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

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

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

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

Kendall Sandhop

KENDALL SANDHOP Class of 2024. Kendall is an undergraduate student studying Biology and Environmental Science at Whitworth university. Her graduating plan is to take a

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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

Angela Wessel

ANGELA WESSEL Class of 2024. I am currently pursuing a B.B.A., with a management concentration. I also have theology and sociology minors, and career-wise I’m

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April 29, 2024

Honors senior works to improve pool access

Hannah Stoddard, who is majoring in international studies, found that Honors has given her a way to connect her major, her personal experiences, and her passion. The intersection of these different parts of Hannah’s life has resulted in a pool project aimed to improve local communities.

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April 27, 2023

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

Delaney Woods

DELANEY WOODS Class of 2024. Health Sciences Major.  Breaking the Cycle: Redefining healthcare through overprescription awareness In a healthcare system reliant on pharmacological interventions, patient

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May 1, 2024

Carlynn Casperson

Observing patterns within the current healthcare system sparked the foundation of this project. While many rural communities possess strong local support networks, these systems are not substitutes for trained healthcare professionals and are limited in the level of care they can provide. As a student preparing to enter a field directly connected to rural healthcare delivery in Southeast Alaska, I felt compelled to deepen my understanding of these challenges. By doing so, I hope to return home as an entry-level OT better equipped to contribute meaningfully to ongoing efforts to improve care.

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April 24, 2026

Jacob Soo

One of the main reasons that kids quit sports is because of poor coaching. When coaches are hired, they are often not properly trained. This project aims to fill a gap in the research when it comes to youth sports coaching and training and can be a valuable piece for coaching journals and local athletic associations. This project also sheds light on how youth sports coaches could be more comprehensively trained and can be valuable to any parent seeking a better athletic experience for their child. This project does not only focus on the basic skills needed for youth sports coaches, like CPR and first aid, but also on more complex skills like emotional control and creating an inclusive space for young athletes.

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April 27, 2026

Molly Fleagle

Access to affordable and preventive dental care remains a significant challenge in Spokane, Washington, particularly for children in low-income, minority, and non-English-speaking families. Many residents with Apple Health coverage, the dental care insurance for low-income families, still face barriers to treatment due to limited provider participation and low reimbursement rates. Compounding these disparities, Spokane is the largest city in Washington that has not implemented water fluoridation, contributing to higher rates of untreated tooth decay among children. This project seeks to address these oral health inequities by developing a proposal advocating for school-based preventive dental programs and curricula, specifically brushing techniques, the truth about cavities, and demonstrations in Spokane’s low-income elementary schools. Ultimately, this work seeks to improve equitable access to dental care for Spokane’s children and contribute to long-term community health outcomes.

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April 22, 2026

Noran Khalil

My honors project addresses this gap by developing a sign language translator application, functioning similarly to Google Translate. The app features a keyboard that displays ASL signs as images, allowing users to either select signs directly to communicate in sign language or type words normally and have them translated into the corresponding signs. This application is built with one goal in mind: to ensure that every person, regardless of hearing ability, can communicate effectively and with dignity.

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April 23, 2026

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

Lizzy Bradford

Families that have children who experience Down Syndrome are confronted with many demanding needs in order to help their child thrive in today’s society. Unfortunately, several limitations can interfere with getting help for these families who are in need of additional services including therapy for their children. This proposed project aims to decrease the disadvantages and clarify the resources and research available to them. It hopes to combat the limited access to physical therapy, by producing a social media page with extensive resources, up-to-date research, and exercise videos related to improving quality of life and development for children with Down Syndrome along with their families. What inspired my project was my interest in pediatric physical therapy as well as my close relationships with people who have Down Syndrome. I have had wonderful opportunities to volunteer at Down Syndrome Success Organizations and have learned about techniques that help further the development of children with Down Syndrome. I have seen firsthand how much joy they bring to the lives around them and how many stressors they (and their families) can encounter in everyday life. Even though I am not a licensed Physical Therapist yet, and thus can’t provide any actual therapy, I hope that my social media page will help clarify the research and resources available for families who need it.

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April 27, 2026

Dylan Richardson

Our climate policy framework is largely built on two significant bills: the 2019 Clean Energy Transition Act, which commits the state to greenhouse gas emission-free electricity generation, and the Climate Commitment Act, which implements a carbon tax and emissions trading scheme. While the CCA and CETA are essential steps, any policy framework inevitably leaves out certain local concerns. My research explores one way that these policies leave out the Spokane area, particularly in the context of our unique geologic history. The Spokane Valley–Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer is particularly vulnerable to contaminated runoff.

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May 1, 2025

Ali Ball

ALI BALL Class of 2024. Health Sciences Major. Understanding Post-Covid ER Visits Overcrowded emergency rooms are a critical and prevalent issue for healthcare facilities across

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April 29, 2024

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

Hailey Nass

HAILEY NASS Class of 2025. Elementary Education Major. I come from a family of teachers and have always been drawn to helping people. I am

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April 29, 2024

Ahmed Amir

Small businesses operate under constant time pressure, often leading to missed calls. Data shows that 62% of calls to small businesses go unanswered, and 85% of those callers will not try to contact the business again. This translates to an average loss of over $126,000 in annual revenue per business. While large corporations have the budget for advanced AI communication tools, small business owners are often left behind due to high costs and technical complexity. My project aims to bridge this “tech gap” by creating a functional prototype of an AI onboarding process and dashboard tailored specifically for small business needs. My research focused on how to make sophisticated technology user-friendly; I developed an onboarding system that allows a business owner to set up a custom AI agent through simple, non-technical steps. Additionally, I built a dashboard that visualizes critical metrics such as response times, booking rates, and engagement patterns in a clear, accessible format. By simplifying the configuration and monitoring of AI, this project demonstrates how automation can reduce friction, save time, and help small businesses capture opportunities that would otherwise be lost. My goal is to prove that with the right design, cutting-edge AI can be a tool for every entrepreneur, not just those with enterprise-level budgets.

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April 28, 2026

Shelbe Nelson

Growing up, I’ve always had an affinity towards creativity, art-hobbying, and music. They bring me joy and personal flourishing outside of my every-day life. I think that it is a large part of being human. What inspired my work is the recent conflict between social media platforms and artists. Over the recent years, the content of visual and musical artists have been subjugated to constant thieving of their work by AI and being buried due to biased media algorithms. In a time where many careers are put under threat by replacement via AI, I want to make a change, even if it is a small one. My career of studying marketing and economic tactics has taught me how to be a voice for those who need it. So I have decided to put my skills to the test and bring light to my peers even in these uncertain times.

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April 22, 2026

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

Evan Galle

Many college students arrive on campus without a clear picture of their semester-to-semester education actually costs or how to manage it. Watching Whitworth University peers navigate financial stress often without adequate tools or guidance, inspired me to complete this project. A personalized budgeting spreadsheet built exclusively for Whitworth students

The central question driving this project was: how can a practical, student-financial tool be designed to make budgeting accessible, accurate, and actionable for Whitworth students specifically? I found that generic budgeting advice and one-size-fits-all templates fail to account for the unique situations Whitworth students face. Students are having to juggle the various fees associated with attending, the different room and board types, and the realities of student jobs that help the budget, this project addresses the gap directly.

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April 28, 2026

William Henke

Modern language has become violent in a way that abstracts our words from their actual meanings. Phrases like “slay” “break a leg” “you’re killing it” and many others reveal how violence has settled into quotidian linguistics. This reorientation towards violence desensitizes people to its larger social implications and promotes inadequate communication. Language that was once, and by dictionary definition still is, seen as violent or harmful is now utilized in neutral or even uplifting ways. Desensitization towards larger problems in society like gun violence, racism, global warming, etc. engenders an escalation of language in order to gain an appropriate reaction to said issues.

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May 1, 2025

Chloe Stelly

Since going through the Education Department here at Whitworth, I have become increasingly interested in the academic achievement of our students here in Washinton. Education has changed so drastically over the years, and the hope is that we are still meeting the needs of our students in an ever-shifting society. Since Covid, state testing has dropped and has continued to do so which raises concern; how can our children get the best education when standards are so demanding? Is the education we are providing right now the education our students need? I wanted to study the effects that state standards have on primary children and whether or not an increase in academic performance is happening in our schools. The reason for this project is to study the impact of our state standards on the growth and development of our students.

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April 29, 2026

Jude Ruetschle

Broadly speaking, our world tends to see religion as a sort of ‘meaning-making’ device. In faith, one is able to carve divine order into the chaos and fragmentation of the human experience. This makes faith a vehicle for hope—for settling the existential realization that nothing in our lives makes sense. The premise of this project, however, challenges that assumption: What if grasping after order and unity is not a source, but an obstruction to our ability to embrace life?

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May 1, 2025