{"id":4034,"date":"2025-05-28T10:00:27","date_gmt":"2025-05-28T17:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/anth\/?page_id=4034"},"modified":"2025-07-16T14:53:30","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T21:53:30","slug":"capstone-awards","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/anth\/capstone-awards\/","title":{"rendered":"Capstone Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--intro-text align-center\"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--intro-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--section-title\">\n\n    \n  <h2>\n          2025 Capstone Awards\n      <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n  \n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  <p>We received many strong submissions this year. Each of the 14 senior capstone projects across GS and Anthropology demonstrated a depth of analysis and scholarly rigor, as well as an engagement with a variety of sources and research modalities \u2014 ranging from the ethnographic to the archival \u2014 that impressed the instructors of ANTH 411 and ANTH 485, along with individual faculty advisors and readers.  After deliberating, we have two co-winners in each category:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n  \n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p><strong>Anthropology Capstone Thesis Award 2025:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Benjamin Harris-Myers &#8211; Refuge, Resistance and Resilience: Taco Stands in Los Angeles<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\">Galilea Marquez &#8211; Answers in the Night Sky: Astrology, Disenchantment, and the Modern World<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Global Studies Capstone Thesis Award 2025:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Christina Chkarboul &#8211; TikTok\u2019s Political Witches: How Spellcasting Powers Resistance<\/li>\n<li>Beatrix Heard &#8211; Comparing Civic Life and Governance Structures in Co-op City and the Jos\u00e9 Pedro Varela Complex (Zone 3)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Community Builder Award<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Audrey Joachim<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>We are also very pleased to report that one of students won <strong>First Prize<\/strong> in the category of <strong>Academic Writing: Social and Hard Sciences and Business Undergraduate Writers\u2019 Conference, University of Southern California<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Xinyan Mia Tong<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n      \n  \n      \n  \n      \n  \n      \n  \n      \n  \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--interactive-quote-pane \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--interactive-quote-pane\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n  <div class=\"left\">\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--section-title\">\n\n    \n  <h2>\n          Student Capstone Award Advisor Quotes \n      <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"select-container\">\n      <label class=\"visually-hidden\" for=\"swiper-2031923906\">Select option to display slide<\/label>\n      <select name=\"swiper-2031923906\">\n                  <option value=\"0\">Benjamin Harris-Myers <\/option>\n                  <option value=\"1\">Galilea Marquez<\/option>\n                  <option value=\"2\">Christina Chkarboul <\/option>\n                  <option value=\"3\">Beatrix Heard<\/option>\n                  <option value=\"4\">Audrey Joachim<\/option>\n              <\/select>\n      <svg version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" x=\"0px\" y=\"0px\" viewBox=\"0 0 35 35\" enable-background=\"new 0 0 35 35\" xml:space=\"preserve\">\n        <polygon fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" fill=\"#FC0\" points=\"7.5,14.9 17.5,24.9 27.5,14.9 24.6,12 17.5,19.2 10.4,12 \"\/>\n      <\/svg>\n    <\/div>\n\n      <div class=\"swiper\">\n      <div class=\"swiper-wrapper\">\n                  <div class=\"swiper-slide\">\n            <h3 class=\"pane-title visually-hidden\">Benjamin Harris-Myers <\/h3>\n\n                              \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  <p>Benjamin\u2019s thesis is an exemplary model of sustained undergraduate research. Over the course of two years, Benjamin conducted extensive ethnographic fieldwork, including dozens of interviews with taco stand workers and owners across Los Angeles. His research design evolved as he listened to his interlocutors\u2014adapting his questions, revisiting themes of vulnerability and resilience, and ultimately reframing the project to account for recent shifts in U.S. immigration policy\u2026 This is a thesis of remarkable originality, depth, and critical compassion\u2014a student-led project that reflects advanced anthropological thinking, methodological sophistication, and a deep commitment to justice and care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n            \n                          <div class=\"attribution-container image\">\n\n                                  <span class=\"attribution-title\">Dr. Tracie Mayfield<\/span>\n                \n                                  <span class=\"attribution-additional-info\">Advisor<\/span>\n                \n                                      \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/anth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2025\/05\/photo_1075050-900x1260-1-320x320.jpeg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/anth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2025\/05\/photo_1075050-900x1260-1-768x768.jpeg 768w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/anth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2025\/05\/photo_1075050-900x1260-1-320x320.jpeg 320w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1024px) 50vw, (min-width:768px) 100vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  role=\"none\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n                              <\/div>\n            \n          <\/div>\n                  <div class=\"swiper-slide\">\n            <h3 class=\"pane-title visually-hidden\">Galilea Marquez<\/h3>\n\n                              \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  <p>Galilea has engaged this community in such an empathetic way, with a beginner&#8217;s mind approach, and from the ground up. Her ethnographic findings pushed her toward the themes she discussed rather than siloing win her ethnography into theoretical works. In doing so, she has offered a complex portrayal of people who are trying to make sense of themselves and their social worlds through an ancient tradition. I also really appreciated the way she used her external sources &#8211; both the academic and media related ones. I&#8217;m just so proud of the fact that she allowed her own thinking to expand through the perspectives of the people with whom she is working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n            \n                          <div class=\"attribution-container image\">\n\n                                  <span class=\"attribution-title\">Dr. Xochitl Ruiz<\/span>\n                \n                                  <span class=\"attribution-additional-info\">Advisor<\/span>\n                \n                                      \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/anth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2025\/05\/photo_1086686-900x1260-1-320x320.jpeg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/anth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2025\/05\/photo_1086686-900x1260-1-768x768.jpeg 768w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/anth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2025\/05\/photo_1086686-900x1260-1-320x320.jpeg 320w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1024px) 50vw, (min-width:768px) 100vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  role=\"none\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n                              <\/div>\n            \n          <\/div>\n                  <div class=\"swiper-slide\">\n            <h3 class=\"pane-title visually-hidden\">Christina Chkarboul <\/h3>\n\n                              \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  <p>Christina Chkarboul\u2019s capstone paper is exemplary for the excellence of her research and the astuteness of her critical analysis of online (TikTok) witches, who use \u2018magic\u2019 and witchcraft as tools for political change. Their rituals empower these practitioners to act \u2013 although with unknown and dubious efficacy \u2013 as agents of resistance to the authoritarian tendencies of the current U.S. executive branch. She eloquently elucidates the ideology, intentions and experiences of these witches through an examination of \u2018WitchTok\u2019 and intensive interviews with four practitioners of Neopagan magic who have created public personas and Internet followers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n            \n                          <div class=\"attribution-container image\">\n\n                                  <span class=\"attribution-title\">Dr. Thomas Ward<\/span>\n                \n                                  <span class=\"attribution-additional-info\">Advisor<\/span>\n                \n                                      \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/anth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2025\/05\/photo_1003808-900x1260-1-320x320.jpeg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/anth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2025\/05\/photo_1003808-900x1260-1-768x768.jpeg 768w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/anth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2025\/05\/photo_1003808-900x1260-1-320x320.jpeg 320w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1024px) 50vw, (min-width:768px) 100vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  role=\"none\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n                              <\/div>\n            \n          <\/div>\n                  <div class=\"swiper-slide\">\n            <h3 class=\"pane-title visually-hidden\">Beatrix Heard<\/h3>\n\n                              \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  <p>Amongst the students I have worked with, Bea excels in writing skills and sophistication of thought. She undertook an ambitious project on co-ops in New York and Uruguay, managing to conduct international interviews and read sources in Spanish (from scholars in the region), which is precisely what we want researchers to be doing these days. She also engaged with classic political theory and consulted contemporary public sources such as newspapers and blogs\u2026Her conversations with major actors involved in the co-op in Uruguay speak of her research organization, perseverance, and interview skills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n            \n                          <div class=\"attribution-container image\">\n\n                                  <span class=\"attribution-title\">Dr. Andrea Ballestero<\/span>\n                \n                                  <span class=\"attribution-additional-info\">Advisor<\/span>\n                \n                                      \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/anth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2025\/05\/photo_1105283-900x1260-1-320x320.jpeg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/anth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2025\/05\/photo_1105283-900x1260-1-768x768.jpeg 768w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/anth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2025\/05\/photo_1105283-900x1260-1-320x320.jpeg 320w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1024px) 50vw, (min-width:768px) 100vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  role=\"none\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n                              <\/div>\n            \n          <\/div>\n                  <div class=\"swiper-slide\">\n            <h3 class=\"pane-title visually-hidden\">Audrey Joachim<\/h3>\n\n                              \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  <p>The Community Builder Award is given for extraordinary contributions to the life of the department, to students whose active participation in and facilitation of campus events create a richer and more rewarding experience for their peers. All of us who have had Audrey in class know what a bright light she is, and how contagious her passion for the study of anthropology can be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n            \n                          <div class=\"attribution-container image\">\n\n                                  <span class=\"attribution-title\">Dr. Kristiana Willsey<\/span>\n                \n                                  <span class=\"attribution-additional-info\">Advisor<\/span>\n                \n                                      \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/anth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2025\/05\/photo_1086693-900x1260-1-320x320.jpeg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/anth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2025\/05\/photo_1086693-900x1260-1-768x768.jpeg 768w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/anth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2025\/05\/photo_1086693-900x1260-1-320x320.jpeg 320w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1024px) 50vw, (min-width:768px) 100vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  role=\"none\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n                              <\/div>\n            \n          <\/div>\n              <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n    <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"right\">\n\n  <div class=\"pagination-wrapper\">\n    <ul class=\"interactive-quote-pane-pagination\"><\/ul>\n  <\/div>\n\n    <\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <div class=\"background-images\">\n          <div class=\"swiper swiper-background-images\">\n        <div class=\"swiper-wrapper\">\n                      <div class=\"swiper-slide\">\n                          <\/div>\n\n                      <div class=\"swiper-slide\">\n                          <\/div>\n\n                      <div class=\"swiper-slide\">\n                          <\/div>\n\n                      <div class=\"swiper-slide\">\n                          <\/div>\n\n                      <div class=\"swiper-slide\">\n                          <\/div>\n\n                  <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n  \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--full-width-cta \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--full-width-cta\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n    \n      <div class=\"links-container\">\n        \n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--link\">\n\n    \n    \n  \n<a \n  class=\"link\"\n  href= https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/anth\/capstone-projects\/\n    aria-label=\"Read more about All Capstone Projects\"  \n>\n    All Capstone Projects \n  <svg version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" x=\"0px\" y=\"0px\" viewBox=\"0 0 35 35\" enable-background=\"new 0 0 35 35\" width=\"25\" height=\"25\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><polygon fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" fill=\"#FC0\" points=\"19.3,27.5 29.3,17.5,19.3,7.5 16.3,10.4 21.4,15.4 6.7,15.4 6.7,19.6 21.4,19.6 16.3,24.6 \"\/><\/svg>\n<\/a>\n\n\n<\/div>\n          <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":681,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4034","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - 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