2025 EDITION

Volume 7, Fall 2025

Foreword​

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Welcome to the seventh edition of Illuminate! It is an honor to begin my term as Publications Officer and Editor of Illuminate, following Kathryn M. MacDonald, Director of the Honors Program at Monroe University, who has managed this role with near-magical efficiency since founding the journal in 2019—all while also serving as Executive Secretary of the Northeast Regional Honors Council. It is a privilege to continue the editorial tradition she established and developed with such creativity and care.

The seventh edition of Illuminate features 27 new pieces from contributors and showcases the breadth and depth of the academic and creative talent of honors students and recent alumni across 22 institutions in the NRHC. With 14 academic papers and 13 creative works, this edition spans numerous academic disciplines (Business, Economics, and Technology; Education; Language, Literature, and Philosophy; Media and the Arts; Natural Sciences, Psychology, and Allied Health; and Social Sciences) and creative genres (Creative Nonfiction; Fine Art and Illustration; Poetry and Short Fiction). Many of the works in this edition engage with the 2025 NRHC Conference theme, “Civic Engagement at the Crossroads,” while others—particularly the creative pieces—explore more personal and self-reflective themes. Together, these works "illuminate" new ways of seeing ourselves and the world we inhabit.

The process of assembling this journal began five months ago, back in May, at the close of the submission period. All submissions undergo a double-blind, peer-review process. Pieces are either accepted with minor edits or conditionally accepted pending major revisions. The latter are resubmitted for a second review before final decisions are made. All accepted works are then proofread by the editorial board. Bringing this issue to completion required dedication and perseverance from both contributors and the editorial team.​ On our Meet Our Team page, you can find a biography for each member of the editorial team who helped to get this edition across the finish line, as well as biographies of each academic and creative contributor.

If you have any questions or wish to contact any of the contributors, please email us at illuminatenrhc@gmail.com.

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Sincerely,

Dr. Diana H. Polley

Editor-in-Chief, Illuminate
Director of the Martinson Honors Program, United States Air Force Academy

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2025 Edition Contents

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Click here to access Academic Work.

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Click here to access Creative Work.

The following are the pieces selected to be featured in Volume 7of Illuminate. They are organized by the author’s last name:

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“Crossroads Between a Healthy Gut and Clear Skin”

Syed Arif, Fairleigh Dickinson University

“Letters from Love”

Laura Blanco, Cedar Crest College

“Understanding the Global Burden of Falls”

Block, Evan, SUNY Albany

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" The Heaviest House"

Louie Burke, Community College of Allegheny

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" Guatemala's Healthcare System at a Crossroads"

Isabella Centena Solis, Frederick Community College

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" How To Dodge Questions I Never Had the Answer To"

Alejandra de la Cruz, Point Park University

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"Cutting Us Out"

Bianca De La Cruz, Mercy University

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" Perspectives of Power and Privilege in Rebecca Harding Davis’s ‘Life in the Iron Mills’"

Charlie Dorlon, Chatham University

" Inkblot Self-Portrait"

Emily Eisenhard, Northampton Community College

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" Fears and Phobias"

Maya Garlick, Albertus Magnus College

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" The Effects of B. Cereus, Rhizobacteria, Mycorrhizal Fungi, and Oyster Mushrooms on Plant Health and Growth"

Sara Hemaid, Fairleigh Dickinson University

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“Civic Engagement in Honors Education: A Path Forward Towards a Better World"

Istisha Ibnat, Thomas Jefferson University

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" The Importance of Racial Ethnic Socialization in Transracial Adoption"

Rose Jeffes, Commonwealth University

​“ ‘Where we take shape in the dark air’: The Specter of Our Humanity in John Hollander’s ‘Swan and Shadow’"

Raewyn Kraybill, Chatham University

" Redirecting"

Anna Lineburger, Thomas Jefferson University

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" Resting on Western Pennsylvania's Shoulder"

Cloe Loosz, Point Park University

"Diversity Our Institutions"

Amber Lyons, Westfield State University

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"Resilience in the Classroom"

Amanda Olachea, Dominican University New York

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"Be Our Guest (Or Not!): The Role of Public Opinion in Providing Services to Same-Sex Couples"

Lian Peach, Salisbury University

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"Family Structure's Influence on Perspectives of Future Relationships"

Ashley Pearson, Monroe University

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"Funding Academic Success in Low-Income Communities"

Dylan Rehm, Bergen Community College

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"Cemetery Clips"

Vince Smykal, Point Park University

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"Low-Intensity Fires Impacting Soil Bacterial Population Diversity"

Wallace Tonks, Russell Sage College

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"Medical Advice"

Gabriel Wagstaff, Southern Connecticut University

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"Benchmarking Neural Machine Translation Using Open-Source Transformer Models and a Comparative Study with a Focus on Medical and Legal Domains"

Jawad Zaman, St. Joseph’s University

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