Carson Candela is an undergraduate student at the University of Georgia with an intended major in exercise and sport science and a minor in Spanish. After graduation, he plans to continue his education in pursuit of a degree in Physical Therapy.
Kayleigh Everhart is a recent graduate of UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, with a B.S. in Ocean Sciences.
Ekshya Katawal graduated from the University of Georgia (UGA) in 2025 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a minor in Sociology. Her academic interests lie at the intersection of medicine and humanism; she is passionate about healthcare disparities, social determinants of health, and bringing medicine to underserved populations. She is a co-founder of the Crump Humanism in Medicine Exposition Scholars (CHIMES) Program at the University of Georgia, an initiative promoting reflecting writing to highlight the person behind each patient and reduce physician burnout. Some of her other involvements at UGA include the American Medical Student Association, Athens Free Clinic, and Nepalese Student Association. In her free time, she enjoys drawing, painting, reading, and spending time with her loved ones. She is currently working as a medical assistant and preparing to pursue medical school, where she hopes to continue her journey in becoming a skilled physician
Roland Kimsey graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology at the University of Georgia in the Fall of 2025. He is currently applying to Graduate school and hopes to pursue studies in political anthropology in 2026. His academic interests lie at the intersection of culture and politics, and he hopes to ask questions and produce scholarship on how cultural attitudes and narratives impact institutional legitimacy, processes of democratization, and collective action. His paper began as part of coursework for a class on the Archaeology of Warfare and developed into a more extensive exploration of cultural narrative and memorialization culminating in the essay in this issue.
Liza Porras is an undergraduate student pursuing a degree in Environmental Resource Science at UGA. Having grown up in Weaverville, North Carolina, Liza fell in love with the Appalachian Mountains and the natural world as a whole, and now hopes to make a difference in the extent of climate change and its impacts.
Priya Ray is a Biomedical Physiology major with a minor in General Business. She is currently pre-med and will be applying to medical school in the upcoming 2026 cycle, hoping to start medical school in 2027.
Tarkshika Sudan is a second-year undergraduate student at the University of Georgia, majoring in Cellular Biology and Psychology on the pre-medical track. One of her academic interests lies in the intersections of culture, identity, and health, with a particular focus on the experiences of immigrants and second-generation individuals in the United States. Outside of academics, she is involved in community service and music, drawing from her South Asian heritage. This essay originated as a course project in Sociology 1101H and has since developed into a broader exploration of identity.
Morgan Turner is an undergraduate biology student interested in insect behavior, ecology, and environmental science. She has developed a strong curiosity for how small organisms such as Bess beetles contribute to larger ecological processes like decomposition and nutrient cycling. She enjoys applying classroom concepts through hands‑on projects. Morgan hopes to continue building research skills and eventually pursue medical school Outside of academics, she enjoys traveling, learning new skills, and spending time with family and friends.
Eleni Witte is a sophomore at the University of Georgia studying environmental resource science and political science.
Amy Zhou is a third-year undergraduate student at the College of Veterinary Medicine. She is majoring in Biomedical Physiology and minoring in Biological and Medical Anthropology and hopes to have a career as a pathologists’ assistant.