Excelsis | Summer 2021

XCELSIS E

SUMMER 2021

A B AT T E N H O N O R S CO L L E G E P U B L I C AT I O N | V I R G I N I A W E S L E YA N U N I V E R S I T Y

AMERICA

An International Symphony Raising Awareness of Mental Health

EVMS Internship Senior Scholars Tackle Social Issues

PICTURED: Kayleen Meinen of Virginia Beach graduated May 8 as part of the ceremony for the Brock School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. She is a member of the first graduating class of the Batten Honors College

A BATTEN HONORS COLLEGE PUBLICATION | VIRGINIA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY

AMERICA An International Symphony

By Alex Cain and Brice Johnson

F

or our Leadership & Literature class, we were tasked with creating a vision for something around which all Americans could unite. Given the diverse views within our group and the current political turmoil we face as a nation altogether, we decided that looking for a specific cultural, ethical, or philosophical viewpoint that unites Americans would likely prove fruitless. So, instead, we came up with something with which far fewer people would disagree: that respect for each other’s differences is paramount to the civil discussion which furthers everyone’s interests.

After we came up with a theme, we decided it would be best to find a metaphor of some sort around which to base our work; and, after much deliberation, we decided to

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compare all the voices which make up our political atmosphere to a symphony. We decided upon this analogy because, as we sometimes witnessed within our own group, one person adding too much or too little can hamper the discussion, just as overzealous musical sections can negatively affect the quality of the music as a whole. Ultimately, our slogan would come to be based around this metaphor.

Our poem, as with most of our project, turned out to be more of a group effort than expected. At the beginning of the project, we all went in with the assumption that everyone would stick to their assigned task and we would reconvene at the end of our work. However, this was not the case.

Instead, we often ended up bouncing ideas and thoughts off of each other to really hone in on what it was we were trying to convey.

This is not to say that there were no challenges in working together.

There were many times in which the ideas of one group member or another simply could not be incorporated into the work in a meaningful way.

This led to compromises and concessions, but it didn’t seem like anyone was upset by this, since the theme of our project was essentially extolling the virtues of such things. Altogether, the work we created was representative of everyone in the group, as even the parts that might seem like the work of one person, such as the poem and the art, were enhanced by each group member’s input.

Even to the wise, the ear is a tool

that when shunned or used irresponsibly can render the best of men into fools.

But so irresponsibly have we,

the people, we who call ourselves free,

LEND YOUR EAR

By Alex Cain, Makenna Good, and Brice Johnson

used the ear not to listen but to rule o’er those whose thoughts we might not want to hear.

We the thoughtful, the mindful, kind, and bold

can make something from all of the ills of old.

For all of our thoughts, heavy and worthy as gold, spring from our hearts just like birds to be heard.

And all voices, no matter how absurd, help every one to better know the herd.

Because sometimes a seat at the table isn’t enough for us to be able

to listen in a system unstable.

So if, hand in hand, we want to proceed, we all must perform a difficult deed: not only to hear but truly to heed.

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A BATTEN HONORS COLLEGE PUBLICATION | VIRGINIA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY

Students Highlight Mental Health Through Art

By Celine Maharaj and Brooke Morris

T

he idea of the Unity Flag Project is to evoke a sense of shared understanding between people of different backgrounds and

By Connor Merk ideologies. When outlining our unity flag, we wanted to address a universal concern that impacts all people, regardless of ethnicity, nationality, gender, race, religion, age or sexual orientation, and that concern is mental health. The purpose of our flag in particular, is to raise awareness of mental health disorders and how to identify it as well as potential treatments. Some key indicators and causes of mental health challenges include alcoholism, financial distress, incarceration, and genetics, among many others. These causes can be mitigated by a number of remedies, including therapy, education, religion, legislation, and familial support.

According to the National Alliance

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on Mental Health, one in five adults struggle with some degree of mental health issues and not all of them will be able to access the services they need. The structure of the mental health care system can be revised so that it is more accessible to lower income populations, as they are often the ones most affected, making this an issue of social justice. As individuals, we also have a profound impact on the health and well-being of those around us, so it helps to lend a listening ear and an open heart to those who need it. Taking the time to wholeheartedly ask someone how they are feeling and to show that you care can make a difference, more than one may be aware of.

In brainstorming ideas for the creation of the flag, our group was really focused on trying to make sure it was not painful to look at. We did not want it to be too busy but we wanted to keep the brightly colored images on the black background to represent the facade that people who struggle with mental health put up to hide their own darkness. There was no difficulty in finding images to represent mental health stressors.

However, we felt it was important that our Unity Flag showed possible remedies for the given stressors. We

alternated the stressors with remedies to mimic the stripes of the American flag because we wanted each stressor to be immediately met with a possible remedy, not to stack the stressors and remedies against one another.

The stars of the American flag were replaced by haphazardly placed tick marks, 40 being white and 10 being red. This image depicts the statistic that 1 in 5 people struggle with suicidal thought – we scaled up the ratio because we felt that seeing a larger group held more meaning.

The most important part of the flag, the feature we decided on first and foremost was placing the suicide hotline number (800-273-8255) at the bottom of the flag. The placement of the phone number was intentional, we wanted it to be the very last thing viewers took from this flag, a hand reaching to help.

A BATTEN HONORS COLLEGE PUBLICATION | VIRGINIA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY

No Two Shifts Look The Same as an EMT Volunteer

By Meghan Pease

H

ome to the largest volunteerbased EMS program in the country, Virginia Beach is always looking for new recruits! During my freshman year, I began the journey of getting my EMT certification and six months later, I was responding to calls and driving the ambulance with lights and sirens. Since then, I have gained so much experience, and I’m so thankful that I pursued the opportunity to become a first responder.

Calls can range anywhere from falls to motor vehicle accidents to chronic pain to cardiac arrest.

Fortunately, firefighters and paramedics are also dispatched to many of the calls too, so if ever

uncomfortable, there is always someone else there to help. Safety of the responders is also a huge priority of the city. So, police officers are always dispatched to make sure the scene is safe before firefighters and EMS personnel enter.

Shifts are typically 12 hours and usually run from 6 am - 6 pm or 6 pm - 6 am. I work four shifts a month, and I get to put in my own availability each month. When not on a call, I usually get to do homework at the station or sleep. All stations have bunk rooms where personnel are allowed to sleep at night. No two shifts look the same; I can confidently say that it is never boring working in emergency medicine!

Over the past eighteen months, I have been able to learn more about the human body and the hospitals in the area, as well as practice new skills, such as leadership, teamwork, and communication. I have met so many people, and I feel like I have a greater appreciation for people as a whole.

Volunteering as an EMT has also made me more confident in pursuing a career in the medical field and has made me eligible for a number of job positions.

It has not always been an easy process, but I take so much pride in the fact that I get to serve others in their emergencies and respond to 9-1-1 calls.

EXCELSIS / 5

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Emily Imhof ’23

Dr. Gibson!! Not only is he a super cool and athletic guy but every time I talk to him he has some crazy cool skills you’d never assume. I bet he could easily start a fire and help build a camp easy-peasy.

We would definitely win every team challenge and double immunity challenge.

He is also super intelligent so we’d have some great blind sides planned and would be able to control the game.

The only downside to taking him is there would only be one winner and I know he would beat me. But fair is fair and I stand by my statement.

Grant Morgan ’22

Brycen Columbus ’22

Brandon Kwon ’23

Caroline Tryfiates ’22

Dr. Caughell because she would outsmart everyone.

I would take Dr. Henry because she knows so much just about the world and nature. Additionally, she is very cunning and funny so I feel I wouldn’t be bored on the island.

Brooke Underwood ’24

Dr. Gibson because he could build anything from what he finds and he is a mad genius. That man could find a half a roly-poly and some firewood and contact the President of the United States.

Ben Olson ’24

Dr. Hultgren for entertainment.

Dr. Johnson because he knows all about the plants.

Dr. Howard knows everything.

Jenni Vega ’21

Dr. Shedd as a strategist.

She’s always got a plan.

Breana Mahoney ’24

Dr. Teeter. She’s really nice and it’s good to have someone like that as a partner in a stressful competition.

Andrew Taylor ’21

Dr. Henry - we would just make jokes the whole time!

Which Professor Would You Take With You and Why?

A BATTEN HONORS COLLEGE PUBLICATION | VIRGINIA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY

An internship experience at EVMS: SPUR Program

By Matthew Bavuso

E

astern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) is one of the postgraduate institutions based in the Hampton roads area. It was founded in 1973 through grassroot movements, so it is a young medical institution compared to the others that currently exist within the surrounding area. Its youth results in a small department and staff

roster, similar to our own university.

This means that the faculty can cultivate and maintain a much more personal mentor relationship with their students. This exact relationship was demonstrated throughout the internship experience, especially with interactions between their student leaders and the program directors.

The internship experience during

Summer 2020 was 6 weeks long, broken into modules, and due to the pandemic was virtual. The first two weeks were dedicated to learning about COVID-19, our enemy and target of interest, as well as the process of how drugs or vaccines are created and approved by the FDA. At the end of the first week, my fellow interns and I were split into two teams of four. After completing the first module, we were then sent off on our own to participate in various lectures and brainstorm a way to use a currently existing and FDA approved drug to prevent the infection or mitigate the symptoms of SARS-CoV-2.

Our group settled on using an older chemotherapy drug due to the kinds of antiviral interactions it exhibited in past research.

We spent time considering the different application methods such as injection from a syringe, ingestion of a pill, or an aerosol like a nasal spray. We decided on nasal spray, and then started working on designing trials and testing phases within a reasonable time frame. This process took place in the two weeks following the modules on SARS-CoV-2 and drug creation. In the last two weeks we worked on forming a presentation, including figures to communicate our idea and research to the other team and the faculty. After completing the final task and presenting our proposal, we were awarded with different certificates recognizing the completion of the internship experience. Overall, I personally enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone interested in pursuing a career in medicine.

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A BATTEN HONORS COLLEGE PUBLICATION | VIRGINIA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY

Senior Scholars Tackle Social Issues in Capstone Course

Gender Equality in Higher Education

WILL FARKAS selected to study the topic of gender equality and representation in higher education in response to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

“I narrowed my topic down from the very broad idea of gender equality worldwide to equality in education, then decided to focus on the United States after finding it on a list of the worst places to be a woman in the world,” Farkas said.

Additionally, Farkas learned that men are currently being held responsible for the shortage of female college educated professionals. She also gained knowledge on the importance of encouraging girls to succeed, which can be translated into success in academic settings.

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Through her research, she did not find any evidence of bias for or against males or females in relation to acceptance rates or disciplinary action. “I did find that females are more represented in U.S. colleges and universities because more males are turning to blue collar jobs as of late, and overall professors tend to acknowledge white males more than women and minorities, but not by much,” Farksas said. “I did find an article debunking another article that claimed colleges were biased toward females, and I found that extremely interesting so I included it in my presentation.”

Her final product was a Dungeons and Dragons mini campaign that allowed players to choose from different social and academic options to either boost or decrease the ability scores of the character they selected.

As a result of their choices, they either receive a positive or negative consequence, which affects their health points with the goal of creating a successful student and ‘graduate’ with as many health points as possible. Player options included how many majors or minors they chose, living arrangements, extracurriculars, and social events. Consequences ranged from inaction to graduation or expulsion.

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MENTAL HEALTH & STORYTELLING JASON BRUGMAN decided to address mental health with another interest, storytelling. “Through my life experiences, including several formal courses, I’ve learned how important stories are within cultures and within individual lives,” Brugman said. “I understood how impactful stories can be, whether they are our own or someone else’s, for things like self-worth, purpose, and relating to challenges.” In this project, he has explored the utilization of stories within the counseling and mental health fields to better the mental wellness of individuals.

He selected this topic because it is very important in his life and those closest to him, as well as its growing concern across the globe.

“Alarmingly, increasing suicide rates across the world and in all kinds of

populations, especially in youths and young adults, is something that strikes very close to my heart.

Understanding how stories have been used throughout history to help people find meaning, purpose, and worth, I wanted to share what I’ve experienced as a way to help people find better wellness for themselves and those close to them,” Brugman said.

Throughout the duration of the assignment, he learned to build upon his existing awareness of the topic by examining the field of formal psychology and actual counseling practices. His previous knowledge came from personal experiences and courses within Religious Studies and Art. Much of his project was focused on the idea of bibliotherapy, which is the process

of an individual relating to story characters to help process emotions and challenges in instances of both a counseling setting and for general self-help.

Brugman was also inspired by HON 270 The Artist and Society as well as his study abroad experience.

“Part of my interest and background certainly came from the BHC required course, The Artist and Society, where we learned a lot about people’s stories and how they found meaning and significance in them, and ultimately shared them as a part of a social movement,” Brugman said.

“During my semester in Ireland, as a part of the experiential learning requirements, I took a course on Irish Folklore, that had a heavy element of the art of storytelling, and its significance to the Irish population.”

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A BATTEN HONORS COLLEGE PUBLICATION | VIRGINIA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY

The Interconnection Between Environmental Sustainability and Agriculture KAYLEEN MEINEN researched permaculture as a sustainable agriculture technique and how it could be incorporated into urban settings. “Permaculture design draws on the systems found naturally in ecosystems and mimics them by balancing biodiversity preservation and food production,” Meinen said.

“This agricultural system is rooted in indigenous science and was based on natural interactions observed by Native peoples.”

She selected to study this topic in order to explore the interconnection between environmental sustainability and agriculture.

Additionally, as an Earth and Environmental Sciences major, Meinen is also passionate about sustainability and exploring ways that humans can live more harmoniously with the Earth. “I’ve recently become interested in agriculture through interning with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and studying abroad in Costa Rica, so I wanted to learn about growing techniques that are more environmentally, socially, and economically beneficial than conventional industrial methods which have a heavy reliance on fossil fuels and cheap labor,” Meinen said.

Further, researching this topic allowed her to learn how the modern revival of permaculture largely ignores its roots by ignoring its deep cultural and relational changes

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associated with Native permaculture.

She also noticed a stark contrast between uncontextualized permaculture and Native permaculture. “In uncontextualized permaculture, nature is still viewed as being a seperate, unattainable ideal. Reductionist tendencies are used to attempt to break down natural systems into attainable pieces instead of fully respecting the complex interactions at play,” Meinen said. “Native permaculture respects these interactions and works in a partnership with nature.”

The senior seminar project also allowed her to connect her interests of sustainable development with her study abroad experience in Costa Rica with the School for Field Studies where she learned about permaculture from local Costa Rican farmers who practiced these techniques to sustain their families and make a living through ecotourism.

The final product was a powerpoint presentation with hypothetical plans for a permaculture park in a city setting.

“The park would grow food for the community with sustainable techniques, while providing educational and recreational opportunities to community members through youth and after school programs, local public art exhibits, and seating areas,” Meinen stated.

N A HUMCKING I F F A R T

DESTINY KINKA researched the push and pull factors that lead vulnerable people into the global industry of human trafficking. Her goal was to show how a greater awareness of these factors can help bring an end to this crisis. “I selected this topic because I have learned a lot about human trafficking through books and podcasts; however, I feel as though it is an issue that is not widely addressed,” Kinka said. “I feel strongly that everyone should be aware that modern day slavery exists in nearly every country, including the United States.”

Through her research, she learned that spreading awareness of the prevalence of labor and sex trafficking is one of the most impactful ways to put an end to the crisis. She found that if people are aware of how they or people they know could be vulnerable to trafficking, then far fewer people would be lured into human trafficking globally.

This research project coincided with HON 205 Topics in Leadership & Literature because Kinka believes that leaders are not always the ones with a microphone or the ones in the spotlight. “Leaders are individuals who are willing to serve and to invest in change, even if the results are not immediately apparent,” Kinka said. “I’ve learned that anyone can be a leader in ending human trafficking by simply educating themselves on the issue and seeking to make others aware as well.”

Her final product is a painting that depicts the deception that is associated with human trafficking.

Her canvas is a door that is situated in a door frame, and when it is opened, there is plywood filling the frame. “My goal is to communicate how many people are vulnerable to human trafficking because of the needs and desires that they have such as a better education, financial freedom, or a loving relationship.

Traffickers will promise their victims these things and then fail to follow through on these promises,” Kinka said. “The front of my door will highlight the push and pull factors or the needs and desires of trafficking victims and then when the door is opened, there will be a piece of wood with a ‘No Outlet’ sign to communicate that once victims are lured in, they are often stuck and they receive the opposite of what they were promised.”

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ARD ALEX LEON

KITANA FINLEY

QA Chemist at Yupo Corporation

BR IANNA SANDY

us Mundus 24 month Erasm gree (EMJMD) Joint Master De nsortium of awarded by a co ities European Univers

ZACH LUBICK

niversity’s Clemson U ecture ing Archit Landscap

THE NEXT STEPS

While it is sad to see them go, we celebrate with our seniors and the next steps they are taking!

JENNA WHITENER

’s Masters Wake Forest University with a of Education Program ship Master Teacher Fellow

NC State to pursue a Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering

ASHA RICHARDS

l for Columbia University’s Schoo rs fai International and Public Af in A (SIPA) to pursue a MP Developmental Practice

DALTON POW ERS

Customer P rojects Desi gner with Dominio n Energy