Over 101,000 people in the United States are currently waiting for a lifesaving kidney transplant (National Kidney Foundation, n.d.). The average time to receive a kidney from a deceased donor is between three to five years, but in some cases it can be longer depending on the region you are listed in, blood type and antibody levels (National Kidney Foundation, n.d.). 

Patients have the opportunity to search for living donors, but this can be a difficult process. It requires patients to publicly share their personal stories and ask individuals to consider donating a kidney. This can be uncomfortable, especially when opening up to the public. Additionally, many patients lack an understanding of social media platforms, which are powerful tools for reaching a wider audience. 

My civic engagement project aims to empower patients to share their stories by providing guides to walk them through the process of creating social media accounts. These guides will also help patients share their stories in a way that inspires a call to action. I have partnered with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s Transplant Institute in order to conduct this work. 

This is a topic I am passionate about because it is something I have personally experienced and benefited from. The support from others in a time of need shows compassion and provides a sense of hope. 

Through this work, I aim to empower patients to advocate for themselves, find living donors and receive the gift of life.

Digital technologies such as AI-based food-tracking apps and social media platforms play a large role in how college students perceive food today. Food-tracking tools like MyFitnessPal, Lifesum, and Cronometer, along with platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, strongly influence how students evaluate, present, and think about their eating habits and relationships with food. Existing research shows that these technologies are linked to higher levels of body image concerns and more restrictive eating patterns (Simpson & Mazzeo, 2017; Tiggemann & Zaccardo, 2018). However, far less research focuses on how these tools may be changing what college students believe food means on a deeper emotional and cultural level.

The purpose of this project is to better understand how college students perceive food within a growing digital environment where tracking apps and online food and fitness trends are increasingly common. Specifically, this study explores whether these technologies contribute to a disconnect between food as a source of culture, comfort, and connection and food as something primarily measured and controlled. Using a mixed-method survey design, this research collects both qualitative and quantitative data from college students aged 18 to 25. The survey asks about app usage, exposure to food-related content on social media, and personal reflections on what food means culturally and emotionally.

This project is guided by the expectation that frequent engagement with digital food technologies may shape students’ views of food as more data-driven and less personally meaningful.

In the age of digital media, food has become less a substance and social act and more a highly mediated visual spectacle. This paper contends that short-form media platforms not only mirror existing food culture but also shape it. By emphasizing speed, visual complexity, and engagement rates, these platforms recode food value in terms of what is most entertaining to watch rather than what is culturally significant, historically rooted, or labor-intensive.

To investigate this phenomenon, this research undertakes a digital ethnography and visual analysis of 50–75 viral short-form videos. Employing the sociology of absences approach, it examines what these videos emphasize, such as fast-paced cuts and striking visuals, and what they omit, including cultural significance and historical roots. Case studies of Birria tacos, Fufu, and Agua Fresca (renamed “Spa Water” online) are compared to their traditional counterparts to identify patterns of distortion and simplification.

This paper argues that the technical system of short-form video accelerates the aestheticization and commercialization of ethnic cuisine. The 15-second loop does more than circulate cuisine; it reorganizes it, transforming cultural heritage into an algorithmic spectacle that reshapes the values of modern food culture.

Food media has become a prominent form of content on many social media platforms, with videos ranging from lifestyle and cooking content to diet and health recommendations. Many young individuals use this media as a major source of information and influence for their lifestyles and behavioral habits. Existing research has explored the relationship between interacting with food media and consequential eating behaviors and body image concerns, specifically among young women (Drivas et al., 2024; Filippone et al., 2022; Kinkel-Ram et al., 2022). However, there is less of a focus on how young women interpret and make meaning of the messages in the content itself and apply it to their lives. The purpose of this study is to explore how young women experience and interpret food media they engage with, with a primary focus on how these interactions can shape emotional responses, perceptions of morality, and evaluations of one’s self-worth. Qualitative data was collected through the process of interviewing ten young college women attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Based on the reviewed literature, the expected findings include identifying themes of conflicting messaging, the internalization of food as “good” or “bad”, and the comparison of one’s eating habits with those displayed on social media, leading to lowered self-worth. 

For my project, I have started the process of writing a feature length screenplay. The project is titled, ‘The Open Canvas’, and is a modern take on the classic Western genre, which will mix modern dramatic writing with older, Western themes. The story will follow Samuel Crocktor, an art collector who travels to the West for a new addition to his collection. When the painting he purchased was stolen, he partners with a lone gunslinger to chase the painting’s bandit. Throughout his journey, Samuel transforms from a posh, self-centered critic into a more understanding person of the world around him. 

The message of the film would revolve around seeing things in their entire state. Whether you can relate that to a personal situation, or a grander situation that happens across a large number of people, the story of The Open Canvas focuses on the idea of self-growth and learning to understand the situations of the people around you. In other words, the story is centered around the idea of stepping outside of what you know in order to help others. 

In my time, I have begun to study writing techniques and the process of structuring screenplays. To understand these, I have started studying books such as 'Save the Cat' by Blake Snyder, and 'The Art of Dramatic Writing' by Lajos Egri. I set aside time each week, where I work to complete a set number of pages that I can receive feedback on.

Despite comprising half the population, women remain significantly underrepresented in medical research and underserved in healthcare communication. Until as recently as 1993, women were largely excluded from clinical trials, contributing to lasting gaps in knowledge surrounding conditions such as endometriosis, PMDD, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). These gaps have real consequences: delayed diagnoses, dismissed symptoms, and inadequate treatment. This paper argues that women’s health is not only underfunded and understudied but also miscommunicated, creating a cycle of stigma, mistrust, and poor patient outcomes.

The analysis explores the “visibility problem” in women’s health, including disparities in media coverage and the tendency to prioritize certain conditions while others remain ignored or stigmatized. It examines how ineffective communication in clinical settings, such as symptom minimization and lack of clear guidance, undermines patient autonomy and forces women to take on disproportionate emotional and informational labor to advocate for their care.

Through selected case studies involving healthcare policy, institutional decision-making, and media narratives, this paper highlights how research gaps and communication failures intersect to impact treatment access and legitimacy. Ultimately, the paper proposes a framework for reform that includes increased research funding, equitable representation in clinical trials, and the development of transparent, stigma-free communication strategies. Rebuilding trust in women’s healthcare requires not only scientific advancement but also a fundamental shift in how information is communicated, understood, and valued.