George F. Whitworth Honors Program

Honors Capstone Projects

Video made with the assistance of Samuel Ortega ’25

All George Whitworth Honors students complete an individual project as part of their Honors Curriculum, cultivating skills of problem-solving, project proposals, and project management.

 

Projects may be academic or applied but in some way reflect the Honors Program’s Mission:

 

“The Whitworth Honors Program challenges talented and motivated scholars to pursue excellence of mind and heart, to cultivate leadership qualities and skills, and to commit to lives of service. The Honors Program does more than guide scholars to navigate the world as it is; it equips them to solve problems and to develop the world as it should be.”

Click the links below to get a sense of what students have been doing!
Class of 2023
Class of 2024
Class of 2025

Margaret Byle

As a Christian in the science field, these two dominant fields have always been a big part of my learning and worldview. During our time at Cambridge, we read a book by Yuval Harari titled Sapeins. In this book, Yuval Harari is attempting to tell the story of science throughout human history. I observed that in this attempt, Harari is guilty of placing science in a bubble, ignoring big changes going on in the world, specifically around the Scientific Revolution. This realization, paired with my strong passion and fascination for science and religion, led me to desire to be able to better prove that these two fields are not in conflict.

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May 6, 2025

Tricia Cebotari

TRICIA CEBOTARI Class of 2024. Hello! I’m an undergraduate student at Whitworth University pursuing my B.A. in Computer Science International Project Management and Spanish Language/Literature,

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April 30, 2024

Caleb McGever

A good magazine thrives off of good writing, good design, good photos, and good direction. However, in addition to the talent required to pull off these difficult qualifiers, a good magazine requires consistent policy to ensure the quality and consistency of its work. Additionally, written policy is important for providing transparency, which is a vital element of journalistic writing.

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April 29, 2025

Zachary Brooks

In an era where over 15,000 self-help books are published in the United States each year, everyone seems to have two cents to share about how we can improve our lives. Despite these countless publications, each quick-fix or new mindfulness appears ephemeral. Self-help needs help.

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May 1, 2025

Emma Maple

EMMA MAPLE Class of 2024. Communication Studies and Political Science Major.  The Case of the Missing Context: Newspaper coverage of the Supreme Court’s decisions in

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April 29, 2024

Kae Benton

KAE BENTON Class of 2024. Biochemistry Major. As a student who has spent many hours in biology and chemistry classes, I have fostered a deep

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May 1, 2024

Reeshika Sharma

REESHIKA SHARMA Class of 2024. Political Science Major. Empowering Reentry: A Look at Resources and Challenges Support for the successful reintegration of ex-offenders into society

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May 1, 2024

Caitlin Teeter

CAITLIN TEETER Class of 2024. Biology and English Double-Major.  Over the past few decades, studies from groups such as Scholastic have shown that children are

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April 29, 2024

Aubrey Parkinson

AUBREY PARKINSON Class of 2024. History Major, Medieval and Early Modern Studies Minor.   My career goal is to be a librarian. A Beginner’s Guide

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April 29, 2024

Megan Necochea

MEGAN NECOCHEA Megan is an undergraduate student at Whitworth University pursuing her Bachelor’s in English. She is the editor-in-chief of Script Magazine and the nonfiction editor of Rock and

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April 29, 2024

Michael St. Marie

MICHAEL ST. MARIE Class of 2024. Theology Major, English Minor. Next stop: attending Western Theological Seminary in Holland, MI next fall to pursue an M.Div.

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April 8, 2024

Hannah Cordero-Johnson

Immigration has long been a contentious issue in the U.S., but recent years have seen increasingly negative public attitudes shaped by race, religion, politics, and nationalism. Notably, research shows that white evangelical Christians often support restrictive immigration policies—despite professing compassion and a biblical call to welcome the stranger. This study explores how those contradictions play out locally in Spokane, Washington, by centering the voices of immigrants and refugees and examining how race, religion, and legal status shape their resettlement experiences.

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May 9, 2025

Salwa Mehreen

My project, MisMatch, started from a real-life frustration — how much time and energy it takes just to pick an outfit. Research shows that people spend around 102 hours a year deciding what to wear (Marks & Spencer), and about 50% of Americans say it’s the most stressful part of getting ready for an event (Trunk Club). At the same time, the fast fashion industry produces around 92 million tons of textile waste each year (UNEP), most of which ends up in landfills. I wanted to create something that helped people in their everyday lives while also promoting more sustainable habits.

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May 1, 2025

Casey Prociw

CASEY PROCIW Class of 2024.  Casey is a graduating senior with an English major and a Medieval/Early Modern Minor. He is a member of Sigma

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May 1, 2024

Caleb Flegel

As the world increasingly deals with the presence of Climate Change, we will increasingly need quality research to understand how it will affect the ecosystems that surround us. For this reason, this project is a collaboration with an existing research team investigating the effects of a changing climate on small aquatic ecosystems such as ponds. In the past, the associated research project has focused primarily on the effects of increasing pond temperatures. But, water oxygen saturation is another key indicator of ecosystem health. Not only does oxygen saturation directly affect the well-being of pond flora and fauna, but it also is affected by a warming climate.

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May 2, 2025

Irene Racharla

IRENE RACHARLA Class of 2024. Majoring in Computer Science on Business Track with minors in Sociology and G.W. Honors. Hosanna leader and member of Forest

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May 1, 2024

Ally McAfee

Growing up, the bookshelves in my home were always bursting with picture books, and many of them still are, even as the novels pile up on every surface for lack of room. I have long enjoyed reading, and credit my books with my interest in learning. This project came about as an attempt to make this love for reading and learning accessible to more people.

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April 29, 2025

Vincent Inayat

My honors capstone project investigates how systemic marginalization affects the political participation and lived experiences of religious minorities in Pakistan, focusing particularly on Christian communities in Karachi. Through qualitative research involving semi-structured interviews, I examined how fear, discrimination, and historical shifts in state ideology contribute to political disengagement. Participants expressed deep frustration with exclusionary practices, legal discrimination through blasphemy laws, and socio-economic disenfranchisement. Yet, I also uncovered stories of remarkable resilience such as communities leveraging civil society, clustering in safe neighborhoods, and using social media as new platforms for political expression. 

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May 6, 2025

Jillian Whiting

Ultimately, my project seeks to foster a more informed healthcare environment. One in which researchers, healthcare professionals, and patients are better equipped to navigate the unique complexities of women’s health.

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May 1, 2025

Eleanor Jeffers

ELEANOR JEFFERS Class of 2024. Philosophy Major. Details Forthcoming. Care Ethics for the Recently Deceased My project will analyze how an ethic of care can

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April 29, 2024

Britney Lewis

The stereotype of women apologizing more than men was tested by a psychology study which found that women apologized at higher frequencies. Yet, each gender apologized for an equal proportion of their offenses if it was recognized by them as a transgression (81% mean for men and women). My question was inspired by considering the compliment to an apology, forgiveness. If women engage with apology behavior at higher frequencies, whether or not a transgression has been fully realized, does this water down their engagement with relational repair? Conversely, does a lower frequency and a higher threshold for viewing a situation as apology-worthy influence greater levels of sincerity in the interpretation of forgiveness for men?

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May 15, 2025

HN 400 as a Platform for the Future

Grace Pedersen, a senior majoring in psychology, used HN 400 as a platform to launch her future. HN 400 gives students the ability to complete an individual project with faculty support and guidance.

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April 21, 2023

Sera Wiesen

With the overturing of Roe V Wade came a plague of misinformation surrounding reproductive health. This led to medical practitioners and specialists being misinformed and fearing prosecution for providing lifesaving procedures on pregnant women. Reproductive healthcare doesn’t just involve abortion, it includes emergency care, about the right to survive a pregnancy. The misinformation flooding the system is making everything worse. State laws are murky and full of vague language state by state, leaving medical professionals unsure if they’d be prosecuted for providing necessary, lifesaving care for their patients. To me, it is wrong that in a first world country, people are left to suffer because of this misinformation. My goal is to bring light to proper information about abortion care even in the most restrictive states.

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May 13, 2025

Research on the River

Hannah Neuberger, a senior majoring in biology, is researching the level of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB’s) in the Spokane River in her HN 400 class.

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April 13, 2023

Isabelle Scottlind

ISABELLE SCOTTLIND Class of 2024. Isabelle is an undergraduate student at Whitworth University pursing her Bachelor’s in English and History. She hopes to pursue a

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May 1, 2024