To date, UConn BOLD has involved six cohorts of undergraduate students in leadership development activities and individualized projects aimed at advancing issues of social good. Learn about each cohort and their projects by expanding the panels below.
Cohort 6
Foluke Akinkunmi ’25 (Political Science & Africana Studies, CLAS)
Anabelle Bergstrom ’25 (Political Science & Philosophy, CLAS)
Kaitlynn Brito Torres ’25 (Nursing, NUR)
Isabella Helgeson ’25 (Physiology and Neurobiology, CLAS)
Karen Lau ’25 (Economics & English, CLAS)
Adama Modi ’25 (Accounting, BUS)
Awa Modi ’25 (Management, BUS)
Claire Murphy ’25 (Biological Sciences, CLAS)
Lydia Nyarko ’25 (Biological Sciences, CLAS)
Krithika Santhanam ’25 (Health Policy and Racial Disparities, IMJR and Biological Sciences, CLAS)
Mariam Vargas ’25 (Political Science & Global Studies, CLAS)
Cohort 5
Ariana Bahavar ’24 (Political Science, CLAS)
UConn Iranian Graduate Students: A Personal Narrative
Mentor: Aida Ghiaei, School of Engineering
Daniela Bedoya ’24 (Art, SFA)
Women in Sports Behind the Lens
Mentor: David Lopez, David Lopez Photography
Jola Bufi ’24 (Political Science & Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, CLAS)
Domestic Abuse in Albania: Causes and Impacts - Podcast and YouTube Channel
Mentor: Dr. Kristin Kelly, Political Science
Samantha Gove ’24 (Sociology & Human Rights, CLAS)
Examining Anti-Indigenous Iconography in "New England"
Mentor: Dr. Ryan Talbert, Sociology
Katherine Jimenez ’24 (English & Journalism, CLAS)
The Maternal Ghost: Studying the Mother in Gioconda Belli's "The Inhabited Woman"
Mentor: Dr. Gina Barreca, English
Natalie Kach ’24 (Biological Sciences, CLAS)
DIY: Support Threatened Pollinator Species with Home Gardening Choices
Mentor: Dr. Emily Reinhardt, Pathobiology and Veterinary Sciences
Juwon Kang ’24 (Biological Sciences, CLAS)
Sense of Belonging and Related Experience of Different Generations of Korean Americans in CT
Mentor: Dr. Jason Oliver Chang, History & Asian American Studies
Sofya Levitina ’24 (Physics & Statistics, CLAS)
Exploration of the Holistic Female Experience in the Modern World
Mentor: Dr. Brenda Brueggemann, English, American Studies, & Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Delia Lin ’24 (Molecular and Cell Biology & Statistics, CLAS)
STEAM Integration in K-5 Education
Mentor: Dr. Emily Schwab, Enrichment Programs
Arianna Melendez Cintron ’24 (Allied Health Sciences, CAHNR)
Ari's Food Diaries: A Mediterranean-Style Cookbook for College Students
Mentor: Dr. Jillian Wanik, Allied Health Sciences
Kimberly Rosado ’24 (Nursing, NUR)
Guatemalan Government Influence on Women's Sexual/Reproductive Rights
Mentor: Dr. Barbara O'Neill, Nursing
Marianella Salinas ’24 (Computer Science, ENG)
Investigating Factors Affecting Retention Rates for Underrepresented Minority Students in UConn's School of Engineering
Mentor: Dr. Stephany Santos, School of Engineering
Cohort 4
Gianella Anyosa ’23 (Psychological Sciences, CLAS)
MIGRAR O MORIR
Mentor: Fany Hannon
Brianna Chance ’23 (General Program in Music, SFA)
Housing (In)Justice
Mentor: Martine Granby
Alyssa Daniels ’23 (Physiology & Neurobiology, CLAS)
Investigations into the relationship between Alexithymia and ED in individuals with ASD symptomatology
Mentor: Amy Gorin
Lily Forand ’23 (Political Science, CLAS)
Exploring Political Polarization
Mentor: Jeffrey Dudas
Rose Karvandi ’23 (Physiology & Neurobiology, CLAS)
Being LGBTQ+ In Iran: No Way Out
Mentor: Alyssa Clark
Maria Kelley ’23 (Individualized: Law, Social Justice, and the Family, CLAS)
Amplifying the Voices of Foster Youth
Mentor: Preston Britner
Maggie Singman ’23 (Environmental Sciences, CLAS)
Exploring How Visual Art Can Help Heal Environmental Wounds
Mentor: Phoebe Godfrey
Irene Soteriou ’23 (Statistics & Cognitive Science, CLAS)
Exploring Resilience Among Refugees
Mentor: Liza Boritz
Cohort 3
Cristal Arguello ’22 (Urban and Community Studies, CLAS)
Last Line of Defense: The Fight Against an Anti-Immigrant Society
Mentor: Dr. Stacy Maddern, Urban and Community Studies
Serena Beri ’22 (Biological Sciences, CLAS)
Addressing the Gap of Women in Stem Professions
Mentor: Dr. Norah Berrah; Physics
Darlene Burckson ’22 (Biological Sciences, CLAS)
Steps Taken by Food Pantries To Ensure Accessibility To Healthy Food Options
Mentor: Dr. Marlene Schwartz; Rudd Center
Kenniece Coker ’22 (Chinese, CLAS)
Young Mothers Need Support, Not Stigma
Mentor: Nichole Holiday; APRN
Hope Dymond ’22 (Environmental Engineering, ENG)
Faces of Offshore Wind
Mentor: Oksan Bayulgen; Political Science
Kate Gavilanes ’22 (Physiology and Neurobiology & Philosophy, CLAS)
Investigating the Benefits And Culture Behind Non-Conventional Medicine
Mentor: Olivia Marcus; Anthropology
Phoebe Mrozinski ’22 (Environmental Sciences, CAHNR)
Promoting Safe Active Transportation
Mentor: Lynn Stoddard; Executive Director, Sustainable CT and Institute for Sustainable Energy at ECSU
Maura Sanchi ’22 (Environmental Sciences, CAHNR)
The Female Future of Farming
Mentor: Julia Cartabiano; Department of Dining Services
Aditi Sirsikar ’22 (Physiology and Neurobiology, CLAS)
Finding Your Way: Narratives of Career (Re)Planning
Mentor: Dr. Byoung-il Bae; Department of Neuroscience at UConn Health
Eva Solano ’22 (Art History, SFA)
An Exploration of Diversity in Art Museums
Mentor: Dr. Alexis Boylan; Art History & Africana Studies
Cohort 2
The Cohort 2 Scholars' reflections on their leadership projects can be viewed here.
Alani Arias ’21 (Psychological Sciences, CLAS)
Education and Advocacy in Public Health
Mentor: Fumilayo Showers, Sociology
Laura Bedoya ’21 (Political Science & Latino and Latin American Studies, CLAS)
Gender, Equity, and Political Participation in Colombia
Mentor: Fiona Vernal, History
Wesia Malik ’21 (Physiology and Neurobiology, CLAS)
Women Physicians in Pakistan: A Documentary
Mentor: Catherine Masud, Human Rights Institute
Natalie Roach ’21 (Environmental Sciences & Human Rights, CLAS)
Urban Farming & Food Sovereignty
Mentor: Kathy Rocha, Werth Institute
Simran Sehgal ’21 (Biomedical Engineering, ENG)
An Evaluation of the Accessibility of Durable Medical Equipment
Mentor: César Abadía-Barrero, Anthropology & Human Rights
Noor Taweh ’21 (Physiology and Neurobiology, CLAS)
Somewhere in the Middle: Investigating the Experience of First-generation Immigrants
Mentor: Gerardo Blanco, Educational Leadership
Mara Tu ’21 (Environmental Sciences & Urban and Community Studies, CLAS)
Combating Climate Anxiety: Empowering Action over Anxiety
Mentor: Eleanor Shoreman Ouimet, Anthropology
Cohort 1
Thalia Fuentes ’20 (Political Science, CLAS; Management, BUS)
A Look at Bridgeport Students’ Pursuit of Higher Education
Mentor: Milagros Castillo-Montoya, Higher Education and Student Affairs
Abigail Lafontan ’20 (Political Science, CLAS)
An Exploratory Study of Food Culture: Unveiling the Benefits of the French Obsession
Mentor: Phoebe Godfrey, Sociology
Xinyu Lin ’20 (Civil Engineering, ENG)
Diversifying Environmentalism: Hearing from Marginalized Voices within the Movement
Mentor: Zoi Dokou, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Tanya Miller ’20 (Physiology and Neurobiology, CLAS)
#ILookLikeADoctor: A Film on Female Physicians
Mentor: Shannon May, Physiology and Neurobiology
Katharine Morris ’20 (Cognitive Science & Anthropology, CLAS)
Engaging Intersectional Activism
Mentor: Dimitris Xygalatas, Anthropology
Himaja Nagireddy ’20 (Physiology and Neurobiology, Molecular and Cell Biology & Sociology, CLAS)
Increasing the Accessibility of Information on Complementary Medicine (CM) Cancer Therapy Options for Advanced Cancer Patients
Mentor: Angela Bellas, Social Work
Sofia Nieto ’20 (Chemistry, CLAS)
Juntas Somos Más
Mentor: Hon. Jacqueline Rodríguez Hernández
Valeria Popolizio Torres ’20 (Political Science & Human Rights, CLAS)
Taking the First Step: A Needs Assessment of Latinx High School Students Applying to College
Mentor: Fany Hannon, Puerto Rican and Latin American Cultural Center
Kathleen Renna ’20 (Diagnostic Genetic Sciences, CAHNR)
LEDGE: An Initiative to Improve Visibility of Women in STEM
Mentor: Judy Brown, Allied Health Sciences
For more information about the Cohort 1 BOLD Scholars, please read their Scholar Profiles.
