work is so valuable.

activists than I did, and the West Philadelphians

Volunteering my time for RESULTS brings me

understood the socio-political landscape of their

hope that if we work together we may actually

city in a way that I never could. Battling a bout

make the difficult life of a fellow human being

of self-doubt I wondered why anyone would take

a little more bearable — and perhaps a little

me seriously in this line of work — me, a newly-

more just. I recommend advocacy work like I

minted American citizen with only a couple years

would meditation: it’s something that energizes

of experience as an advocate. But I came armed

and brings about a renewed sense of agency. In

with my training, my passion for the issues, and,

this political landscape so often bogged down

at the very least, the story of my own journey

by negativity, partisanship, and fear, feeling like

toward defining citizenship.

you play a role in moving the needle — even the

To be truly civically engaged — to go beyond

smallest fraction — toward a more educated and

angry social media posts, one-time voting, and

compassionate world will invigorate you like

one-off participation in a protest — is a never-

nothing else can.

ending endeavor and such an intimidating idea to strive toward that there is a high risk of feeling

Ana Castillo-Nye is the Assistant Director

paralyzed instead. The truth is that legislative

for Pennoni Honors College’s Center for

advocacy is a particularly slow, drawn-out

Interdisciplinary Inquiry

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RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES: TEACHING CURRENT EVENTS

BY DRS. JONATHAN AWERBUCH AND DANIEL DOUGHERTY

While teaching a junior-level engineering course a few years ago, I mentioned a debate I saw on C-SPAN about U.S. foreign policy and it fell upon blank looks. I questioned the students about politics and societal issues. I asked them about senators and judges and Supreme Court cases, and I realized there was a disconnect. I was dismayed by their lack of knowledge in the political system and wanted them all to take a class in civic discourse. So, I approached Dr. Daniel Dougherty, director of the Honors Program, about designing a course to bridge students’ fields of study with the outside world.

Our idea behind this course was fairly simple: encourage and support students to discuss issues and events that were being debated regularly through respected news sources. Our goal was to address weaknesses in our post-secondary education and its focus on disciplinary knowledge.

We wanted to place citizenship and leadership at the forefront of this course. Deliberation, discussion, and debate are essential to any healthy political community. As a university, our role is to educate

—DR. JONATHAN AWERBUCH, PROFESSOR, MECHANICAL ENGINEERING AND MECHANICS

students to be active members of this

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prescription opiod crisis expands

THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT AN HONORS SHOULD BE LIKE! process. Otherwise, students often exhibit deep-rooted lack of knowledge, alarming disinterest in societal and civic matters, and a limited understanding of the world around them. In the long-term this endangers the future

article from a list of recommended national/international

democratic and societal cohesion of United States society.

newspapers, representing the spectrum of political views.

Within Drexel’s Honors Program, we are addressing

Each week, students are expected to submit a 500-word

this challenge in a constructive and pro-active manner, by

concise, well-written, well-argued summary on their

offering a course entitled Discourse in Current Events. Our

selected article. This includes an overall summary of the

twofold goal in designing the course is for Drexel students

article, with arguments supporting the expressed viewpoint

to gain demonstrable understanding and increasing

in the op-ed piece, a critique of the stated viewpoint, and

interest in national and global civic issues. Moreover, we

brief summary conclusion of the student’s opinion about

wanted students to skillfully express their views in writing,

the article and the subject matter.

and convincingly defend their positions in public debates.

We based our strategy on two concepts: first, a

Topics of the Week discussed span the spectrum of issues from North Korean/American Relations, Prescription

high-quality learning experience can be accomplished

Opioid Use in the U.S., NAFTA and TPP Trade Deals,

through learning by reading with a written analysis of

Interpreting the Second Amendment, Reforms of the

relevant, thoughtful, and well-argued positions on national

Electoral College, Secessionist Movements in Scotland and

and international issues. Secondly, we believe that a

Catalonia; and the Open Internet Act.

full appreciation of the subject matter is accomplished

Students report that they have reviewed an average of 5

through thoughtful and critical debate, with well-informed

titles and read, fully, an average of 3 articles for each review

counterparts.

submitted, so that over a term, they review more than 130

Over the last three years, we designed, taught, and refined

different titles and read over 80 different articles. During

this course — a hybrid between face-to-face and on-line

our weekly in-class discussions, students have structured

formats. Our approach in the course is for students —

debate on selected topics and exchange views on the issues.

who come from a variety of majors — choose any op-ed

The debates provide the students with an opportunity to think critically through the crafting of their argument, “think on their feet” during the follow up Q&A session, and present their position in a clear and concise manner. In addition, the students learn within a debate culture where

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COURSE AT DREXEL

all views, conventional, confrontational, and contrarian, are respectfully and properly considered.

Comments shared at the end of each course indicate that students gained a much better understanding and appreciation of the topics discussed.

“I have been taking more of an interest in current events,” one student wrote. “I wanted to learn how to dissect this information and be able to examine it critically.”

Another expressed an appreciation for the format of the class. “I could practice debate in front of my peers and defend my stand,” he wrote.

A third stated, “This is EXACTLY what an honors course at Drexel should be like!”

Our shared vision for this course was to have a model to improve student knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of national and global issues irrespective of their own disciplinary studies and interests. Indeed, this is the goal of a university education. The course has been enlightening for the two of us, as well. Having open and honest debate can be messy and unpredictable. But as we offered a revised version of the course each time, we learned how to be more impactful for student learning so that they are challenged and informed about the world they are inheriting.

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PHOTO: SETH MOHS VIA FLICKR (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

ON NATIVE SOIL A travel-integrated course trip to Michigan opened my eyes to the struggles for water rights among Native American tribes

BY JONATHAN FINK, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE ’18

“I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

These words were spoken most famously

culmination to our course about tribal water rights in

by Dorothy in Wizard of Oz as she was

the Great Lakes Region. The stereotypical thoughts of

being swept away to a new land, but

shattered within mere minutes of the first day of our trip.

also by soldiers about to enter the land of Pandora in the movie Avatar, as they

headdresses, teepees, and sports mascots were immediately We first met with Odawa Tribe member Wenona Singel, a Harvard-educated lawyer and associate professor of law at Michigan State University. Singel gave us a great overview of

were about to come face to face with

Native Americans and the U.S. Constitution. The Constitution

aliens. Both instances sprang to my mind

established in the mid-1800s because Tribes were their own

as we spent some time with the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians

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Four other students and I traveled to Michigan with Dr. Julia Novak Colwell, Pennoni visiting fellow, as a

contains protections for Natives in the form of treaties sovereign nations, way before the Constitution was written.

The Tribes informed us that there is not a single treaty — in the 400-plus negotiated — that hasn’t been broken at least

(LTBBO) in Harbor Springs, Michigan in

once by either the federal or state government.

September 2017.

philosophy and community sustainability at MSU, and

We then talked to Kyle Whyte, associate professor of

member of the Potawatomi Tribe. Whyte taught us

fish populations. Wasson also stressed the importance of

about native tribes, environmental justice, water, and the

balance in the world and the interconnectedness of nature.

Potawatomi, one of the three main native tribes active

According to her, the four cardinal directions (N, E, S, W),

in Michigan. He helped us to understand more about

four stages of life (baby, child, adult, elderly), and four

the social aspects of tribes, such as the language being

elements (fire, earth, wind, and water) are all intercon-

completely oral (not written down), how tribes’ history

nected, and the goal of native peoples is to maintain the

allowed gender and identity fluidity, and acceptance

balance in the world. This ecology-based worldview was

towards LGTBQ members.

We spoke next to Frank Ettawageshik, a former tribal

refreshing to us students and runs very counter to the capitalistic worldview most of us have grown up in.

chairman of the LTBBO, who brought us into the 18-foot-tall,

We spent a significant amount of time on the LTBBO

30-foot-wide lodge he and other tribal members built behind

reservation, talking to other speakers about issues such

his house. Frank shared some of his knowledge and stories.

as Enbridge Line 5, an oil pipeline that runs under

He explained his and others’ efforts to help LTBBO regain

the water at the intersection of three Great Lakes. A

federal status as a Tribe in 1994, despite their extensive history

spill there would threaten three Great Lakes and be

in the local area. He also told us about his trip to Paris for the

catastrophic. We also heard about Native hunting and

COP21 Paris Accords, along with the environmental goals the

fishing rights and learned more about the history of

Tribes wanted to be included in the agreements.

As the Director of Archives for the Tribe, Eric Hemenway talked extensively about the Tribe’s history with water as we stood with him at the edge of Traverse Bay, a body of water that feeds directly into Lake Michigan. Without water, he explained, the Tribe’s whole way of life – fishing, transportation, burials – would be gone. Eric talked about how historical relocations of other Tribes to Kansas systematically destroyed these aspects of tribal culture, and how fortunate the Michigan tribes and LTBBO were that they managed to stay in their homeland.

He also discussed the U.S. government-led boarding schools for Natives, and how they were used as a way of integrating and assimilating Native children into white society, taking them away from their families in the process.

The result is a whole generation of Natives not knowing their language, culture, or even how to raise children

Above: Kelly Archer, Matthew McConomy, Frank Ettawageshik of the LTBBO tribe, Jonathan Fink, Annie Haftl, and Vincent O’Leary in Harbor Springs, Michigan Facing page: Little Traverse Bay at sunset

because they grew up exclusively in these boarding schools, where sexual, emotional, and physical abuse was rampant.

the Tribes around Lake Michigan. These Tribes are so

The local boarding school in Harbor Springs closed in the

in tune with nature and understand what it needs to

1980s; now stands a church that has a “Heritage Room”

maintain the balance.

consisting of pieces of the boarding school such as the

This worldview stretches into every facet of their lives;

bricks, flooring, and chalkboard – to stand as a reminder of

even when they took us fishing, they made sure to sprinkle

history and “sense of place.”

a small pinch of tobacco as an offering to the Creator for

At this halfway point in our trip, many of us were feeling shocked, and even confused. How did we not know any of this history? Why was this not taught in schools? Is the U.S.

the lives of the fish we were about to take.

This trip meant so much more to us students than just this 1,000-word essay; it was a chance for us five students

trying to erase this history because it’s too “ugly” for us?

to educate ourselves on a subject we had little first-hand

We pondered these questions as we moved on to our

experience with. When we put down the trip deposit, we

next speaker, Renee Dillard — or Wasson in her native

couldn’t comprehend not only what we’d learn, but what

language. She took us to the edge of a creek, and spoke

we’d feel. All of us walked away with a new sense of spirit

to us about how the state of Michigan is completely

and world outlook. We weren’t in Kansas anymore, but at

mismanaging the fish in the area, introducing species

least we could return to Philadelphia to teach others about

that don’t belong — for profit and decimating the native

the power of this experience.

17

PHOTO: ASHLEY GELLMAN

IN-BETWEEN A custom-designed major turns street art into streetwear 18

BY ERICA LEVI ZELINGER

PHOTO: ASHLEY GELLMAN PHOTO: MATT CARROLL

W

hile his freshmanyear friends in fashion design were all constructing

garments and creating patterns, Jack O’Connor was fabricating a major.

He laid out a course of study, piecemealing classes from Westphal’s entertainment and arts management program with entrepreneurship, merchandising, and social sciences to seek a niche in what he was already studying and cultivate his clothing company, Strictly Featured.

As a teenager, Jack would gather clothes from his family members and style them together – an interesting shirt from his mother, something oversized from his father, and an athletic hand-me-down from one of his older twin brothers. He’d go thrifting on his own and cobble together a whole new outfit.

But Jack wasn’t interested in designing as much as “the inbetween of designing” – using the medium of clothing to tell a story.

During his friends’ long hours in the studio, Jack would doodle and take photos of them, eventually posting on a “Strictly Featured” Instagram page to document and feature the work of the emerging artists he was meeting all around him.

“It was the world around the fashion that really drew my attention,” Jack says.

Jack applied and was accepted into

selling band merchandise at PNC

Pennoni Honors College’s Custom-

Bank Arts Center in central Jersey.

Designed Major. His Drexel career, he

“I was seeing people come up to

says, has been the complete opposite

the booths at concerts and I saw how

of what he was expecting – or what he

relevant the merchandise was to

thought possible. But he’s managed to

them,” Jack says. “It was the second

build a brand – and a major to support

most important part of them being

it – that melds his passions for fashion,

there that night. For the artist, it’s

music, and art. The goal: use clothing

a source of revenue, but it’s also a

and merchandise as a marketing

chance for them to show their persona

channel to promote the work of local

beyond the stage. It’s a medium for

musicians and visual artists.

interaction with their fans.”

“The custom-designed major was an

In addition to his love for music,

opportunity to seek a niche, but still

Jack found himself enthralled with

gain an in-depth education in a few

Philadelphia’s street art scene, so when

different disciplines and bring them

he received the entrepreneurship co-op

together in a way that wasn’t done

at the Baiada Institute in summer 2017,

before,” he says proudly. “It’s a broad

it was the first time he had funding

concept of how I can use clothes not

and resources to approach a real street

just as fashion but as a full campaign.”

artist and offer him a clothing line.

The 22-year-old from South Amboy,

And he had one particular guy in

N.J., spent summers in high school

mind: Ephemeroh.

19

PHOTO: MATT CARROLL

that weren’t practical,” Jack chews on. “Also, reflect. I wanted to take

Ephemeroh’s abstract-style street

a second to step back and see how

art lines several abandoned lots and walls in Philadelphia’s Kensington

component of being an artist,”

neighborhood.

Ephemeroh says. “If it was up to

“Street art is really incredible,” Jack

me I’d only practice but that’s not

says. “It’s public so it’s for everyone.

sustainable. It’s given me exposure

It’s not commissioned so it’s a very

and confidence.”

a practical source of free speech.

The Strictly Featured brand

It incorporates true and honest

seems like a win-win then for both

reflective thoughts.”

Ephemeroh and Jack.

Ephemeroh, the wheatpaste artist,

He has started to get requests

was initially skeptical about the

from some local musicians making

collaboration, but the pair met in

waves in their own careers. He’s

May 2017 to talk about marketing

consulted with one band about the

strategy. By June, Jack had gathered

merchandise manufacturing process

a team of graphic designers, photog-

and worked with another to create

raphers and videographers to work

marketing materials – poring over

with him on a collection of five

Instagram images and lyrics, getting

pieces – two long-sleeved shirts, one

to know band members, figuring out

T-shirt, and two 5-panel hats. In July,

what the market looks for in their

they processed orders and created

genre, and helping them identify

packaging. In August, they did photo

their brand.

and videos shoots that detailed the

When he graduates in June, Jack

artist’s story and process. And in

hopes to keep Strictly Featured going

September, Jack and his Strictly

while he gets some more real-world

Featured team hosted a launch party

experience with a music label, fashion

at Tattooed Mom on South Street

brand, or manufacturer.

where they sold his merchandise at a pop-up shop. “[Strictly Featured] helped me consider the business

Lessons he’s learned from his business thus far?

“Take your time. Not everything has to be so exact. I set deadlines

20

I could do better in order to keep moving.”

Jack also has an incredible ability to take inventory of where he’s at. “Jack O’Connor is really selfreflective,” says Dr. Kevin Egan, Jack’s CSDN advisor and director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Inquiry.

“He is very good at honestly assessing himself and his company, and rather than impulsively acting on those insights, he is methodical in his plans moving forward.”

Strictly Featured isn’t strictly it for Jack O’Connor. If there’s another thing he’s learned about himself, it’s that he’s a serial entrepreneur. One business idea will never be enough.

“Once you get started with one,” he says … and his voice trails off. There’s no reason to finish the sentence. Some of Jack’s ideas are just that: ideas.

But if his clothing brand and his make-your-own curriculum of entertainment and arts merchandising are any indication of his future, when Jack graduates this summer, there will no doubt be more.

In Brief

MILES TO GO BEFORE SHE SLEEPS Courtney Boyd’s college career has already taken her to 30 countries. Where will she go next?

BY ERICA LEVI ZELINGER

C

ourtney Boyd keeps two lists in the notes section of her iPhone. The first is a “to-go” list. Right now, there are only three places on it. The second is a “been there” list. The custom-designed major in international economics and global health has to

pull the phone out of her pocket and scroll down for several seconds to confirm: 30 countries.

And she hadn’t left the country before she turned 16.

21

“I learn better In Brief

“I think that Drexel offers something amazing

for students who aren’t traditional and don’t do well in a traditional setting.

Courtney pored over Drexel’s list

of majors and a course catalog until she found what fit her. Which wasn’t really anything.

“Custom-Designed major was the

last one I came across,” she says. “I thought it was a design major. But lo and behold, it’s the one I chose.”

Had it not been for Drexel’s research

offerings, Boyd may have never stayed put. Had it not been for CSDN, she would have dropped out of college.

But Boyd graduated in March with

a degree that will propel her toward writing policy — not just from a political science point-of-view — but from economic, global studies, public health, and anthropological lenses as well.

“I think that Drexel offers

something amazing for students who aren’t traditional and don’t do well in a traditional setting,” she says. “I learn better on the run.”

And her experience “at Drexel” was

anything but traditional.

Here is where the story gets hard to

follow. Where time zones and travel documents and proper immunizations converge.

Courtney returned to Germany

in Spring 2015 for her first co-op and first term as a custom-designed major student. She worked with the German non-governmental organization Society for Threatened Peoples, researching human trafficking in Egypt’s North Sanai

Courtney’s friends – and her passport – imply that she is spontaneous, but

as a Dornsife Global Development

path. Of her 14 terms enrolled at the University, she spent only four of them in

Scholar and traded Europe for Africa

University City.

where she co-oped for World Vision

Boyd informed her parents when she was 13 that she was going to study

Malawi Mzuzu, co-leading a team in

abroad. Despite the financial hardship, they promised that if she were accepted

qualitative and quantitative research

into a program, they’d find a way.

efforts about the willingness to pay

And when she was 16, she flew for the first time to Hamburg, Germany to study abroad for high school.

Her host father, a chemical engineer at Philips Medical Systems DMC GmbH,

for improved water infrastructure and the implications on water management. Then off to Cairo for

brought her to several of his seminars, and that, Courtney says, was her inspi-

study abroad, exploring migration

ration for wanting to pursue chemical engineering.

studies, Arabic, and economics.

Courtney studied chemical engineering at Harrisburg Area Community

22

region. A year later, she was selected

the 22-year-old from Lewisberry, Pa., is also very much an architect of her own

Not a week passed after returning to

College for two years and then transferred to Drexel to try chemistry. But math

the U.S. when Courtney saw a poster

was not her strong suit, and non-governmental organizations and government

in Main Building advertising a study

were beginning to catch her eye.

abroad progam in Equatorial Guinea.

In Brief

on the run. �

Courtney, on the go during her Bioko Island co-op in Equatorial Guinea, 20 miles off the coast of Cameroon

23

In Brief “I thought, ‘They have a study abroad, so I’m gonna see if I can do a co-op.’” And by the next week, she had a meeting set up.

“Having the ability to create my own plan of study has allowed me to be flexible in my international pursuits,”

reached out for. Now, I faced rejection in the face.”

Luckily, the disappointment from

she says. “I wouldn’t have been able to get Dornsife or

not receiving the Gilman didn’t

Equatorial Guinea.”

last long. In January, Courtney was

“Courtney is highly ambitious but also fiercely

accepted into Master’s programs at

independent,” says Ana Castillo-Nye, assistant director of

the London School of Economics

the Center for Interdisciplinary Inquiry, which houses the

and University of London’s School

Custom-Designed Major.

of Oriental and African Studies. It

“From the get-go Courtney wanted to do impactful work on the international scale and I have always been impressed by her nuanced perspective on global issues,” Castillo-Nye says.

All her co-ops and study abroad programs up until this

was a difficult decision, but she chose University of London’s program.

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR INTERDISCIPLINARY INQUIRY

“I never really worried about she is more than capable of executing

Africa, Courtney began working with the Drexel Fellowships

her big dreams.”

Short term-plans? A PhD somewhere

for the Gilman Scholarship, which assists undergrads with

in Europe. Her dream job? A foreign

financial constraints in their international travels.

service officer.

But Courtney was already in Equatorial Guinea when

-ANA CASTILLO-NYE,

Courtney,” Castillo-Nye says, “because

point had been funded, but in an effort to pay for her return to Office to apply for awards that fit her criteria. She applied

“Traveling allows you to grow as a

she found out she hadn’t received the Gilman. She had

person,” she says. “When you’re home,

to stay put because she managed to combine the study

problems in the U.S. seem so big,

abroad with her senior project for CSDN, assessing bush

but I’m a lot more aware of what is

Clockwise from above left: A view of the

meat consumption of expats in Malabo and their attitudes

happening in the world. You meet tons

waterfalls on a hike in Moka, Bioko Island; the Bioko

toward biodiversity. So, she took out loans — and she took

of different people and learn the way

Biodiversity Protection Program education center in

the time to reflect on her application process.

other people live.”

Moka; the director of the Finca Sampaka "Sampaka

“Going through the process helped me a lot with my grad

24

to that, I had gotten everything I had

“I never really worried about Courtney because she is more than capable of executing her big dreams.”

And that “to-go” list Courtney kept?

Farm," cutting a cocoa tree; Courtney and Drexel’s

school applications,” she says. “I reassessed where I was

It read: Georgia, Peru, and Costa Rica.

study abroad students on a visit to an all-girls

going. I realized I wanted to focus on continuing education

But she crossed Costa Rica off in March

school on Bioko Island where they focus on culture

versus continuing research. It made me grow. And prior

to celebrate her undergraduate degree.

and agriculture.

THE QUINTESSENTIAL HONORS COLLEGE STUDENT From Honors Program superstar to custom-designed major and Aspire Scholar, Vriti Khurana is the poster child for Pennoni

BY ERICA LEVI ZELINGER

25

V

riti Khurana positioned herself on a couch with her laptop, water bottle, and headphones for eight-plus hours on the 15th floor of Millennium Hall. She painstakingly pored over each word and phrase of her mission statement and plan of study proposal for a custom-designed major

in Pennoni Honors College. Like the scene from a movie where the writer furiously jots something down in a Moleskine notebook or hunts and pecks on a standard typewriter, only to pull the paper from the back and crumble it into a ball, Vriti is stuck. She remembers this day so vividly: tired and frustrated, striking the delete button, continuously hitting roadblocks in her reasoning. So she turned to her community.

“When I ran out of ideas, I could easily go chat with someone and talk through the vision I had for my major.”

Even when she wasn’t sure what she wanted out of her education, discussing it with people majoring in engineering, public health, biology, health sciences, philosophy, and English, allowed her to gain a new perspective on what she could do with it.

“This day is one that I will always remember because of the collaborative effort for something so personal to me. That is the epitome of the Honors Program.”

What emerged from that day was a well-developed proposal for a customdesigned major (CDSN) in global health technologies. And in the following

“Vriti has been a bright light in our program because of her positivity, willingness to try new things, and dedication to serving others.” summer term, she was admitted to the major.

By drawing from public health, biology, and health administration, the sophomore from Delaware County, Pa., is now studying how to integrate

Vriti, learning to operate a circular saw on an Alternative Spring Break trip to Bridgeport, CT.

healthcare technologies into global health sectors and developing countries.

Vriti is a poster child for Pennoni; she’s deservedly earned her label of “quintessential Honors College student” by staff. Her CV is teeming with involvement and rife with achievement: participation in the Honors Program, Custom-Designed Major, the Center for Scholar Development’s Aspire Scholar Program, the College’s Design Your Drexel program, and even non-academic ventures with Honors College students, like the Kanya project she founded in 2015, aiming to decrease the dropout rate of adolescent school girls due to menstruation in India.

What also came to light from that experience was her passion and devotion for the Honors Program

26

PERIOD POVERTY On a visit to a school in Burgula, India when she was 16 years old, Vriti Khurana spoke to a group of 30 fourth graders about the importance of sanitary health practices. She talked to 20 fifth grade girls about why the stigma around menstruation exists and how to better educate their community. But when she went into the seventh and eighth grade classes, she noticed that the number of girls decreased dramatically. In Hindi, Vriti asked the girls about her observation. They revealed to her girls in their grade had begun their periods and had to drop out of school.

In a rural village like Burgula, they do not have the resources to properly dispose of sanitary napkins in a school setting.

But menstruation is nothing to be ashamed of. And dropping out of school at such an early age just didn’t seem fair. So, two years Vriti, in white, with girls associated with the Kanya Project, her initiative to

before Vriti would become a custom-designed major in the Honors

increase menstrual hygiene access for schoolgirls in India.

College and study the tenets of design thinking, she was already taking a solutions-based approach to solving real-world problems.

community and her attraction to exploring the additional programming offered by the Honors College.

“Its students like Vriti who make our jobs so rewarding,” says Honors Program Coordinator Julia Wisniewski. “Vriti has been a bright light in our program because of her positivity, willingness to try new things, and dedication to serving others.”

Vriti followed in a family friend’s footsteps when she applied to the Honors Program in high school, already believing it would shape her Drexel experience. She met academically-driven and like-minded students from all different majors, attended all sorts of Honors programming, spent an alternative spring break in Bridgeport, Connecticut building a house with Habitat for Humanity, and joined the Honors Action League to pursue volunteer opportunities.

As a strong believer in the Honors community, Vriti became a resident advisor in Millennium and an Honors Mentor because she knew she wanted to offer a similar comfort for her students as the one she’d had her freshman year.

The Honors College staff considers Vriti as the quintessential Pennoni student; she is an optimist through and through, which makes her drive and creativity contagious.

“Vriti embodies the spirit of the ideal Pennoni Honors College student because of her seemingly endless stream of energy as well as her earnest approach to learning,” says Ana Castillo-Nye, assistant director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Inquiry and advisor to the CDSN student. “She doesn’t shy from new challenges outside of her comfort zone, personal or academic, and actively seeks out ways to enhance her Drexel experience for herself and others.

Vriti started the Kanya Project – a term meaning girl in multiple languages – and partnered with a company that makes biodegradable sanitary napkins. She later pitched the project to the WHEELS Global Foundation to get the project off the ground.

And when she got to Drexel, she sought out other high-achieving students in the Honors Program who were passionate about women empowerment and had the drive to help others. Within a week, she had more than 20 students on board.

“I used the idea of improving people’s lives by combining technology and health as a basis for my custom designed major,” Vriti says. “Both the Honors Program and CSDN have given me the guidance and the flexibility to make my major come to life.”

With help from Honors students Vida Manalang, psychology ’21, and Alyssa Harden, screenwriting and playwriting ’20, and assistant clinical professor Nyree Dardarian from the College of Nursing and Health Professions, the organization has more than 120 supporters within the Drexel community. On February 8 of this year, the project opened its first sanitary napkin production factory and has been met with so much support from the local people.

“As we roll into the first round of distribution, it is very clear that the machine is boosting the economy of the village by employing local women and our hope is to help raise awareness that menstruation is nothing to be ashamed of,” Vriti says. “Possibly even more important, we have facilitated discussions among local families about menstruation in their own homes. These talks will hopefully lead to a de-stigmatization of menstruation itself and eventually result in a lower dropout rate for school girls.”

To donate to the Kanya Project, go to wheelsglobalfoundationorg.nationbuilder.com/donate 27

GAME PLAN How one Honors College student forges her own path — and fosters empathy

BY ERICA LEVI ZELINGER

28

W

hen a shipment of ore expected from Bald Rock

perspectives; the unapologetically nerdy (her words)

Mine in Bellowhill was never received, Lily

student likes to do things in her own way, a possible reason

Lauben volunteered to investigate. She came

that CSDN appeals to her.

armed and prepared.

Equipped with a pen and paper, and ready with a laptop,

Lily sketched the aggressive-looking spirits that haunt the

Having to justify and defend her major makes her feel more attached to her goals.

CSDN, says the quirky and colorful Lily, is truly a Choose-

mountain country — creating the next move in her “Gates

Your-Own-Adventure. The Honors College has opened

of Adventure” card game.

several (dungeon) doors in her pursuit of being a successful

As a Pennoni custom-designed major (CDSN) who titled her course of study “serious game design,” Lily maneuvers

game designer.

“Ana Castillo-Nye and Dr. Kevin Egan do a phenomenal

a choose-your-own-adventure of heroes, monsters,

job of making you feel like a hero in your own story,”

coursework, and creative projects centered on designing

Lily says about the assistant director and director of her

games that inspire, educate, or advocate.

program. She joked with friends recently that custom-

The pre-junior Honors student and her business partner Trenton Hauptman got their big break after attending a few meetings of The Philadelphia Game Maker’s Guild this

designed majors have their own superpower: being able to ignore major restrictions on classes.

“Technically, that’s not my superpower, but that of

past summer, run by Drexel alumna and award-winning

my advisors, Ana and Kevin, who may or may not be

game developer Nicole Amato. Game developers invited

actual superheroes.”

Lily and Trenton to share a booth at Philadelphia’s PAX Unplugged last November.

Despite the tabletop gaming convention falling in the

She adds, “You are given incredible amounts of freedom to make your own decisions and forge your own path, but at the same time, you are given a lot of responsibility.

middle of the term, the duo scrambled to rework the

You have to constantly prove to Kevin and Ana, to your

heroes in their “Dungeons & Dragons”-inspired card-based

professors, your peers, your employers, and to yourself, that

role-playing game, “Gates of Adventure,” polish and test

what you’re doing is worth doing.”

it, and come up with a demo. But, like the protagonists in their quest, they pulled it off.

After demo-ing the game at PAX, one overwhelmed

“We’re at a time where video games, and ‘gamification’ in general, play a huge role in our lives,” says Egan. “Games themselves seems to be enjoying a sort of Renaissance era,

convention attendee excitedly proclaimed that he ‘under-

and not just as a form of entertainment. I think what is so

stood how people can get attached to their characters,’

amazing about what Lily is doing, is that she wants to design

Lily says. That made the exhausting and nerve-wracking

games with meaning, that foster empathy and educate.”

three-day experience all the more while.

In addition to Amato, Lily has also found an advocate

When she first applied for the program in high school, Egan says, Lily’s application contained sophisticated

in Westphal’s Frank Lee, whose research on gaming for

insights about the need to invert the narrative from a focus

under-served children to learn programming was the

on fighting to a focus on victims caught in the crossfire.

perfect match for her STAR summer research two years

Lily’s determination to create socially conscientious gaming

ago because she says, she was one of those girls who didn’t

shows a deep-rooted appreciation for the human condition.

identify with the games she’d played growing up — and

Lily is constantly forging ahead – not at all held back by

is intrigued by the process of using games to try to break

any sort of gate, and always looking for the next adventure.

down those barriers.

She’d love to have her own indie team to make thought-pro-

Lee has since introduced her to Drexel’s Entrepreneurial

voking games but, she sarcastically jokes, as that isn’t terrifi-

Game Studio (EGS), an incubator program that helps

cally likely, she’ll supplement game creation with her skills in

students develop and launch games. EGS is now helping

design, illustration, and programming. And her creativity.

her build up to the Kickstarter for her card game.

Because she makes her own decisions about her curriculum, Lily says, she is excited about the courses she takes. She’s more engaged in the course material

GO PLAY!

and examines it more critically. As the only artist in a

“Gates of Adventure” is available as a

programming class or the only gamer among sociology

free, print-and-play demo at

minors, she is constantly exposed to a variety of

trillygames.com/playtest

29

ART’S DESIRE Pennoni Honors College advisory board member puts the A in STEAM education

BY ERICA LEVI ZELINGER

B

efore she was a Drexel trustee, and before

professor Joseph Gregory on several art initiatives.

from Drexel, and before she had a successful

She co-directed the INK NOT INK contemporary

advertising and communications career in

Chinese art exhibition at Drexel in conjunction with

Manhattan, Abbie Dean spent a summer

the Shenzhen Art Museum. She spearheaded Drexel’s

working in an art gallery in Los Angeles.

Back in 1970s Philadelphia, the term “co-op” was very

HALF THE SKY: Women in the New Art of China, an exhibition co-curated with the National Art Museum of

much ingrained in the Drexel vernacular, but back then the

China. She was instrumental in bringing the Pennoni

art history and theater major at Tufts just wanted to get

Honors College initiative Howard Pyle, His Students &

some real-world experience and venture out on her own.

the Golden Age of American Illustration to campus from

In lieu of a paycheck, the gallery owner let her select a print to keep.

That etching of a landscape by a French artist and student

the National Museum of American Illustration. One of her proudest achievements, Dean says, was co-curating the exhibition NI UNA MAS, which included an original

of Paul Cezanne’s is hung proudly in her 1850s Bucks County

artwork by Yoko Ono and a 1,000-person performance

farmhouse. It is starkly different from Dean’s extensive

art and demonstration to protest continuing murders of

collection of eclectic contemporary art in her TriBeCa

women in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

apartment and elsewhere in her farmhouse — a reminder that it merely has to have meaning to be art.

And creative expression is something the former copywriter

30

Dean has tirelessly worked with Drexel art history

she got her master’s in interior architecture

“Those are things that become the memorable times,” the vice-chair of Pennoni Honors College’s advisory board says of helping students get involved with matters beyond

at McCann Erickson and her mother have long advocated

the Drexel campus and their own world. “When you look

for here at Drexel — finding meaning in art and culture on a

up and look around and engage in something outside of

campus historically known for engineering and business.

yourself … It’s energizing and inspiring.”

and advising of Honors College staff carry it to the next level. Pennoni, Dean believes, is the next place for Drexel to

Shortly after she became a Drexel Trustee herself, Dean elected to see the university in a new light: as a student.

excel. She hopes to help raise the profile of the College both internally and externally.

“Drexel is not only a job- and skill-builder, but it is a

This endeavor offered her a fresh perspective. And later

real place for academic achievement and successes in the

attracted her to the mission of Pennoni Honors College.

outside world,” says Dean, also the vice chair of the board

Pennoni, Dean says, provides a 3-part benefit: an

of the Academy of Natural Sciences. “Drexel is a magnet for

incentive for attracting the brightest students to Drexel,

true, quality students [but more people] need to know that

exposure for current students to subjects outside their

Pennoni Honors College is here.”

major, and a résumé-builder for the future.

“What interested me most about Pennoni is the breadth and

The range of programming, advising, and small seminarstyle classes enticed Dean to vice-chair the College’s

depth it affords its students,” Dean says, “but a well-regarded

advisory board, but it is the students who’ve sold her on the

Honors College is also a powerful calling card for attracting

success of the College.

the best students and getting their graduates the best place-

“That is what makes leaders—the ability to think

ments. It is my conviction that graduating with honors is a

through analytically and articulate their views,” she says.

true benefit to students in the workplace or academia.”

“Pennoni students are so expressive, they’re energetic and

The passion and advocacy of Dean Paula Marantz Cohen sparked Dean’s interest in the College; the programming

they provide thoughtful, provocative analysis of readings, projects and experiences.”

Photos, clockwise from left: A newspaper featuring Ni Una Mas, co curated by Abbie Dean; the ARTMARCH associated with the Ni Una Mas exhibition (Dean is fourth from left); Dean’s contemporary art collection in her TriBeCa apartment; 6-story artwork that served as the backdrop for the Ink Not Ink exhibit at Drexel, co-directed by Dean; Dean (left, in gray) with a group of Honors Luminary students on her roof deck; the entrance to the Ink Not Ink exhibition in the Bossone lobby.

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Alumni News

Lucy Briggs, music industry ‘13 and MBA ‘14, is a marketing manager at AVL Digital Group, the leader in self-publishing for content creators. She has recently co-written The Marketing Plan Blueprint, a step-by-step workbook on how to create a marketing plan that will support turning a great idea into a winning business. Check out her business related blogs at brandmarketingtips.com. As time passes, she appreciates ever so much what she gained from being a member of the Pennoni Honors College. She looks forward to connecting via Linkedin and wishes everyone all the best in 2018.

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From left: Maggie DePetola in her LinkedIn ad; Brian Patrick Reilly and his wife, Miriam; Megan Sparaco and Brandon Hinman; Sheba Vine; Soha St. Juste

Maggie Deptola, international area studies ’13, was recently featured in LinkedIn’s national #InItTogether campaign for her work as COO of Coded by Kids. The commercial is playing in Philly & Atlanta markets, and ads are up on public transportation in those cities. Tina DiSciullo, international area studies ’11, got engaged to Kyle Acker, architecture ’13. The two met their freshmen year living in the then-Honors dorm Race Hall. Tina is the special events assistant at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Kyle is a project architect at BBLM Architects in Center City. The couple is planning a Spring 2019 wedding.

Shefali Karani (nee Ramsinghani), entrepreneurship ’10 MBA ’13, recently became a Board Director in her family’s businesses for Rama Industries Limited (Gelatin) & Rainbow Agri Industries Limited. She is also an Executive Business Director for her family’s businesses in Mumbai, India. These include the Bombay Stock Exchange-listed Rama Phosphates Limited, Rainbow Denim Limited, and Rama Petrochemicals Limited. She is currently enrolled part-time at the Columbia Business School for the CIBE program, where she was a part of the Women in Leadership program.

Jesse B. Mark, business administration ’12, relocated to Atlanta and is an account manager at Equinoxe Alternative Advisors.

Dr. Lauren D. Pitts, Educational Leadership & Management (EdD) ’13; Couple, Marriage, & Family Therapy ’17, launched a new business: say YES!

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Motivation at Work (sayYES-Motivation-at-Work.com), and hosted a women’s conference in April.

Brian Patrick Reilly, chemical engineering ’13, was promoted from Process Technology Engineer to Production Leader with Arkema Inc. He was married in July 2017 to Miriam Elise McGill of Evansville, IN. He was accepted to University of Texas at Austin’s MBA program starting in fall 2018. Megan Sparaco, BS/MS chemical engineering ’12 is engaged to Brandon Hinman, BS Civil/Architectural Engineering ’12. The two met their sophomore year at Drexel and have been dating since. Sparaco and Hinman are planning a June 2019 wedding. Soha St.Juste (nee Shah), BSArchitecture ’09, was promoted to Architecture Design Principal at Jacobs Philadelphia Office in 2016. She chaired eight local sub-committees and coordinated with AIA National’s

Spread the News!

Please send your alumni announcements to pennoni@drexel.edu and let us know what you’ve been up to. Include your name, major, graduation year, and share with us your career stories, promotions, marriages, births, etc.

2016 Convention Committee and Visitor’s Bureau of Philadelphia to host the largest Architectural Convention in the country. She sits on the American Institute of Architects Board of Directors. She was also the 2015 recipient of American Institute of Architects Pennsylvania Chapter Emerging Professional Award and the 2016 American Institute of Architects Philadelphia Chapter Volunteer of the Year Award. In 2012, she married her high school sweetheart and gave birth to a baby girl in January 2017. Sheba Vine (nee Thomas), biomedical engineering ’04, has been named the Vice President and General Counsel for First Healthcare Compliance, a privately-owned business enterprise which helps physicians and other healthcare providers comply with federal rules and regulations. Prior to joining FHC, Vine was an attorney in private practice, concentrating in litigation and employment law. She is licensed to practice law in Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Vine holds a Juris Doctorate from Widener University School of Law and is a Certified Professional Compliance Officer. Lauren (Wedge) M. Wegman, Film/TV Production ’12, lent her production assistance to the 2016 film Vessel, now on a festival tour around the world.

She just finished working as an AE on Discovery Velocity’s Unique Rides and is now in Botswana with the Natural History Film Unit, working on shows/ films such as Savage Kingdom, The Return of the Giant Killers, and Africa’s Fishing Leopards.

Alumna Spotlight Mary Kate Williams (nee Dahlberg), economics ’10, published her third book, Enemies of Peace, in November 2017. Enemies of Peace is a cautionary tale that touches on a range of topics from home-grown terrorism and the fear of the “other,” as well as the pitfalls of aiming for the American Dream.

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SUPPORT THE PENNONI HONORS COLLEGE You can make a difference! When you make a gift to the Pennoni Honors College, you support the tradition of an interdisciplinary education. Every gift counts. To learn more about how you can support the Pennoni Honors College, contact: Susan Baren-Pearson 215.571.4907 sb3488@drexel.edu