2025 Franke Honors Pinnacle Awardees
Last week, the W.A. Franke Honors College hosted its annual research presentation symposium, Franke Honors Pinnacle. More than 185 Franke Honors students presented their work in the Bear Down Gym, showcasing diverse research projects that they have been working on throughout the semester. Each year, students are judged on their poster presentations in a variety of categories. Outstanding research is acknowledged with financial awards for Quest projects, Honors Thesis work, Exploratory Mini-Grants, and a people's choice award.
Check out the 2025 Franke Honors Pinnacle Awardees below:
Overall Showcase Winner
Orli Sanyal - Overall Showcase Winner
A Conceptual Model to Assess Barriers to Cancer Care for Native Americans in Arizona
Orli Sanyal is a Junior majoring in Medicine with minors in Public Health, Spanish, and Biochemistry. Through her involvement in Dr. Julie Armin’s Cancer Health Equity Lab and the Undergraduate Biology Research Program, she researched the relationship between rural regions and medical infrastructure to understand what factors, including travel time and total distance, predict access to cervical and breast cancer diagnosis. Her project illustrates a conceptual model based on the socio-ecological framework to assess barriers to cancer care for Native American populations in Southern Arizona. The goal is to engage in discussions with community members to refine our understanding of how the social determinants of health specific to Native American and Indigenous populations in Arizona affect cancer outcomes.
Senior Thesis Presentation Awardees
Kayla Jones - Poster Presentation Winner
Germline Mutation Spectrum, Demographics, and Outcomes in Patients at the University of Arizona Cancer Center: A Retrospective Analysis
Kayla Jones is a senior studying Molecular & Cellular Biology and Psychology, with minors in Spanish and Biochemistry. Her Honors Thesis, titled Germline Mutation Spectrum, Demographics, and Outcomes in Patients at the University of Arizona Cancer Center: A Retrospective Analysis, explores disparities in genetic counseling, testing, and referrals. Under the mentorship of Lauren Maynard, MS, CGC and Dr. Sima Ehsani, MD, Kayla characterized and compared demographics and cancer diagnoses among 1) patients who tested positive for germline mutations with 2) the broader cancer patient population, in order to highlight disparities and emphasize the need for more equitable cancer care.
Jenna Ortega - Poster Presentation Runner Up
Jenna Ortega is a senior at the W.A. Franke Honors College, graduating with degrees in Law and Philosophy. Jenna’s Honors Thesis, Restructuring Eyewitness Identification to reduce Wrongful Conviction Cases in the United States, examines the role of eyewitness misidentification in wrongful convictions focusing on the flaws of the traditional simultaneous police lineups. Through experimental research comparing simultaneous and blind sequential lineup procedures, Jenna demonstrated that blind sequential lineups significantly reduce eyewitness identification errors. This thesis advocates for a nationwide adoption of blind sequential lineups as a necessary reform to improve the reliability of eyewitness evidence and prevent future miscarriages of justice.
Ashley Mentor - Poster Presentation Runner Up
Barriers and Facilitators to Diversity in Speech-Language Pathology
Ashley Mentor is a senior at the University of Arizona in the W.A. Franke Honors College majoring in Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences with a minor in Health and Human Values. Her Honors Thesis, Barriers and Facilitators to Diversity in Speech-Language Pathology, examines the lived experiences of individuals from marginalized communities within undergraduate and graduate training programs. The project explores how structural elements such as the presence of faculty of color and affinity groups shape these experiences. With the field of speech-language pathology remaining 90.3% White, Ashley’s research aims to shed light on the systemic racism that persists and offer actionable strategies to foster greater diversity, equity, and inclusion, ultimately making the field more reflective of the diverse communities it serves.
Quest Project Presentation Awardees
Swanuja Godasi - Quest Winner
Exploring Bharatanatyam Mudras as a Way to Increase Hand Mobility and Strength
Swanuja Godasi is a freshman studying Physiology and Medical Sciences with minors in Health and Human Values and Biochemistry. She wanted to incorporate her culture with my passion for healing through my Quest project, and explored how hand gestures, or mudras, from Bharatanatyam (an Indian Classical Dance) could affect hand strength and mobility in older adults. Swanuja conducted classes at the St. Luke’s Home, and many residents reported an increased ability in hand mobility and ease in performing daily hand-related tasks. The opportunity through Quest was so rewarding, and she hopes to continue this project in the upcoming years.
Exploratory Mini Grant Awardees
David J. Aberle - EMG Winner
David J. Aberle is a Diné (Navajo) filmmaker and honors student at the University of Arizona’s School of Theatre, Film & Television. His documentary, Guardians of the Sacred Flame, explores how Indigenous storytelling through modern media can preserve sacred teachings, empower youth, and reshape media representation. Through interviews, fieldwork, and cinematic analysis, the project highlights a growing movement where Indigenous creators reclaim narrative control and use media as a living bridge between tradition and the future.
Tanya Agarwal and Kabir Rathore Muthu -- EMG Runner Ups
Beyond Blame: Exploring the Dual Health Impacts of Systemic Racism on Police and Minoritized Communities
Tanya is a junior studying Physiology & Medical Sciences, and Kabir is a sophomore studying Neuroscience & Cognitive Science and Economics. Both are involved in the HHV program, which emphasizes the intersection of health, human values, and community well-being. This project examines how structural racism impacts the health of minoritized communities and the well-being of officers policing these communities. By synthesizing these areas, the poster highlights the shared burden of systemic racism on both groups, promoting dialogue between law enforcement and communities. This approach seeks to bridge divides and foster collaborative, evidence-based solutions to public health disparities.
People's Choice Awardee
Jerrett Overland - People's Choice Winner
Jerrett is a graduating senior studying Business Management. Through a business and legal analysis, he examined the impact of Name Image and Likeness (NIL) rights on college athletics. In his research, he examined how universities and athletes adjust to the changing NIL environment by studying intellectual property issues, financial effects, and public opinion transformations. Jerrett interviewed college coaches, current and former college athletes, and player agents to obtain practical information about branding, revenue generation, and compliance. The research reveals how NIL affects the relationship between opportunities and sustainability in the college sports industry.