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Beyond the Prototype: How Implicit Leadership Theories and Intersectional Identities Shape Perceptions of Leader Effectiveness
No full textDespite clear evidence demonstrating the benefit of diversity within leadership, individuals from traditionally marginalized groups are still vastly underrepresented in top roles within organizations. The individuals we most frequently see in leadership roles inform who we implicitly envision as a prototypical leader. The disproportionate representation of straight white men in leadership suggests our idea of a leader is crafted from this image. This reality has significant implications, yet thus far, leadership research has fallen short of adequately capturing the impacts on diverse leaders due to the tendency to examine leader social identities in isolation and methodological approaches inadequate for targeting implicit beliefs. To rectify those shortcomings, two choice-based conjoint studies of everyday Americans (n=359, n=379, respectively) examine the interactive impact of intersectional leader social identities (i.e., gender, race, sexual orientation) and Implicit Leadership Theory (ILT) characteristics on perceived leader effectiveness. In addition to evidence that all evaluators continue to favor leaders who embody socially dominant identities (i.e., white, male, straight), the studies found that the presence of ILT characteristics that (mis)aligned with social group stereotypes created differential effects on perceptions of leader effectiveness. By integrating an intersectional lens with ILTs and employing innovative methodologies to target implicit beliefs, this work advances our understanding of the underlying mechanisms perpetuating the disenfranchisement of leaders with socially nondominant identities. The findings underscore the need to challenge entrenched prototypes and implicit biases in leadership evaluation, informing strategies to promote more equitable leadership advancement
7 Gateways In The Milky Way
Get PDFIn a world saturated with digital distractions, 7 Gateways in the Milky Way offers an invitation to slow down, step inside a moment, and contemplate the unseen. This body of work reframes time and perception through a series of conceptual cosmic creations—immersive installations meant to be occupied, not just observed.
The series incorporates geometric abstraction, conceptual sculpture, and contemplative environments composed of textiles, wood, sand, sound, light, redefined found objects, and ram’s horns. Inspired by the mysticism of the number seven—often symbolizing completion or cycle—each piece acts as a portal, shifting the viewer’s sense of space and time.
These site-responsive works are structured by spatial gestures like arches, bridges, and thresholds. They cultivate interactions with the literal and metaphorical space beyond the gallery—spaces where rhythm, sound, and memory converge. My multisensory practice blends tactile materials with layered sound and multimedia elements to mirror how the subconscious moves through thought, sensation, and time.
I introduce rhythm and movement through poetic cadences—drawing influence from jazz, hip-hop, and spoken word. This adds a temporal layer to the visual field, mirroring how memory loops, stretches, or collapses.
Rather than seek singular interpretations, I invite slow discovery and layered engagement. Each work is a proposition: to dwell, to exchange, to witness transformation. My aim is to create meaningful environments that reward presence and reflection—experiences that stretch beyond two dimensions and invite a more intimate way of being with the world
The Power to Commission: Exploring the Evaluation Capacity and the Transformative Role of Evaluation Commissioners in the International Development Sector
No full textEvaluation commissioners play a central role in evaluation practice by generating demand for evaluation through issuing calls for evaluation services and managing evaluation contracts (Lemire, Nielsen et al., 2018; Nielsen et al., 2018b), particularly in the international development sector. Yet few competency sets specify the knowledge and skills needed to conduct this work. Even less is known about the evaluation marketplace in the international development sector and the contract mechanisms used to procure evaluation services.
This research explored the capacity to commission evaluation among international nongovernmental organization (INGO) evaluation commissioners, including individual competencies and practices for commissioning an evaluation, factors that facilitate and constrain the commissioning process, and ways in which evaluation commissioners can contribute toward decolonizing evaluation. The research questions were answered using an explanatory sequential mixed methods design consisting of two phases: (a) a quantitative phase (survey) followed by (b) a qualitative (multiple case study) phase comparing and contrasting INGOs with emerging and high evaluation capacity.
Phase One of the research included a survey of INGO evaluation commissioners (N = 93) to understand individual and organizational evaluation capacity, commissioning practices and influential factors, and awareness of calls to decolonize evaluation. Respondents possessed a median of 10 years of commissioning experience and reported (on a five-point scale) high levels of individual evaluation capacity (Mdn = 4.5, IQR = 4.3, 4.6). Organizational evaluation capacity varied by organizational resources for evaluation and organizational use of evaluation. On average, respondents rated the INGO capacity to use evaluation (M = 3.7, SD = 0.64) slightly higher than organizational resources provided for evaluation (M = 3.4, SD = 0.75).
Commissioners reported always or often recruiting external evaluators by publicly posting requests for proposals (67.6%, n = 54), by circulating among a short-list of evaluators (33.8%, n = 27), or by referrals (30.1%, n = 24). Three-quarters of respondents (n = 62) reported seeking evaluation expertise as the top qualification when recruiting evaluators; yet two-thirds (n = 53) reported they did not use an evaluator competency framework when reviewing evaluator qualifications. Over 60% (n = 48) of respondents reported being moderately to very aware of calls to decolonize evaluation. However, 16.6% (n = 12) reported contributing a lot or a great deal to these efforts.
Phase Two consisted of a multiple case study of four INGOs with differing levels (emerging, high) of organizational evaluation capacity by evaluation resources and evaluation use. Interviews (N = 21) and document review (N = 36) were analyzed by case. A cross-case synthesis illuminated that the evaluation commissioning process is relatively standard across INGOs but that interpersonal, organizational, and systems-level factors influence commissioner decision making and the commissioning process.
Interpersonal factors included coordination and communication not only with evaluators but with internal and external interest holders (N = 4 cases). Organizational factors included organizational evaluation policies (N = 4 cases), organizational culture (n = 3 cases) and structure (n = 2 cases), and INGO staff evaluation capacity (n = 2 cases). Systems-level factors included the evaluation marketplace (N = 4 cases), donor requirements (n = 3 cases), and the nature of the development sector (n = 3 cases).
Commissioners had varying levels of awareness and agreement with calls to decolonize evaluation. Some articulated ways to contribute to decolonization by contracting with local evaluators, adopting participatory approaches to engage local communities, and using evaluation methodologies indigenous to the local context.
The collective findings illuminate the state of the field regarding evaluation commissioning, identify strengths and challenges in the commissioning process, and point to future directions for strengthening this capacity and contributing to decolonizing evaluation within the international development sector
Humans Among Giants: Urban Vitality and Implications of Vertical Development in Hong Kong
Get PDFThis thesis explores the complex relationship between vertical urbanism and street life, using Hong Kong as a case study to investigate how human-scale urbanism persists and adapts amidst the dominance of skyscrapers. While vertical structures symbolize modernity, economic growth, and global influence, they often overshadow the vibrancy and social connectivity that characterize ground-level spaces. This research draws on the theoretical frameworks of Jane Jacobs, David Harvey, and David Sibley to examine the interplay between vertical urbanism and street life, focusing on how spatial design impacts community engagement and cultural vibrancy. By analyzing the coexistence of modern skyscrapers and traditional street-level activity in Hong Kong, this thesis investigates how vertical growth can either complement or constrain social interaction, cultural expression, and inclusivity. Key themes addressed include housing inequality, environmental challenges, and the role of public space in shaping urban identities. The findings highlight the resilience of street life in Hong Kong and suggest that thoughtful integration of vertical architecture with human-centered design can foster dynamic, inclusive urban environments where both modernity and tradition coexist. This thesis ultimately contributes to a broader understanding of how cities can evolve upward while maintaining the vital connections that make them livable, community-oriented spaces
Snacks, Subscriptions, and The State: Analyzing Japan’s Nation Brand Through Bokksu Snack Boxes
Get PDFNation branding, or the strategic depiction of a nation to influence the perceptions of international stakeholders and the general population, has become a principal means of increasing soft power in today’s globalized world. Food has long held a place in the nation branding literature, and new food distribution methods allow products to reach audiences in ways once thought impossible. Subscription snack boxes, by delivering snacks from a country on a recurring basis, metaphorically bring the nation to the consumer and foster a narrative of that country in the recipient\u27s mind. One country, Japan, has experienced a noticeable boom in its snack box market; however, since gastrodiplomacy literature has focused solely on cuisines, this study seeks to fill the gap created by omitting snacks from Japan’s nation branding research.
This paper begins by providing an overview of how subscription snack boxes came to be and proposes a method for analyzing these boxes within the context of Japanese nation branding. It asks what sort of Japanese nation brand informs the popular snack box company “Bokksu” and their October 2024 snack box and how this box can be understood from a nation branding perspective. Through a thematic and interpretive analysis, this study concludes that Bokksu’s October box conveys a positive nation brand of Japan by highlighting its natural beauty, serenity and tranquility, regional variation, and quality goods that embrace the duality of old and new. Bokksu’s portrayal sharply contrasts with the pop culture haven and technological revolution that frequently appear in modern-day media
The Leaf That Tapped: Literary Still Life in the Novels of Virginia Woolf
Get PDFLiterary still life is a vital element of Virginia Woolf’s writing which recurs in almost all of her novels. Through these passages, she attends to the object world, portrays the animation of nonhuman entities, and adapts the aesthetic movements of her time present in modernist still life to the page. In this adaptation, Woolf’s literary still life becomes defined not by its stasis but rather by the rhythm she creates through the layering of these passages, one of the gathering and releasing of stillness. In this thesis, I propose literary still life as a way of thinking about the object-focused passages which are essential to Woolf’s narrative projects in Jacob’s Room, To the Lighthouse, and The Waves
Breathing a New Life into Industrialized Cities: Adapting Warehouses in the Inland Empire
Get PDFThis thesis explores adaptive reuse as a design strategy to repurpose aging warehouse infrastructure in the Inland Empire, specifically Rancho Cucamonga, in order to reclaim and reintegrate the urban fabric around community needs, rather than defaulting to demolition and erasure. As urban spaces become increasingly saturated, resources dwindle, and environmental concerns escalate, the need to creatively build and repurpose our urban fabric becomes a critical conversation among architects, urban planners, and designers. The Inland Empire (IE) - comprising Riverside and San Bernardino Counties - has been overtaken by the logistics industry, transforming its landscape into a patchwork of freeways, cargo truck routes, and warehouses storing goods imported from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Rancho Cucamonga (RC), one of the region\u27s more affluent and progressively planned suburban cities, exemplifies the tension between industrial expansion and residential growth inherent in the IE. Industrial zones and residential neighborhoods are in close proximity, causing air, water, and noise pollution, landscape degradation, and displacement of people. Given these challenges, adaptive reuse, the modification of an existing structure for an alternative use, can be a strategy to combat these issues through repurposing buildings to better serve the needs of the community. This thesis is illustrated through Factory 104, a project proposal to adaptively reuse a warehouse built in the 1980s in Rancho Cucamonga. Repurposing the Inland Empire’s older and smaller warehouses can help mitigate the environment and social impacts of the logistics industry and foster more sustainable, community-oriented development
Optimizing the Electron Transport Layer in Quantum Dot Solar Cells
No full textThe current climate crisis has sparked an increasing demand for accessible renewable energy sources. Solar energy has the potential to be a dominant energy source; however, current solar technologies are not ideal energy alternatives, primarily due to their high costs. Quantum dot solar cells (QDSCs) are thin film solar technologies that are light, flexible, and less expensive than prevailing solar technologies. QDSCs utilize the tunability of the band gap and electron affinity of the semiconductor quantum dots to optimize the energy output. The electron transport layer (ETL) permits the flow of electrons from the photoactive layer (PAL) to the front contact, but blocks transportation of holes from the PAL due to the energy band alignment of each semiconductor. The current standard ETL used in QDSCs is zinc oxide (ZnO) which has a conduction band edge with energy greater than that of the quantum dot PAL, PbS-I,Cl, used in the Van Ryswyk Lab. The energy band misalignment at the ETL-PAL interface is not favorable for electron movement and allows for charge recombination. Through solid state doping with cesium (Cs) and magnesium (Mg) of the ZnO ETL, the conduction band energy of the ETL is lowered. This project uses blade coating to deposit the CsMg-ZnO ETL on the cell which is scalable to industrial level manufacturing. By adopting scalable fabrication methods while optimizing the ETL through solid state doping, this project improves PbS-based QDSCs such that they can be an affordable and effective alternative energy technology
Thriving Amid Adversity: Black Student Unions As Protective Agents Against Campus Discrimination
No full textDiscrimination on campus remains a frequent experience for BIPOC students today. While existing literature suggests that racial affinity groups enhance both a sense of belonging and psychological well-being, there is limited research that directly links Black student unions (BSUs) to increased psychological well-being. This study seeks to examine the role of BSUs as protective agents against campus discrimination. In particular, this study explores how participation in BSUs impacts Black students’ sense of belonging and psychological well-being. To address these questions, 150 undergraduate students from the Claremont Colleges will complete an online survey administered under researcher supervision. This study hypothesizes that 1) participants who are members of a BSU will experience higher levels of psychological well-being than participants who are not, 2) participants who are members of a BSU will experience a stronger sense of belonging compared to participants who are not, 3) belongingness will moderate the relationship between BSU membership and psychological well-being such that students who are BSU members and have a strong sense of belonging will experience higher levels of psychological well-being, and 4) female-identifying BSU members will experience a higher sense of belonging than male-identifying BSU members. Findings from this study are expected to provide valuable insights into the protective functions of BSUs in promoting mental health and fostering a sense of community for Black students at predominately white institutions
Mal de Ojo & Lucky Charms: A Study of Superstition Amid Cultural Change
No full textThis proposed study aims to explore the relationship between acculturation strategies and levels of superstitious belief among Mexican immigrants and first-generation Mexican Americans in the United States. In this study, superstitions are explored as cultural anchors to heritage, maintaining cultural identity amid the challenges of immigrating to a new country. Using Berry’s model of acculturation, assimilation, separation, integration, and marginalization’s influence on maintaining levels of superstitious belief will be explored, while also testing for possible mediating variables such as acculturative stress, age, and generational status. 150 participants will be recruited from Mexican American cultural hubs to one of two samples, where either interviews or qualitative data will be collected. Interviews taken in the first sample will serve to uncover the origins and significance of superstitions already held by participants. This will inform the measures used to collect the quantitative data in sample two. It is hypothesized that participants who adopt higher levels of assimilation or marginalization strategies will show lower levels of superstitious belief when compared to individuals with higher levels of integration or separation strategies. It is also expected that discrimination’s mediation will be that individuals who experience discrimination from their host country (United States) will hold less superstitious beliefs centered in Mexican Culture. Generational status and age will also mediate, such that older participants who were born in Mexico will show higher levels of superstitious belief centered in Mexican culture. The knowledge gained from this study would fill in gaps in the literature on acculturation and contribute to a deeper understanding of Mexican immigrant experiences