Last week, three Talent Development students shared their Honors Program Capstone Projects at URI’s Annual Honors Conference. Janelle Amoako, Bintou Marong, and Kevin Pajaro were compelling presenters in the gallery style presentation of their projects.

 

Janelle Amoako of Nursing conducted research pertaining to “Embracing the asset of cultural identity of URI nursing students.” Her project emphasized why “it is paramount that our nursing students of color understand how their cultural competency can advance the nursing profession” (Honors Projects 13). Janelle hopes to continue working with the University on steps toward advancing a diverse student organization promoting “cultural awareness for [our] students in the College of Nursing” (13).

Bintou Marong of Nursing examined the “Weight of gender,” specifically in weight lifting and body building competitions. Bintou’s project explored gender ideologies especially how in “more traditional gender ideologies, men are generally taught to act and look as “manly” while females are to look and remain as “womanly” as possible” (Honors Projects 49). Bintou examines “the policing of women’s bodies” in those environments, and how women “are often ridiculed and punished for failing to conform to traditional ideas of femininity as defined by society”

Kevin Pajaro of Communication Studies, shared his project in “Understanding the construction of difference: Cultural competency as a tool of consciousness and social justice.” He references to URI’s cornerstones or values and affirms that “these values have embedded in them a consciousness that should allow students to feel confident in engaging with others that are different from them” (Honors Projects 57). Kevin hopes to instill this into the URI community through a Cultural Competency minor that “takes an interdisciplinary approach to defining culture”

Congratulations to each of you on this tremendous accomplishment. You are excellent representatives of TD Nation!