2024/2025
Scholarship Recipients
Abdoulaye Sedego
Abdoulaye Sedego is a Computer Science and Information Security student with a strong foundation in software engineering and cybersecurity.
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Abdoulaye Sedego is conducting in-depth research on cybersecurity, focusing on vulnerability management and cyber threat analysis. His study explores how organizations can identify, assess, and mitigate vulnerabilities to reduce exploitation risks, drawing on real-world case studies and theoretical frameworks.
Alham Alkhatri
Alham Alkhatri is a senior at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, majoring in Law and Society with a focus on how legal frameworks intersect with societal needs. Driven by a commitment to social justice, Alham aims to pursue a legal career, potentially specializing in immigration and deportation law in the United States.
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Alham Alkhatri currently conducts research on the effectiveness of anti-hate crime policies in New York State, with a focus on addressing violence against Muslim communities, particularly Muslim women.
Boris Krakovskiy
Boris Krakovskiy is currently a sophomore at John Jay, majoring in Toxicology. He is passionate about chemistry and biology and plans to attend graduate school after his time at John Jay with the goal of becoming a physician-scientist in a related field, most likely toxicology.
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Under the guidance of Dr. Shu-Yuan Cheng, the goal of Boris's research is to elucidate whether ellagic acid is effective at alleviating the toxicity of mancozeb in PC12 neuron cells. This research is important because pesticide exposure is a current public health issue, primarily affecting agricultural laborers.
Christina Lama
Christina Lama is a sophomore at John Jay College, majoring in Fraud Examination and Financial Forensics. Passionate about research, she is eager to explore new opportunities and challenges.
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Christina Lama's research project, Man vs. Machine, explores the dynamic between humans and AI in fraud detection, asking whether humans, computers, or a collaboration between the two is most effective. Currently, fraud detection in companies happens mostly due to human involvement. The question then arises: How will this change the involvement of AI? Will human involvement grow, shrink, or will it become a collaborative effort?
Erin Watkins
Erin Watkins is a junior at John Jay College, majoring in Forensic Psychology with minors in Law and Counseling. She is excited to be part of the OSRC team and looks forward to exploring and understanding the intricacies of conducting research.
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Under the mentorship of Dr. Elizabeth Jeglic, Erin will work on a clinical research project analyzing the grooming behaviors among male and female perpetrators using an existing dataset. The study aims to highlight societal stereotypes that obscure female-perpetrated abuse and the need for a nuanced understanding of grooming techniques.
Gian Kaur
Gian Kaur is an undergraduate student at John Jay College, pursuing a major in forensic science. She is actively involved in the Student Academic Success Programs (SASP), where she helps students access the resources and experiences they need to thrive academically.
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Gian is a dedicated researcher and advocate focused on addressing the pervasive issue of rape culture in India. Through her research, she aims to examine the cultural, social, and legal factors that contribute to sexual violence against women, exploring the experience of survivors, the effectiveness of government initiatives, and the role of the criminal justice system.
Imani Thomas
Over the past two years I have made significant progress toward my research goals. In collaboration with Dr. Elizabeth Jeglic, I conducted an extensive literature review to identify gaps in the existing knowledge base around grooming and childhood sexual abuse in sexual minority populations. I then used her current data which focused on survivors of CSA and examining grooming behaviors. Additionally, I was responsible for analyzing secondary data from LGBTQ+ individuals compared to heterosexual individuals.
Through this process, I gained
experience in data cleaning, statistical analysis, and qualitative interpretation. I was also able to learn how to use different figures and tables in order to interpret my data, and use qualitative
responses within my results to further amplify the voices of the survivors.
Ultimately, this research is more than a project—it’s a professional commitment. As a Black queer woman, I am driven by a desire to ensure that no survivor feels invisible. Through this work, I have learned to balance rigorous analysis with empathy, and I am continually inspired by the resilience of those whose stories I encounter.
Lisa Haye
Lisa Haye is a senior at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, majoring in economics with a minor in computer science. She previously interned for organizations such as the New York City Department of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the Brennan Center for Justice.
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Continuing into her second year of her eugenics project with OSRC, under the mentorship of Professor Lygia Sabbag Fares, Lisa's research will now investigate how eugenics molded the economics behind women's work and policies affecting their social status and labor rights, with a special focus on how eugenic beliefs and norms influenced the physical and social reproduction of future generations.
Mya Lewis
Looking back on this year, my research project has had a lot of ups and downs. I started with a clear goal: to get published. That hasn’t happened yet. At the same time, I can recognize that the project has improved. The scope is broader, the argument is stronger, and I’ve done more with it than I originally planned. Originally, my research focused mainly on misinformation around immigration. Now, it includes other case studies, such as anti-LGBTQ+ policies and election outcomes, which helped to create a wider lens on how misinformation operates in different social contexts. This expansion allowed me to draw connections across fields like political science, media studies, sociology, and psychology. I think that an interdisciplinary approach is where my project contributes sounique. Rather than just focusing on one aspect of the problem, I’ve tried to show how misinformation emerges from a combination of political, cultural, and technological factors. Looking ahead to my second year in the OSRC, I’m now thinking about how to expand the work in a new direction. Specifically, I want to start collecting my own data through surveys of young people in areas with and without book bans. I’m curious about how those different environments affect the way kids think about truth, censorship, and misinformation.
Patricia St. Fleur
Patricia St. Fleur is a senior majoring in Cellular and Molecular Biology. Patricia aims to use her graduate education to deepen her understanding of the decisions patients make and how these choices impact their willingness to see a medical provider.
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As a second-year student at the OSRC, Patricia will work with Dr. Wout to investigate the intersection between race and gender in patient-doctor interactions. Her research aims to shed light on patients' perceptions of themselves by their caretakers and how sharing similar identity traits shapes their decision to meet with a particular doctor.
Tania Jahanpanah
Tania Jahanpanah is a rising senior at John Jay College, majoring in Criminal Justice and minoring in Law. Her interest in the court system and law was strengthened through her experience at the Bronx District Attorney's Office, which further encouraged the idea for her research project.
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Tania's research will focus on vehicular crimes, specifically Driving While Influenced (DWI), exploring cases that resulted in convictions. Under the advisement of Professor Jill Frometa, Tania will collect both quantitative data to analyze the demographics of individuals convicted under Vehicle and Traffic Law 1192 and qualitative data to explore the broader social implications of DWI convictions.
Terry Holman
Terry Holman is currently a sophomore at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, majoring in Forensic Psychology. She has a strong passion for studying the effects of different variables within courtrooms and criminal trials.
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Expert witnesses are almost always present in court, however it's vital to determine whether expert testimony actually helps in court, as the effects can be drastic depending on how the information is presented. With her mentor, Terry aims to research the impact of expert testimony on the jury and their decision-making. Does it give scientific credibility to the argument, or does it increase a general sense of skepticism?
Thaisa Santos
Thaisa Santos is a senior at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, majoring in English with a minor in Creative Writing. With aspirations of attending law school, she plans to focus on advocating for improved educational policies in schools.
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Thaisa's research investigates how gender bias influences diagnostic practices, with a particular emphasis on the under- and misdiagnosis of women. This study examines how societal expectations of gender, combined with male-centered medical models, result in delayed or inaccurate diagnoses for women. The ultimate goal is to advocate for a more equitable, gender-sensitive diagnostic tools and frameworks that improve healthcare outcomes for women and marginalized groups.
Tiffany Andrea Rodríguez
Tiffany Andrea Rodríguez is a senior in the Macaulay Honors College, double majoring in political science and philosophy. After graduation, she aspires to become a lawyer and work toward the advancement of communities in need.
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Under the guidance of Professor Maria Rossi, Tiffany will continue her second year of research with the OSRC. Her original research project, 'The Expression of Identity Conflict in Latino Literature,' shed light on the struggles that Latino authors and students at the college were experiencing with the administration and faculty. After opening the conversation on the feeling of "ni de aquií, ni de allá," she was inspired to pursue her own creative writing project for her second year of research, which will express her own struggles with identity as a Latina.
Yanira Rivera
Yanira Rivera is a driven advocate for underrepresented communities. As a Teaching and Student Support Fellow at BreakThrough NY, she mentors youth migrants. Alongside her full-time studies at Macaulay Honors College, she leads the Latin American Student Organization, participates in Student Council, and serves on various committees.
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The role of race in law enforcement is a critical issue. This research examines potential racial disparities in NYPD interactions within New York City, specifically comparing the Bronx and Upper East Side neighborhoods. By analyzing how race influences law enforcement decisions in these contrasting areas, this study aims to shed a light on the extent to which race plays a role in NYPD interactions with civilians.