Capstone Student Showcase

Laurel’s Capstone Scholars Program provides enterprising and motivated students the opportunity to engage in personally meaningful work that tackles real-world challenges and creates real-world solutions.

Class of 2026 and select projects from previous years. Click each student's READ MORE for details, photos, and multimedia presentations.

List of 23 news stories.

Unlocking Resilience: How School Relationships Cultivate Student Optimism

Maeve Cimperman '26

Faculty Support: Grace Willer, Tori Cordiano, Candace Maiden, Bella Patel, Jessica Allen
Summary: My project investigated the subject of human optimism, specifically how a young student's environment and teachers impact their development.

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Mixed Media & Short Film: Crafting a Creative Vision

Mia Dallas '26

Faculty Support: Howard Schott
Summary: I undertook an in-depth investigation into the mechanics of visual storytelling, thoroughly examining things like shot composition and illumination to decipher how directors evoke a desired emotional response. I then transitioned from theory to practice, developing and shooting my own short films where I embraced a challenging frame-by-frame mixed-media method, integrating physical mediums like painting and collage into my digital edits. The result is a body of work created with a variety of visual and technical tools.

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Money Savvy: Financial Literacy Education for Middle School Students

Aleka Dodla '26

Mentor: Kristen Lucas, Fairport Wealth, Managing Director and Chief Marketing Officer
Faculty Support: Joe Corsaro
Summary: As students grow older, they begin to rely more on their own money. Starting financial education early is crucial to the long-term success of middle school students. Teaching the basics of money management through my organization Money Savvy enables students to build strong financial habits during their formative years.

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Flourish: An Organization Inspiring & Supporting Vietnamese-American Youth in Cleveland

Julia Duong '26

Faculty Support: Claudia Zalevsky, Howard Schott
Summary: I founded Flourish, a Vietnamese youth group in Cleveland. Flourish focuses on fostering a safe, supportive space for young Vietnamese Americans while equipping them to achieve their dreams.

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Empowering Young Voices: Legal Studies & Mock Trial in Middle School Education

Madeline Friedman '26

Faculty Support: Joe Corsaro, Kristin Hicks, Candace Maiden, Leslie Segal
Summary: I founded, designed, and taught a Legal Studies and Mock Trial Program in Laurel’s middle school. This program directly empowered 20 young women to strengthen their argumentative and public speaking skills—critical tools for any young woman learning to own her voice.

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Celiac Support Collective: A Non-Profit Working to End Food Insecurity for Individuals with Celiac Disease

Claire Leland '26

Mentor: Joyce Hunt, Former Executive Director of The Emergency Assistance Center; Tiffany Scruggs, VP of Community Access and ED of Community Resource Center
Faculty Support: Joe Corsaro, Kate Floyd, Sarah Miller
Summary: As someone who has had celiac disease for almost 13 years, I know how daunting the price of gluten-free food can be. For that reason, I created the Celiac Support Collective (CSC), a non-profit that addresses food insecurity, aids individuals who have celiac disease—or are gluten sensitive—and provides nutritious gluten-free foods free of charge.

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Decoding Bioethics: Exploring Moral Dilemmas in Medicine Through the Media

Michelle Mankaryous '26

Mentor: Dr. Marsha Michie, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Associate Professor of Bioethics
Faculty Support: Howard Schott
Summary: I started my blog, Cogito Ergo Curat (I Think, Therefore I Care), which educates readers about the various bioethical issues of our time through the lens of science fiction and popular medical media.

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Sound & Significance: The Intersection of Music, Media, & Meaning

Eloise Peckham '26

Mentor: Jasen Sokol, Director, WJCU
Faculty Support: Howard Schott
Summary: I set out to understand why popular culture often ignores the interests of young people, especially young women, so I dove into how fan communities work and why traditional music criticism has historically been so biased. To push back against that bias, I launched a Substack blog to offer cultural criticism that's easy to read and relate to, making serious discussions more accessible. I also secured a spot as a regular DJ at WJCU, the college radio station, where I share music and connect with the community every week.

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Beyond the Screen: The Impact of Technology Use on Teenage Rest

Mackenzie Reid '26

Mentor: Dr. Melissa Moore
Faculty Support: Grace Willer
Summary: I led a research study to challenge the common idea that screens automatically ruin teen sleep, surveying over 400 high school students across Northeast Ohio to gather real data. This work, "The Complex Relationship Between Sleep and Technology: A Closer Look at Teens and Screen Time" was published through Laurel’s Center for Research on Girls and aims to shift the sleep conversation toward building healthier, more sustainable behavioral habits.

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Wellbeing Together: Supporting the Physical & Nutritional Health of Young Women

Kaya Sgro '26

Faculty Support: Howard Schott
Summary: I created Wellbeing Together, a mixed media platform on Substack focused on health and wellness as it relates to teenage girls.

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The Right to Coverage: Investigating Legal Pathways for Health Insurance Reform

Elizabeth Weingart '26

Mentor: Dr. Ellen Rome, Head of Adolescent Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Laurel Class of 1980
Faculty Support: Joe Corsaro, Howard Schott
Summary: Witnessing firsthand how rarely insurance covers necessary care for anorexia, my project became a pursuit of policy change to fix the deficiencies in the ACA that permit the denial of essential eating disorder treatments. I concentrated my findings into a 25-page legal analysis asserting that federal lawmakers must use their powers under the Commerce Clause to guarantee this vital healthcare.

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"Viscera": A Collection of Horror Stories

Cici Cao ‘25

Mentor: Irene Gibson, author of the The Defiers Trilogy
Faculty Support: Megan Weiskopf
Summary: I wrote a collection of short stories around a central theme of horror titled Viscera and published a website of my work.

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Culture Shock: A Guide to Adapting to Life in the U.S.

Izanec ‘25

Mentor: Charva Jackson, Immigration Services Advisor, University of Akron
Faculty Support: Kimberly Dailey, Andy Repko
Summary: In order to help international students adjust to living in the US, I created a journal that teaches about culture shock and offers insights and tips about American culture.

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Pakistani Art, History, and Folktales

Fara Latifi ‘25

Mentors: Sonya Rhie Mace, Ph.D., Curator of Indian and Southeast Asian Art, Cleveland Museum of Art; Murad Khan Mumtaz, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Art, Williams College
Faculty Support: Darius Steward, Joy Barton
Summary: Inspired by my love for art and history, along with my desire to learn more about my Pakistani heritage, I created an original painting based on a popular Pakistani folktale using historical materials and styles.

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Neuroscience: Young Blood Plasma Administration in Alzheimer's Disease

Elizabeth McCollum ‘25

Mentors: James Sulzer, Ph.D., Professor at Case Western Reserve University and the University of Texas, Linda Noble-Haeusslein, Ph.D., Professor at University of Texas, Betty Kemper, Founder of Kemper House and Co-Founder of Kemper Cognitive Wellness, Kristen West, Co-Founder of LNHA, President of Kemper Cognitive Wellness
Faculty Support: Howard Schott
Summary: For my Capstone project, I focussed on studying neurodegeneration and investigating specific treatments for cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). I wrote a literature review of the current understanding of young blood plasma administration and young blood parabiosis and their impacts on the progression of AD. I also conducted a survey to learn more about the behaviors of Alzheimer’s patients I studied and their manifestations in real life.

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Astrophysics and Radio Astronomy: Building a Dual Dipole Telescope

Katie Northrop ‘25

Faculty Support: Brian Carpenter, Brian Rafferty, Brian Hosier
Summary: I built a dual dipole radio telescope through Radio Jove in order to research Jovian Io storms and the solar eclipse. My findings were published on my original website. I used Capstone to learn about astronomy, as well as the scientific and original research process as a whole.

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Living in Blackness: Exploring Racial Identity Through Essays & the Creation of an Affinity Group

Sophie Rucker ‘25

Faculty Support: Kristen Hicks
Summary: I wrote a book about my life as a Black young woman growing up in a world that favors the white population. This book is called Living In Blackness and was created during my first year as a Capstone scholar, and ended with it being published and is now available on the Barnes & Noble website. Within my book, there is a collection of short memoir stories, poetry, rhythm writing, and discussion questions to observe oneself and rethink privilege.

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Animation Studies: Critiques of Sexist Art and Writing in a Male-Dominated Space

Claire Sheeler ‘25

Faculty Support: Howard Schott
Summary: I created a series of video essays dissecting sexist art and writing in male-dominated spaces such as video games, anime, and comics. I’ve been interested in these art forms for as long as I can remember, and have encountered virulent sexism from other players and fans—from anime fans defending the objectification of young female characters to a pair of Overwatch players who argued that female players’ “ineptitude” at an online combat game was proof women didn’t deserve to vote. These experiences, combined with my longtime passion for feminism, inspired me to critique the characterizations of female characters that enable and legitimize these attitudes.

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Biomedical Engineering: An Assistive Device for Quadriplegics

Vanessa Sheppard ‘25

Mentors: Blake Perkins PT, DPT, ATP; Bryn Spiker, CWRU graduate student
Faculty Support: Karen Redmond
Summary: For my Capstone project, I created a voice-activated robotic arm to assist people with spinal cord injuries.

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[CodeHers CLE]: Computer Science Education for Middle School Girls

Ella Witalec ‘25

Mentor: Tyler Thornton
Faculty Support: Kimberly Corrigan
Summary: For my Capstone project, I started an organization to provide free computer science education to middle school girls in the Cleveland area. Collaborating with the Breakthrough Charter schools and the Cuyahoga County Public Library system, I offered Python and HTML programming workshops to more than 52 local girls.

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How to Hunt Witches: An Historical Novel

Shaliz Bazldjoo '24

Faculty Support: Abby Murphy, Faina Polt, Megan Weiskopf
Summary: I researched and wrote a novel about queer enclaves in American history.
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Music Therapy: Nickel Pickle's Children's Songs for Developing Social Skills

Nicole Samala '24

Mentors: Susan Gardstrom, Ph.D., MT-BC, University of Dayton professor emeritus; Christine Barton, MM, MT-BC, music therapist in private practice
Faculty Support: Kristen Sector, Ida Porris, Nicole Franks, Jennifer Casa, Joy Barton
Summary: Inspired by my interest in music therapy, I wrote and produced six original children's songs teaching social and communication skills.
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Economics: Keynesian Theory, Welfare, and Employment

Kathryn Tracanna '24

Mentor: Amyaz Moledina, Ph.D., Professor of Economics and Business Economics, The College of Wooster
Faculty Support: Joe Corsaro
Summary: I have always been curious about governmental policy. I took this interest and merged it with economics to produce a study of welfare policies in the United States.
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