MA, University of Cincinnati, 2022, Arts and Sciences: Psychology

Immigrants, migrants, and refugees are severely underrepresented at all levels of political decision-making in the United States. Furthermore, these groups face significant barriers to civic and political engagement, despite their strong commitment to community engagement. There is an urgent need to address immigrant integration and underrepresentation through transformative means that go beyond voting, to create a more equitable and socially just society. This study provides insight from a local community program designed to aid immigrant integration and increase migrants' access to civic engagement through a community based participatory action research design process that centered the voices, experiences, and wisdom of refugees and immigrants, and transformative values. CARE Cincinnati's Refugee and Immigrant Civic Leadership Program was a five-course program designed by and for refugees of the Cincinnati community in collaboration with a local government representative and University of Cincinnati researchers. This study analyzes 30 semi-structured interviews conducted with all program participants through a desire-based framework.

Bachelor of Music, Capital University, 2022, Music

Theatre is an art form with the capacity to enact real change in our communities. Because of the wide array of topics theatre explores, it can help us to hold up a mirror to real life, critique and comment on proceedings within it, hold space for human emotion and therefore catharsis, and get viewers invested in a good story. This begs a responsibility for theatrical professionals to tie in aspects of community outreach to create a more enriching show, and harness the true power of this art form. In this project, I will be producing and directing Indecent, as well as creating opportunities for community outreach through talkbacks, service projects, and campus engagement opportunities. I will be creating a directorial concept, choosing actors, designing a rehearsal plan, finding costumes, set design elements, lighting, sound, and anything else needed to produce the show, all while organizing the opportunities for community engagement, complementary to the show's themes of LGBTQ+ rights and the history of Yiddish theatre. I have received permission also to conduct interviews and surveys of audience members directly after the show as well as check-ins to measure how the themes resonated with them, and later, how they have noticed them appear in their lives since, or any changes they have made. In the final paper in the execution semester, I will then explore these effects through the findings of this production and outreach components to demonstrate that theatre has the ability, and therefore responsibility to benefit others.

Master of Gerontological Studies, Miami University, 2013, Gerontology

As Baby Boomers grow older in the innovative and youth-focused megachurches they largely helped build, questions arise regarding their futures and roles within megachurches. Using the sensitizing framework of age integration, this exploratory study sought to uncover the status of age integration in one megachurch and the implications thereof on the future of Boomers and the church. It is a first step toward addressing the lack of empirical research detailing the state of age integration or the success of age integration initiatives in various organizations. Qualitative, semi-structured interviews with nine participants were augmented by limited participant observation and analysis of documents, media, and quantitative secondary survey data. Analysis utilized a grounded theory approach to transforming data that yielded two approaches to community building: categorically and values based communities/environments. Values based approaches were shown to offer greater opportunity for age integration than categorical approaches, which tend to lead to age segregation.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2010, Psychology/Clinical

The present study is a qualitative inquiry focused on understanding community-based theater involving people living with psychiatric disabilities through the narratives of the troupe members and directors. The study uses a grounded theory case study design to investigate The Stars of Light theater troupe in Rockford, Illinois. The research specifically explores the developmental processes of the troupe and its members, social activism, and critical characteristics of the theatrical form. The project addresses individual, setting/group, and community levels of analysis using semi-structured interviews, a focus group, and archival/performance data. Emergent themes were analyzed through a hierarchical coding process that ultimately generated 18 theoretical constructs across the three primary domains of interest (developmental processes, social activism, and characteristics of theater). Findings indicate that individual, setting, and organizational characteristics interact with one another in a variety of ways, including 1) troupe flexibility enhances sustainability and personal growth, 2)personal gains from involvement are carried forward into other life settings outside the troupe,and 3) troupe activities impact the wider community in several ways beyond direct audience contact. Results also revealed emergent constructs related to the identity development of consumer participants, setting dynamics and trajectories, and theater as a means of aiding in the recovery process. These constructs are discussed in relation to previous research and theory related to recovery, identity and serious mental illness (SMI), consumer-driven programs, and arts initiatives. Specific recommendations are presented for mental health settings, theater settings, and activist organizations; study limitations and suggestions for future inquiry are also discussed.

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Organizational Leadership , Franklin University, 2024, International Institute for Innovative Instruction

Research shows that the at-risk population entering college dropout or land on probation within their first year in college. Through a longitudinal comparative research design, this study examines at-risk students' academic standing, retention, graduation, and tutoring usage within a cohort program compared to a non-cohort initiative at a community college. The analysis focuses on the at-risk population, exploring community college attendance, online education, student involvement, and social and academic integration. The study yielded several insights relevant to the impact of cohort design on a comprehensive approach that includes educational and non-academic support contributing to the development of evidence-based practices to improve outcomes for at-risk students. The findings can assist in enhancing the academic success, retention, and graduation rates of at-risk students. The study results can also help policymakers and higher education institutions make informed decisions about the effectiveness and potential benefits of cohort and non-cohort programs for at-risk students.

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2024, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Counseling, Mental Health

Within counseling and other mental health disciplines, the queer community as a whole has been widely under recognized and othered within our western spaces. Within many of the structures that western culture has curated to benefit that of the general population, there has been and still continues to be active internal erasure as well as purposeful othering within many religious and spiritual spaces. The current study is based on the work of Wood & Conley 2014 who made note of the disparities between those who uphold a queer identity and either hide their queerness and/or renounce themselves from a religious/spiritual affiliation. Using the Interpretative Phenomenological Approach, and previous research, I have been able to dive into the lives of queer perspectives and understand whether it is possible to integrate, instead of harm, queer identities among being religious and/or spiritual. Findings indicated that there is a process of deconversion that includes education alongside increasing self-esteem and mental health, as well as feelings of internalized queerphobia and difficulties navigating both R/S and queer spaces. Counseling implications and areas for future research are discussed.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2023, Music

Following the large-scale migration of Syrian refugees to Europe in 2015, German music organizations and professional Syrian refugee musicians established intercultural music activities throughout the country. Ethnographic inquiry reveals that these activities develop under the pressure of a variety of social and political forces. Systemic racial inequities in Western Europe have shaped supranational and national intercultural policies, as well as the German public, to visually and sonically perceive Syrian refugees as non-European Others. Professional musicians Aeham Ahmad and the Syrian Expat Philharmonic Orchestra perform musics that defy generic classifications that categorize people by race or place of origin. Yet German media consistently ties these musicians' performances to their refugee status and relation to the “Orient.” Within this network of intercultural activities, three amateur ensembles in Hamburg differ in choosing to be open to all refugees regardless of background, or exclude refugees based on Western perceptions of musical skill. This dissertation finds that integration through intercultural music-making in northern Germany is a process that Germans sometimes use to distinguish themselves from racialized refugees. Even so, Syrian professional musicians and amateur ensembles resist essentialized identities and model more equitable and compassionate ways to welcome refugees through intercultural music performance.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2021, Psychology/Clinical

Life expectancy rates for adults living with serious mental illness (SMI) continue to rise, but relatively little is known about how best to help older adults with SMI live meaningful lives in the community. Using a participatory action research framework, the present study examined social and community experiences of older adults living with SMI in a mid-sized urban city. A total of nine older adults (M = 60.22 years; SD = 3.15) diagnosed with depression, schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder engaged in a six-week photovoice study. Each week, participants photographed different aspects of their community and shared them with other participants at weekly group meetings. A final session consisted of a public display where photos and descriptions were shared with the community. After project completion, participants engaged in individual project evaluation interviews. Data for the research consisted of participants' photographs, captions, and verbatim transcripts of discussions from group meetings. A total of 11 themes were identified using content analysis to describe participants' photos and group discussions of their experiences. These overarching themes included: Physical Space, Interpersonal Relationships, and Accessing Resources, and these themes were further categorized into descriptive subthemes. Overall, participants spoke about salient experiences with community integration, significant relationships with other people, and impact of needed resources in their lives. In particular, photovoice participants described challenges of navigating public transportation, importance of the psychosocial clubhouse where they all hold membership, and appreciation for positive evolution of social relationships with friends and family. Participant accounts were further characterized by the degree to which their experiences remained consistent or changed over time. These older adults also provided recommendations for future changes in their local community. Project evaluation re (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2019, Higher Education (Education)

With an increased focus on accountability in higher education, particularly concerning institutional effectiveness, it has become vital for universities to determine what experiences students consider influential to their success. Although academics tend to be most emphasized in discussions surrounding institutional effectiveness, co-curricular programs also have the potential to play a crucial role in student achievement. Due to the impact these programs may have on student success, this qualitative case study sought to explore the influence the Ohio Fellows program had on collegiate and post-collegiate success at Ohio University. Through analysis of archival information about the Ohio Fellows in conjunction with interviews conducted with original and current participants, the purpose of the program, its connections to success, and changes since its inception were recognized. The students who participated in the Ohio Fellows were reliant on an influential community, which evolved over time, as it focused on developing them into actively socially-conscious future leaders, while illustrating which attributes lent themselves to collegiate and post-collegiate success.

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2018, Psychology/Clinical

Psychiatric hospitalization can be viewed as a difficult life event that can cause disruptions in several life domains (Cohen, 1994). Individuals who experience a psychiatric hospitalization are at a greater risk for experiencing readmission to the hospital and social stigma that can interrupt their ability to function in daily life, and even suffer work-related setbacks (Loch, 2014). Much of the research characterizes resiliency as a set of traits possessed by an individual. Studies using such measures found that adults with serious mental illness [SMI] have lower resiliency scores than the general population. However, relatively little is known about specific aspects of resiliency that adults might rely upon in their adjustment to community life after psychiatric hospitalization. The present qualitative study examined first-person accounts of eleven adults coping with a serious mental illness who have experienced a psychiatric hospitalization in a 24-month period. The research examines components of resiliency that assist adults in community adjustment following a psychiatric hospitalization. Results identify themes among participant perceptions of system- and individual-driven helpful and unhelpful aspects of the hospitalization. Results also provide more details to the nuances in individual resiliency components (i.e., goal-setting, commitment, patience, humor, past accomplishments) and social components that help adults with serious mental illness bounce back from psychiatric hospitalizations. About half (n=6) of the sample identified bouncing back to the same level of life satisfaction whereas the remainder identified bounding back to a higher level of life satisfaction. These results contribute to a better understanding of resiliency components associated with better post-discharge community integration which will help mental healthcare workers better serve individuals reentering their community.

MARCH, University of Cincinnati, 2017, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Architecture

This thesis examines architecture's role in the unsuccessful prison institutions in the United States through its use of oppressive architectural elements. Architecture is proven to play a role in making peoples' lives better or worse, and the following examination pulls apart elements for a better design practice. By examining architecturally oppressive elements, spatial layouts and site specific information, new, more effective facilities can be built. Works of Michel Foucault, Michelle Alexander, Leslie Fairweather are instrumental in providing insight along with the works of practicing architects—Kyle May and Roger Paez or views from prisoners and witnesses of oppression itself from Reverend Kaia Stern. An examination of oppressive architectural elements in prisons, past and present, enlightens at what needs to change and why, creating a new facility in the neighborhood of Northside, in Cincinnati, Ohio which utilizes alternative solutions to the typical oppressive elements of American prisons.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1972, Graduate School

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2009, Education : Educational Studies

The purpose of this study was to examine how social interactions influenced the effects of Learning Communities (LCs) on college students' academic success. Previous research has shown that LC students are more socially integrated and perform better academically than non-LC students (Stassen, 2003). An ANCOVA and logistic regression on 946 first-year students found no group differences in GPA and that LC enrollment was not predictive of retention. The analyses controlled for demographic and entering academic characteristics. Results of analyzing interview transcripts revealed that students from both groups report the influence of social interactions on academic success in remarkably similar ways. Most interestingly, non-LC students often create social and study groups similar to LCs. Implications of the results and direction for future research are discussed.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2011, Psychology/Clinical

Essential components of community integration of people coping with serious mental illness entails development of social relationships with the lager community of individuals who are not identified as coping with serious mental illness. However previous research on community integration has not made an attempt to understand how people coping with serious mental illness are differentially integrated with peer/consumer/client community versus their integration experiences with the larger non-client/consumer community. The present study used the context of psychosocial clubhouses to understand how program level, individual level and family level variables are differentially associated with perceived community integration within clubhouses versus outside with clubhouse with the larger non-client/consumer community. Data were collected from 92 adults coping with serious mental illness who were also members of psychosocial clubhouses in New York State. Findings of the present study indicate that members report greater degree of integration within the clubhouse as compared to social integration outside the clubhouse with members of the larger non-consumer/client community. Further, program level factors such as perceptions of the clubhouse environment as having a practical orientation were associated with reports of greater integration within the clubhouse but not outside the clubhouse. Conversely, level of employment, specifically independent level of employment, and feelings of self-worth were associated with greater integration outside the clubhouse but not within the clubhouse. Results also suggested that perceived family support was associated with integration within the clubhouse and outside the clubhouse with members of the larger non-consumer/client community. The findings are discussed with respect to their implications for community practice and directions for future research.