dissecting my research and design through an introspective lens
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Curiosity & Creativity
Here's my why & my foundation
In the post-digital era of Gen AI and Chat-GPT, the desire for authenticity and human creation is rising in all aspects of life. Showcasing my critical thinking skills is not just a box to check, but a genuine signature I carry in my future career.
❋ Intentional & Sentimental❋ Forever Curious❋ Flexible & Adaptable❋ Creativity is KeyRoots of Critical Thinking & Perspective
My experience in the Honors College at Bowling Green State University has fostered an innate sense of curiosity and a desire to investigate the systems and processes that make up our world. Paired with my design aptitude, it makes for a remarkable combination that guides my research and design process.
Below, I have chosen a variety of projects that encapsulates these core aspects of critical thinking and showcases the integration of these skills both in and beyond the classroom.
Click the titles below to explore more!
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Describe and compare own cultural values, biases, and perspectives with those important to others to evaluate local, national, and global issues from multiple cultures and worldviews
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Analyze and evaluate the issue, reasons, evidence and conclusion presented in different modalities and for different audiences, making inferences to identify assumptions and biases, and researching the issues, historical, and political context using an interdisciplinary approach
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Create original, imaginative, and/or innovative solutions for complex problems that draw from multiple disciplines, balance divergent and convergent thinking, and synthesize and transfer experiences, classroom learning, and research
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Demonstrate collaborative discussion skills by posing questions, listening actively, imparting thoughts, opinions and/or arguments, and building on and making connections between the contributions of others to foster mutual and interdisciplinary understanding
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Communicate thoughts, opinions and/or arguments in a clear, concise manner through polished presentations and texts that utilize a variety of genre, modes, styles and accessible technologies appropriate for audience and purpose
Recycling Infrastructure Research Project
❋ Critical Thinking for Creativity and
Complex Problem Solving: Problem Analysis
This project highlights research conducted on the wicked problem of the US Recycling Infrastructure. In a five-page paper, I analyze this issue’s layers and complexities through a social impact lens. Community organizations and partners actively attempting to mitigate this problem are spotlighted.
❋ Critical Thinking for Communication
Dissemination of Ideas
This project highlights research conducted how paper ephemera is collected and conceptualized by young adults, ages twenty to twenty-five, given the lens of the digital age. Through a 50-page book, I decipher how these collecting habits manifest, how they contribute to a greater sense of self, and how these paper pieces illuminate the interconnections of us all.
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“We don't need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly, we need millions of people doing it imperfectly.”
Anne Marie Bonneau | Cincinnati Recycling and Reuse Hub
2024 | Critical Thinking for Creativity and Complex Problem AnalysisRecycling Infrastructure Research
Overview and Key Ideas:
The US Recycling Infrastructure: A Fractured System in Need of Sustainability-Focused Change is a comprehensive analysis on the wicked problem of recycling in the US. It dissects this issue from a social impact lens focused on defining it, analyzing its layers, highlighting current efforts to mitigate it, and discussing potential next steps. This paper identifies current societal mindsets and misconceptions, while critiquing the systems and structures in place. It addresses the concepts of circular economy and sustainability, and it promotes existing recycle hubs and educational programs, while encouraging the emulation of this framework in other communities.
Assignment details
Written during my Design for Social Impact Course in 2024
Specifics to reach: research a wicked problem associated with a societal need, analyze its layers and complexities, and identify a community partner addressing this issue
Reflection
With complex problem analysis, it is imperative to evaluate the issue on several scales, which helps identify its varying interconnected layers. In considering the issue from a large societal understanding to hyper-focusing on a specific community, navigating the ambiguity surrounding wicked problems becomes more manageable for all.
While this essay does a great job at highlighting the local community work conducted by the Cincinnati Recycling and Reuse Hub, it does fall short in providing more resources to implement this framework further within the paper's call to action. Additionally, this essay could be strengthened with an in-depth historical analysis of the recycling infrastructure for a more comprehensive look into how the system has evolved overtime.
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“Each of these items have a life of their own, one that you—or a multitude of many others—had a hand in creating.”
Madelyn Junk (Lingering Sentiment, 2026, pg. 1)
2026 | Critical Thinking for Communication—Dissemination of IdeasLingering Sentiment
Overview and Key Ideas:
How does paper encapsulate and immortalize our lived experiences?
Lingering Sentiment is a research-driven project focused on uncovering how ephemeral paper is collected and conceptualized by young adults, ages twenty to twenty-five, given the lens of the digital age. The final output is a written and designed paperback book defining paper ephemera; dissecting how and why it is collected, stored, and discarded; and analyzing how these papers contribute to a greater sense of collective humanity.
From this baseline, the book explores how these topics are interconnected with themes of emotional attachment, digital unknowns, sustainability, identity, ownership, and grief. Supported by academic research alongside public collections and personal paper items, this book showcases a comprehensive analysis voiced within a poetic personal narrative.
Lingering Sentiment takes readers on a journey of self-reflection and introspection as they unfold how paper proves their very existence by its fibers and ink. Made to inspire hope and drive human connection, this book is tied deeply to empowering readers to find strength in their sentimentality and in their humanity.
Project details
Independent research project completed over Fall 2025-Spring 2026 to be displayed at the 2026 BFA Exhibition in March.
Specifics: Dive into a research question over a 15-week period. Form research into an appropriate finalized form.
Reflection
In dissecting this project under the lens of critical thinking for communication with the dissemination of ideas, it is imperative to highlight that this project presents its research in an engaging and informative way. It utilizes pictures, smaller paragraph chunks, and a structured grid to prevent overwhelm or information overload throughout its 50 pages. There is a strong, consistent voice felt throughout the pages that conveys its message, while still holding onto its research ties.
While this project does a great job of covering the breadth of several concepts surrounding paper ephemera, it does fall short in depth. It briefly touches on several topics like ownership, emotional attachment, and hoarding throughout several pages, but it could benefit greatly from a deeper breakdown on these complex and nuanced topics with a page or two dedicated to each topic. Additionally, this book could be strengthened with a larger variety of pictured examples, as almost all photos used throughout the book are my own. Given access to someone else’s collection could expand upon the relatability of the book beyond my lived experiences.