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The Impact of the Wellness Workshop Series on Middle School Students from an Under- Resourced Community
Get PDFThis capstone project evaluates the impact of the Wellness Workshop Series, a collaboration between Serving Stars and the Merrimack Valley Area Health Education Center (MV-AHEC). The series was designed for middle school students from the under-resourced community of Lawrence, MA, and it aimed to improve students\u27 knowledge of nutrition and fitness habits and confidence in making informed healthy choices. The current literature highlights the significant aspects of after-school programs, as they can address systemic inequities in education and health. Using a mixed-methods approach, the evaluation examined the pre- and post-survey data collected by MV-AHEC. There were 11 survey questions on nutrition and fitness, an observation log for each workshop, and student responses to an open-ended question. The data analysis used the pre- and post-survey results to assess knowledge gains, behavioral shifts, and learning takeaways by calculating the percentage changes in knowledge and confidence. The workshop observations were grouped and systematized to recognize any shifts in student participation, engagement, and focus. The workshops significantly increased nutritional knowledge, with a more moderate increase in fitness knowledge. Knowledge about calorie intake and nutrition labels also increased significantly. Observation logs and student feedback showed high engagement, curiosity, and the ability to apply new knowledge in real-life contexts. This program evaluation shows the effectiveness of the Wellness Workshop Series, thus demonstrating the value of community-led health programs in after-school settings
Family Engagement and a Rich Home Literacy Environment: The shaping of literacy and language development in early childhood children
Get PDFFamily engagement is a powerful force in shaping children’s literacy and language development. Research consistently highlights the impact of daily family engagement in creating a rich home literacy environment. Theories such as Sociocultural Theory, Ecological Systems Theory, and the Funds of Knowledge framework illustrate how human development is influenced by social interactions within various environments, with home serving as the first and most important learning environment. Family engagement is shaped by multiple factors, including socioeconomic status, parental beliefs, and access to literacy resources at home and in the community. Family engagement can also help address challenges such as socioeconomic barriers, limited knowledge of child development, time constraints, and difficulties in establishing literacy routines. An analysis of parental engagement was gathered in this Community Workshop Capstone project to discover parents knowledge to create themes on family engagement in addition to literacy home environments influence language and literacy skills in children aged zero to five. Fostering and sustaining on-going family engagement, positive learning practices provide parents with potential foundations relating to their child’s literacy and language growth
Strategic Analysis of Lululemon Athletica Inc.
Get PDFThis project is based on an in-depth research paper of Lululemon Athletica that was assigned during my writing intensive course. It describes the operations, history, financial health, competitive analysis, growth analysis and many other aspects of this established company. It will also include key research on the business strategy the company follows in order to maintain their growth and success. All of these concepts relate back to the types of strategies and analysis performed within this course and how we can apply them to our research.https://scholarworks.merrimack.edu/rcac_2025_posters/1005/thumbnail.jp
The Implementation of an Executive Functioning Curriculum in Middle School Students Diagnosed with ADHD
Get PDFThis quantitative study measures the effectiveness of the Homework, Organization, and Planning Skills (HOPS) curriculum. HOPS is an intervention that focuses on helping students with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) improve their executive functioning skills. Ten students diagnosed with ADHD from a predominately white, suburban middle school participated. A pre/post survey was used to collect feedback on the effectiveness of the HOPS Curriculum from both students and teachers. Students participated in a sixteen-session focus on skills for homework recording, time management, assignment completion, and binder organization. After completion, both teachers and students completed the post-test survey. The results provide insights into the impact of the 16-week HOPS intervention.https://scholarworks.merrimack.edu/rcac_2025_posters/1010/thumbnail.jp
Moving Students Toward Adulthood
Get PDFWithin the past few decades, higher education has drastically expanded, which has created an ongoing problem regarding the length of time it takes young adults to reach economic and social maturity (Berlin et al., 2010). This notable shift of moving from adolescence to adulthood continues to be delayed due to higher education involvement in young adults\u27 lives (Berlin et al., 2010). Young adults take “more time to gain independence from their families and establish themselves in adult roles,” and higher education is to blame (Berlin et al., 2010, p. 4). This creates a lingering problem: higher education is delaying adulthood, but college degrees are needed to obtain a well-paying job, additionally, “employers have been increasingly reluctant to hire young people without educational credentials” (Berlin et al., 2010, p. 4). Education is becoming the source of a successful life and social stratification, but it is delaying adulthood and creating emerging societal patterns that were not a problem decades ago (Berlin et al., 2010). The progression of this phenomenon is shaped by institutions and the professionals within them. Therefore, the overarching goal of this project is to educate practitioners through a workshop series about the importance of moving students toward adulthood.https://scholarworks.merrimack.edu/rcac_2025_posters/1022/thumbnail.jp
Trafficked and Traumatized: The Hidden Battle for Mental Health Awareness After Exploitation.”
Get PDFSex trafficking is a global issue, resulting in many survivors experiencing profound psychological trauma and struggling to maintain their mental health and well-being. This systematic literature review aims to answer questions regarding the specific psychological effects of sex trafficking on survivors and how effective mental health interventions and support systems are in promoting their recovery. Empirical studies included in the review help answer these questions by highlighting quantitative findings, as well as themes from qualitative interviews with survivors brave enough to share their experiences. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, as well as suicidal thoughts are the main mental health concerns of sex trafficking, according to the literature in this review. The majority of the research suggests the significance of individual, survivor-centered therapies involving trust-building and trauma-informed care that promote the psychological health and well-being of the survivors. These interventions are found to be critical in the care of sex trafficking survivors due to the extreme mental and physical pain and suffering they were forced to endure. With these interventions present, it is with hope that survivors can regain a sense of freedom, learn coping mechanisms, and reconnect with society. This assessment highlights the need for more accessibility of resources, legal advocacy, stigma challenges, and education and outreach for survivors of sex trafficking globally.https://scholarworks.merrimack.edu/rcac_2025_posters/1050/thumbnail.jp
A Solitary Alternative: Structured Intervention Units in Canadian Prisons
Get PDFOnce Courts in Canada “confirmed that solitary confinement violates the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, structured intervention units (SIUs) were created as a reform (Pate, 2019, para. 3). This reform sought to remove administrative segregation and create change to the circumstances when an inmate is confined in these SIUs. While this sounds like a step in the right direction in practice, implementing SIUs may have created a worse situation for those confined due to the lack of ‘oversight’ and ‘accountability’ of the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC).
My research paper examines whether structured intervention units (SIUs) are a step towards a more rehabilitative approach. The examination will address the use of solitary confinement in both the United States and Canada and compare it to the newer use of structured intervention units in Canada. This will include comparing the differences between the three in definition and application, as well as the problems that have been identified as being related to the use of each of these strategies in order to determine if the shift is in fact a more rehabilitative approach. Finally, to conclude, I will seek to look beyond SIUs, considering some correctional goals that both Canada and the US can strive towards to help rehabilitate the individual as well as society in their response to crime.https://scholarworks.merrimack.edu/rcac_2025_posters/1052/thumbnail.jp
The Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance and its Influence on Herd Immunity
Get PDFThe evolution of antibiotics revolutionized the management of infectious diseases, beginning with Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin in 1928. Penicillin’s success inspired the development of other antibiotic classes such as tetracyclines, drastically improving treatment outcomes for bacterial infections. However, this progress soon faced major challenges as antibiotic resistance emerged. Resistance evolves through genetic mutations and horizontal gene transfer, often driven by the overuse and misuse of antibiotics in healthcare and agriculture. This has allowed bacterial strains to adapt rapidly, making infections more difficult to treat and reducing the effectiveness of many once-reliable drugs. As a result, antibiotics must continually evolve to stay ahead in the battle against resistant pathogens. Bacteria can alter drug targets, reduce cell permeability, and expel antibiotics, all of which hinder treatment success. These adaptive mechanisms raise concerns about the long-term viability of current antibiotics. At the same time, herd immunity achieved through widespread vaccination helps reduce the need for antibiotic treatment by lowering infection rates. As new diseases emerge and resistance increases, researchers are exploring novel therapies and strategies to minimize antibiotic misuse and delay resistance development. Fortunately, advancements in medical technology are improving the precision and effectiveness of antibiotic use, allowing for more targeted therapies that increase the chances of successful treatment. Despite these innovations, the role of antibiotics in modern medicine remains essential. Ongoing research and global cooperation are necessary to preserve their effectiveness and protect public health. This review examines the impact of antibiotic resistance on herd immunity and broader infectious disease control strategies.https://scholarworks.merrimack.edu/rcac_2025_posters/1057/thumbnail.jp
RiSC: Risk-taking, Sleep, and Cortisol
Get PDFDuring adolescence, there is a chronotypic shift, biologically driving individuals into being more evening-types as opposed to morning-types. This shift towards being more productive and awake during the evenings often lasts through young adulthood. Given that high school students need to wake up early for school, they are often at high risk of sleep deprivation, with less than 3% of adolescents getting the recommended amount of sleep every night. Given the importance of sleep for emotion regulation and cognitive functions, we investigated whether nocturnal sleep quality, stress, and decision making were related in both adolescents (15-17 years) and young adults (18-35 years). To measure sleep, a sleep profiler headband is used in order to collect sleep staging from three frontal electrodes. To test for cortisol levels, a hormone associated with both sleep behavior and stress responses, 4 saliva samples are taken via a passing drooling method to assess the morning cortisol awakening response. Risk-taking behavior is recorded using the Balloon Emotional Learning Task (BELT), in which participants are asked to gain points by blowing up balloons of varying material as large as possible without popping. Based on the material of each balloon, some balloons are more risky to inflate. The overall objective of the RiSC study is to find if risk-taking behavior is impacted by sleep and if the cortisol awakening response plays a role in risk-taking behavior.https://scholarworks.merrimack.edu/rcac_2025_posters/1078/thumbnail.jp