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Silent Cries: Analyzing the Psychological Profiles of High School Shooters
No full textOver the past two decades, school shootings have increased in frequency and severity in the United States, leaving schools, families, and communities with long-lasting trauma. Despite experiencing school shootings for more than 20 years, protocols put in place regarding school shootings seem to only be reactive rather than proactively identifying and preventing the occurrence. The purpose of this thesis was to analyze behavioral patterns high school shooters tend to exhibit using multiple factors and propose potential preventative strategies to reduce the number of incidents. This study relies on secondary data analysis in which behavioral, mental, and environmental factors were examined in every case. Eight high school shooting cases were thoroughly examined, falling within the timeframe of 1999 to 2023, where each resulted in four or more fatalities/injuries. Specific demographics of each school shooter will be further researched, such as the shooter’s race, age, weapon access, mental health, previous behaviors prior to the attack, and social and academic status. Robert Agnew’s General Strain Theory will be utilized to assist with the understanding of school shootings in order to come up with potentially successful prevention strategies. Few studies have analyzed the multiple factors that are looked at in this thesis to help determine what can be considered a red flag. This thesis contributes to the field by proposing prevention strategies as well as educating individuals from all social circles about what red flags to look out for when spotting a potential school shooter
St. Mary\u27s School of Law Graduation, 2025 (December)
No full texthttps://commons.stmarytx.edu/grad2025dec/1003/thumbnail.jp
St. Mary\u27s School of Law Graduation, 2025 (December)
No full texthttps://commons.stmarytx.edu/grad2025dec/1004/thumbnail.jp
St. Mary\u27s School of Law Graduation, 2025 (December)
No full texthttps://commons.stmarytx.edu/grad2025dec/1007/thumbnail.jp
Investigating the Role of TWIST1 in Cancer Progression Using CRISPR Knockdown
No full textTWIST1 is a transcription factor that plays a critical role in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a process that promotes cancer cell migration, invasion, and metastasis. This study investigates the functional role of TWIST1 in cancer progression by using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockdown to examine its effects on apoptosis, proliferation, migration, and invasion. TWIST1 was knocked down in cancer cell lines using CRISPR/Cas9 assay. Knockdown efficiency and changes in genes were confirmed by qRT-PCR. Functional assays included caspase assays for apoptosis, MTT assays for proliferation, wound-healing assays for migration, Matrigel invasion assays, and colony formation assays to assess long-term growth and invasive potential. Across assays, TWIST1 knockdown significantly increased apoptosis, reduced proliferation, and showed limited impact on migration, while colony formation results were difficult to interpret due to widespread cell death. qRT-PCR confirmed strong TWIST1 suppression, validating the effectiveness of the knockdowns. Together, these findings indicate that loss of TWIST1 compromises cancer cell survival and proliferation, supporting its role as a key driver of tumor progression and highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target.https://commons.stmarytx.edu/mecofdis/1003/thumbnail.jp
An interpretive phenomenological analysis of counselor\u27s experience of breathwork and its impact on their therapeutic practice
No full textBreathwork, a transpersonal and experiential approach to psychotherapy, has been used for healing and transformation throughout the years. When applied in clinical practice, breathwork can serve as a conduit to access nonordinary states of consciousness for self-exploration and transformation. Traditional psychotherapy does not engage with nonordinary states of consciousness as part of the therapeutic process; thus, research in relation to counselors’ experiences of breathwork and their impact on therapeutic practice has yet to be explored.
Counselors’ experiences of breathwork and the influence they have in clinical practice is the phenomena explored in this research study. Exploring counselor experience with a transpersonal therapeutic intervention such as breathwork, potentially aids in increasing counselor competencies and positive outcomes. The current literature is limited in exploring counselors’ experiences with breathwork, both in terms of their own personal experience as well as their role as witnesses to their clients’ experience.
In this study, the use of breathwork by licensed professional counselors is discussed to gain deeper insights as to the overall therapeutic process and application of transformative encounters with the breath. This study employed a phenomenological qualitative research method to gain insight into the participants’ experience of breath after going through integral breath therapy (IBT) training as well as insights gained in its application and practice. Participants were recruited from the United States. Each participant partook in a one time, audio recorded semistructured interview.
The study explored breathwork in the therapeutic process, focusing on counselors’ experiences through a transpersonal lens. By exploring both personal and clinical encounters, the study expands understanding of human potential, contributes to experiential and consciousness research, and supports the integration of therapeutic techniques that facilitate transformative self-exploration and growth
Aspen Leading Edge Podcast, Episode 118: Critical Reading with Sara Berman
No full textSara Berman, USC Gould School of Law, talks about her experience in lawyering skills, academic success, and bar success. She also discusses the importance of critical reading and how reading with three senses will be the most effective, too.https://commons.stmarytx.edu/edge/1087/thumbnail.jp
EN5361A_Symposium Picture
No full textNicholas Denmark, Alexandra Renteria, Mary Arnolds, and Sophia Farias at the research symposium.https://commons.stmarytx.edu/avinvlang2502/1001/thumbnail.jp