Our Fellows

Meet our current fellows! 

See "Recent Alumni" for more. ELF Project Archive contains a list of projects from 2011-2020

Current Engaged Learning Fellows

Caden Arras ELF

Caden Arras '24

The Director's Chair

Mentor: Jake Batsell, Journalism

Suniti Bhikshesvaran

Egg Drop Soup

Mentor: Michelle Glasby-Millington (Film & Media Arts)

SMU Engage Dallas Learning Fellowship Graphic

Wolffe Bonewell

Texting and Driving PSA for Project Yellow Light 
Mentor: Mark Allen (Advertising)
SMU Engage Dallas Learning Fellowship Graphic

Abigail Brittle '25

SHOW PONY: SMU Zine Project. 
Mentor: Willie Baronet (Advertising)
Kaytlyn Bunting ELF

Kaytlyn Bunting '24

I Want a Body of my Own [Film]. 
Mentor: Mark Kerins (Film)
Headshot of Tyler Chapman, Engaged Learning Fellow

Tyler Chapman

Fight the New Drug [PSA campaign]. 
Mentor: Mark Allen (Advertising)
Ella Dabney ELF

Ella Dabney

Voice Disorders and Care
Mentor: Carolyn Smith-Morris (Anthropology)

Juan Davalos

Egg Drop Soup

Mentor: Sean Griffin (Film & Media Arts) 

Jenna Davis ELF

Jenna Davis

Fabric
Mentor: Christopher Ham (Theater)
Headshot of Lily Derr, Engaged Learning Fellow

Lily Derr

Political Economy of the Backlash to Globalization: Formal Modeling Analysis
Mentor: Hiroki Takeuchi (Political Science)
Headshot of Kristen Edwards, Engaged Learning Fellow

Kristen Edwards '24

Assessing the feasibility of three sustainable roofing materials for use in rural Tanzania

Mentor: Jessie Zarazaga, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Headshot of Paige Edwards, Engaged Learning Fellow

Paige Edwards '24

Reimagining Paradise: Kanaka Driven Tours

Mentors: Brad Klein, Human Rights, and Rebecca Flores, Film

Brianna Freshwater ELF

Brianna Freshwater

In the Schools but Not the Classrooms: Advanced Placement Test-Taking in Schools Serving Predominately Students of Color

Mentor: Kara Sutton (Sociology)

Lauren Gijsbertson

"Simplifying Blockchain for Novice Investors: Introducing a Beginner-Friendly Analytics Platform"

Mentor: Simon Mak (Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship)

Ellie Hood ELF

Ellie Hood

Factors Affecting Romantic Partner Preferences
Mentor: Debra Branch (Sociology)

Princess Igwe-Icho

“Gendered Rhetoric and F-3 Family Sponsorship: Unveiling Narratives, Influencing Policies”

Mentor: Dr. Zoe Carney (Corporate Communication & Public Affairs)

Sarah Kachelhofer

Egg Drop Soup

Mentor: Rebecca Flores (Film & Media Arts)

Headshot of Arlo Kadane, Engaged Learning Fellow

Arlo Kadane '24

Mapping Informal Mining in Colombia
Mentor: Jessie Zarazaga (Civil and Environmental Engineering)
Headshot of Isis Kazadi, Engaged Learning Fellow

Isis Kazadi

Am I My Brother's Keeper: A Rational Dissection into the Family Unit’s Political Response to Incarceration
Mentor: Kara Sutton (Sociology)
Headshot of Sarah Khoja, Engaged Learning Fellow

Sarah Khoja '25

AAPI Students and the College Experience. 
Mentor: LaiYee Leong (Political Science)

Lily Kyriakides-Crowe

“Strategies for Coping with Peer Stress as Predictors of Emerging Adults’ Interpersonal Problems”

Mentor: Chrystyna Kouros (Psychology)

Morgan Martinez ELF

Morgan Martinez ‘24

Unite America: Vote Third Party PSA

Mentor: Mark Allen (Advertising)

Connor McAlpin

“Associations between Family Stress and Adolescents’ Risk for Depression”

Mentor: Dr. Chrystyna Kouros (Psychology)

Engaged Learning Fellowship logo

Mason Morland

SteadyLife: Mobile Device Enabled Quantitative Hand Tremor Measurement Software

Mentor: Bruce Snider

Headshot of Theo Morris, Engaged Learning Fellow

Theo Morris

SMU Guildhall Capstone Recording Sessions: Year Two

Mentor: Rob Frank, Music

Headshot of Kevin Nguyen, Engaged Learning Fellow

Kevin Nguyen ‘24

The Synthesis of HEMI and Biodegradable Polymers

Mentor: David Son, Chemistry

Headshot of Andrea Reyes, Engaged Learning Fellow

Andrea Reyes '24

Star Formation and Feedback in Active Galaxies. 
Mentor: Krista Lynne Smith (Physics)
Headshot of Anika Saiprabhu, Engaged Learning Fellow

Anika Saiprabhu

Prisoner of the Strings: the Dystopia of Book Bans and Censorship in Schools [music composition]
Mentor: Lane Harder (Music)

Alexis Schroeder

"Simplifying Blockchain for Novice Investors: Introducing a Beginner-Friendly Analytics Platform"

Mentor: Simon Mak (Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship)

Sadikshya Sitaula

Sadikshya Sitaula '24

Children's Mental Health Awareness in Nepal
Headshot of Anna Su, Engaged Learning Fellow

Anna Su

Early Interventions in STEM Education: Examining Spectrums of Youth Interest in Engineering
Mentor: Richard Duschl (Engineering Education)
Headshot of Nrithi Subramanian, Engaged Learning Fellow

Nrithi Subramanian

Mantra and Co.

Mentor: Anupama Shekar, Center on Research and Evaluation

Ephraim Sun

“Simplifying Blockchain for Novice Investors: Introducing a Beginner-Friendly Analytics Platform”

Mentor: Simon Mak (Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship)
Apurva Veeraswamy

Apurva Veeraswamy '24

Urgency in Chronic Disease Experience: An exploration of temporality and preventative care among Agape Clinic's diabetic patients
Mentor: Carolyn Smith-Morris (Anthropology)
Eric Vu, founder of Quizlog, with big check from Big iDeas

Eric Vu

Machine Learning for optimizing numerical integration for electromagnetic (EM) applications

Mentor:  Johannes Tausch, Mathematics

Headshot of Yvonne Yang, Engaged Learning Fellow

Yvonne Yang

Speculo (film)

Mentor: Rebecca Flores (Film)

Ross Yenerich

"What's so Special about the Special Olympics?"

Mentors: Mark Allen (Advertising) & Ryan Blitzer (Film & Media Arts)

Anna Kelley Zielke

Anna Kelley Zielke

House Divided: A Young Adult Book Investigating America's Political Polarization

Mentor: Brandon Miller (History)