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Dreams To Reality, Annette Gomez

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

Beneath the shade of the trees, I reflect on the weight of my family’s dreams and the determination it takes to pursue a degree. The clear blue skies and open spaces remind me that possibilities are just as boundless, even when the roads feel steep. Here, amidst the peace and beauty I find the strength to strive as a First-Generation Latina student.

A New Beginning, Jefferson Ramos

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

The purpose of my reflection is to demonstrate to other individuals, especially first-generation students, my experience with the college process, along with the obstacles I faced, the doubts, and everything that comes along with being the first person in your family to attend a higher education institution in the United States. In my reflection, I describe the process that I experienced, from the very beginning of high school to the start of my college journey. To finalize my reflection, I leave the reader with three important tips I have learned along the journey: being resilient, not being afraid of new …

My Experience, Gabby Flores

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

This essay reflects personal experiences starting college and navigating new environments that are new to me.

Deceiving Angels Ii, Alejandra Rodriguez

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

I share a dream with my family. The dream of graduating from college, getting a good job, and living a better life. A life where we won’t be financially tied down. I am now attending Loyola Marymount University and pursuing a degree in Animation. I’m the first in my family to pursue a degree in Film & Television, and even though I can’t help the thoughts that I should be doing something more “impactful,” I know that it’s my passion and that it is the combined efforts of my family and those who have helped me, that led me here. …

Trailblazin, Zahir Pineda

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

My "trailblazin" collage is just a collage of me and my brother as we grew up. It was just us two for the majority of our childhood and we were always pushed to make the most of our education here in the US. Growing up I always relied on him, and he made sure to be there to guide me and help me learn from his mistakes. Fast forward to now and we're both at LMU together, and the same way he trailblazed the path for me, I hope to do for my two younger siblings. It symbolizes what has …

Introduction

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

No abstract provided.

Family Dynamics In Everything, Everywhere, All At Once, Isabell Lachinpour

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

This paper was originally a submission for my general psychology final. The prompt for it was to analyze any topic covered in class and connect to any form of fictional media. I chose to study the social psychology behind the relationships of immigrant parents and their children, connecting it to the movie Everything, Everywhere, All At Once by Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan. I especially picked this movie because of how connected I felt to the characters in the movie as I have gone through some of the same experiences they have and know many immigrant children that have felt …

2025 Conference Program, Gpis Department, Old Dominion University

Graduate Research Conference (GSIS)

Schedule for ODU's 2025 Graduate Research Conference: Stormy Weather: Pressing Issues in International Politics

Cultural Hybridization In The Digital Age: The Global-Local Tension In Youth Identity, Naseer Ali Hussien

AUIQ Humanities and Social Sciences

In the context of accelerated globalization and the proliferation of digital media, youth are increasingly navigating complex cultural terrains where global influences intersect with local traditions. This study examines how young people aged 15–25 construct hybrid cultural identities through their engagement with platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Drawing on cultural hybridization theory, Bhabha’s concept of Third Space, and Castells’ network society framework, the research employs a mixed-methods design incorporating semi-structured interviews, digital ethnography, and content analysis of over 8,000 social media posts from 300 participants across diverse socio-demographic backgrounds. Findings reveal that youth identity is dialectical and fluid, emerging …

Sweden And Denmark’S Approach To Public Housing For Refugees In Response To The 2015 European Refugee Crisis, Julia Kearney

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

Housing is a critical aspect of social policy for refugees, as it serves as the foundation for their integration into a new society. While recognized as important, providing housing for refugees can be quite challenging for countries. This was particularly apparent during the 2015 European migrant crisis, when more than a million refugees, mainly from Syria, Iraq, Libya, and Afghanistan, flooded into Europe. Recipient countries did and continue to adopt varying policies when it comes to providing housing for refugees. This paper analyzes Denmark and Sweden’s response to the migration crisis and shows that the two countries had starkly different …

Introduction – Musiques Au Proche-Orient Après Le Tournant Numérique, Amr Abdelrahim, Thomas Michel, Nicolas Puig

Regards

Le développement des pratiques du do it yourself, l’avènement des home studios et la multiplication des circulations sonores (samples, échantillons sonores, etc.) grâce aux supports numériques et aux plateformes d’écoute ont modifié en profondeur la production musicale au Machreq. Cette introduction dresse le tableau des études produites sur la musique au Proche-Orient depuis l’avènement du numérique au début des années 2000 ; elle passe en revue les différents paradigmes mobilisés et propose une approche centrée notamment sur les Science and Technology Studies pour comprendre le sens des évolutions en cours.
Elle décrit ensuite les différentes contributions qui alimentent ce …

The Independent Music Scene In The Levant Between 2003 And 2023: Do-It-Yourself With The Support Of Arts And Culture Organizations, Areej Abou Harb

Regards

The beginning of the 21st century witnessed the rise of the internet and mobile technologies, as well as the expansion of the digital sphere and the emergence of the Do-It-Yourself music. Simultaneously, it experiences significant changes that reshaped the arts and cultural scene in general, and the music production in particular across the Levant. This period marked the institutionalization of arts and culture production and diffusion. It saw the formation of “intermediate” pan-Arab and regional organizations such as Culture Resource (Al-Mawred Al-Thaqafy) and AFAC (The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture), as well as the establishment of small record labels, …

Focus, 2025, Summer, Andrews University

Focus

FOCUS (ISSN 1077-9345) is published quarterly, free of charge, for alumni and friends of Andrews University, an institution owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Historical Methods Manual, Hollie Marquess, Brian Gribben

All Open Educational Resources

The Historical Methods Manual is a guide for history majors or students in history courses.

Popularising Semiotics (Continued)

Communication Research Trends

In the previous issue of Communication Research Trends (Vol. 11, No. 2), Keyan Tomaselli and Arnold Shepperson from the Centre for Cultural and Media Studies, University of Natal, surveyed the tangled vines of the field of semiotics and explained how, following one of the many paths through this 'forest of symbols', they are trying to develop semiotics into an instrument of social and cultural criticism and reform.

In the present number (11/3) of Communication Research Trends the same discussion is continued through a series of individual book reviews contributed by both senior and junior members of the same Centre. Again, …

Repairing Epistemic Injustice And Loss In The Era Of Climate Coloniality, Farhana Sultana

Geography and the Environment - All Scholarship

Climate change intensifies existing inequities, disproportionately impacting marginalised populations, particularly in the Global South and Indigenous communities. This is maintained through inequitable global climate governance, policies and solutions. The paper argues that climate coloniality, the complex entanglements of colonial legacies with contemporary climate and ecological changes, operates through systemic knowledge-based marginalisation or epistemic injustice, serving as a key mechanism in the uneven production and distribution of climate harms. Beyond the more commonly discussed material dimensions of loss and damage, epistemic injustices arise from silencing critical voices and devaluing knowledge systems. The paper extends the scope of loss and damage debates …

The Disruptive Nature Of Listening: Feminine Noises And Sound Politics In The Platform Music Show The Big Band 2, Shuwen Qu

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

Rock music has been a central arena for the production of noises in music industries. The singing of rockers, carrying gendered subject identities, harbors a wealth of gendered noises. “The Big Band 2,” a variety show launched by Aiqiyi and involving indie record companies and musicians, presents a contested soundscape of Chinese gendered rock noises, creating moments that exemplify the “disruptive nature of listening.” It also provides a critical perspective for exploring alternative expressions of female rock singers and contemplating gender order and social ideology. Drawing upon theories of musicology, gender studies and cultural studies, this paper introduces a theoretical …

Thomas Crow And Avant-Garde Theory From A Cultural Studies Perspective, Wei Jiang

Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art

The hostility of aesthetic modernism to mass culture has been a central position in avant-garde theory from the Frankfurt School to the October Group. Although mass culture has already been rehabilitated through a re-evaluation and critique of modernism, no avant-garde theory has achieved reconciliation with mass culture. Inspired by cultural studies theories, Thomas Crow argues that potential criticality is already embodied in mass culture and that, by appropriating it, avant-garde art can offer new solutions to art while expressing an implicit social critique. Crow re-defines the concept of the “avant-garde” to allow for a historical narrative that makes room for …

Missteps And Missed Steps, Karen Andrews

Alt Dialogue

No abstract provided.

An Affinity For Alignment: Spontaneous Convergence Of Stance-Taking In Topical Conversations, Carmen Tu, Stacey Zoutis, Steven Brown

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Alignment in stance-taking is a foundational behavior in conversation, but few studies have quantified the degree to which conversationalists converge in their attitudes toward a topic. We attempted to quantify this convergence in terms of three parameters related to alignment: intensity (low to high), prevalence (percentage of time in alignment), and content (use of open-ended versus closed-ended statements). To examine the utility of these parameters, we compared the content of conversations between unacquainted dyads in either a free conversation condition or a topical condition in which the individuals were mismatched for their attitude toward the topic to maximize disalignment between …

Circular Aesthetics: Designing For Longevity And Emotional Durability In The Post-Fast-Fashion Era, Arana Gjoni

UBT International Conference

This paper examines the intersection of circular design and emotional aesthetics in contemporary fashion, proposing the concept of “circular aesthetics” as a design philosophy that prioritizes longevity, repairability, and emotional attachment over disposability. Moving beyond the limitations of fast fashion, the study explores how designers can cultivate deeper affective connections between users and garments by integrating material authenticity, narrative symbolism, and participatory design processes. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of Jonathan Chapman’s Emotionally Durable Design (2005), Kate Fletcher’s Sustainable Fashion and Textiles (2014), and Tim Ingold’s Making (2013), the research emphasizes fashion’s potential to evoke empathy, memory, and care as …

The Institutional Role Of Journalism In Post-Conflict Societies: The Case Of Kosovo, Ferid Selimi

UBT International Conference

This study asserts that the traditional professional values underpinning journalism are becoming increasingly ambiguous, while established normative frameworks have diminished in their descriptive influence. Drawing on Hanitzsch’s (2011) typology of journalistic cultures, the research analyzes responses from a structured survey of 46 media professionals. Through the application of the Priority Model, the study explores how these professional role orientations intersect with neo-Gramscian perspectives on hegemony, particularly in shaping journalists’ priorities during the production and dissemination of news. The research investigates the institutional roles of journalistic cultures within Kosovo, with a specific focus on their evolving engagement in broader societal responsibilities …

International Conference On Journalism, Media And Communication, University For Business And Technology (Ubt) In Kosovo

UBT International Conference

UBT Annual International Conference is the 14th international interdisciplinary peer reviewed conference which publishes works of the scientists as well as practitioners in the area where UBT is active in Education, Research and Development. The UBT aims to implement an integrated strategy to establish itself as an internationally competitive, research-intensive university, committed to the transfer of knowledge and the provision of a world-class education to the most talented students from all background. The main perspective of the conference is to connect the scientists and practitioners from different disciplines in the same place and make them be aware of the recent …

International Conference On Psychology, University For Business And Technology (Ubt) In Kosovo

UBT International Conference

UBT Annual International Conference is the 14th international interdisciplinary peer reviewed conference which publishes works of the scientists as well as practitioners in the area where UBT is active in Education, Research and Development. The UBT aims to implement an integrated strategy to establish itself as an internationally competitive, research-intensive university, committed to the transfer of knowledge and the provision of a world-class education to the most talented students from all background. The main perspective of the conference is to connect the scientists and practitioners from different disciplines in the same place and make them be aware of the recent …

International Conference On Integrated Design, University For Business And Technology (Ubt) In Kosovo

UBT International Conference

UBT Annual International Conference is the 14th international interdisciplinary peer reviewed conference which publishes works of the scientists as well as practitioners in the area where UBT is active in Education, Research and Development. The UBT aims to implement an integrated strategy to establish itself as an internationally competitive, research-intensive university, committed to the transfer of knowledge and the provision of a world-class education to the most talented students from all background. The main perspective of the conference is to connect the scientists and practitioners from different disciplines in the same place and make them be aware of the recent …

“Tell Your Papa”: Aesthetics Of Confrontation And Visual Witnessing In Nigerian Protest Music, Omotayo Jemiluyi

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

This study analyzes the music video “Tell Your Papa” (2025), a politically charged protest song by Nigerian artiste Eedris Abdulkareem, as an exemplary case of aesthetics of confrontation, here conceptualized as a multimodal strategy in which direct address, anti-spectacle visual style, literalism, and discomfort converge to confront political power. Focusing on the song’s explicit critique of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, his son Seyi Tinubu, and other prominent political figures, the analysis demonstrates how Abdulkareem renders indistinct the line between music and political discourse through a visual-sonic language that is accusatory, documentary-stylized, and unflinchingly courageous. While building on the lineage …

Witnessing Healing Through Fantasy: Trauma, Community, And Art In A Court Of Thorns And Roses, Alexandria A. Remm

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

Drawing on theorists such as Bruno Bettelheim, Lucy Bonds, Stef Craps, Dominick LaCapra, and Laura Loumeau-May, this paper explores the role of trauma and healing in Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series by examining protagonist Feyre Archeron’s journey. Specifically, Feyre’s journey with trauma and how she heals throughout the series. The analysis highlights how Feyre’s recovery is deeply tied to empathy, her acts of artistic creation, and her evolving relationships with others, especially with those who have also endured their own trauma. In addition to textual analysis, the paper incorporates reader and fan responses—particularly fanart …

Personal Cultural Memory As Part Of Life Stories: Insights From Biographical Research On Japanese Canadian And Japanese American Wartime Experiences, Maria Wacławik

The Qualitative Report

The study focuses on the experiences of these communities during World War II, when they were displaced and incarcerated following the attack on Pearl Harbor. In the face of such traumatic events, the challenge arises in how individuals convey memories when words alone may not suffice. The main objective of this research was to determine, based on autobiographical narratives, the links between the memory of wartime experiences of Japanese Americans and Japanese Canadians and their ethnic identity. I do not analyze entire collections of mediated memories stored by narrators, but only those that were introduced during the interview as part …

Rey Chow & Cultural Representations In Daughters Of The Dust (1991), Kaylee Minter

Cinesthesia

No abstract provided.

A Case Study On The Use Of Spelling As A Determining Factor In Teaching English Grammar In Dominican Schools, Pedro J. Tavarez-Dacosta Dr., Fransheska Arias Reyes Lic.

FDLA Journal

English spelling has always been described by many language researchers and teachers as a daunting task especially for learners whose first language is not English. This monograph presents the report of an investigation on the use of spelling, which includes the determining factor of grammar in the teaching of English, in it we will develop a program for observing students and teachers as an initial assessment, (pretest) and the design of the development of said observation as a final evaluation (posttest). This observation was made with the total of 28 students of the sixth grade of Primary School Nuestra Señora …