As the daughter of Mexican parents, I was raised with family-centered values which conflict with the values of independence, freedom and individuality stressed in the United States. Being a minority has become part of my identity, thus influencing how I make decisions about finances and traveling. Minorities are faced with many more concern, like familial concerns and financial obligations which hinder their desire to attempt to travel (Salisbury, Paulsen, & Ernest, 2011). My main concerns were convincing my parents that traveling to Nicaragua and studying abroad in Greece and Italy would be beneficial to my college experience, along with financially being able to go through with each experience. The main purpose of my thesis is to share what it is like to be a minority faced with cultural and financial obstacles that make it difficult to travel and how the experience is shaped due to these obstacles.

The purpose of this study is to identify, analyze, and understand the concept of microcredit lending as a method of combating poverty, as well as the political, financial, and cultural difficulties of operating such an organization. The study investigates microcredit lending organizations (also referred to as microlending organizations or microlending banks) in the State of Israel and the Palestinian Territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip; these organizations are used as a case study to analyze the challenges faced by microlending organizations around the world, as well as an interesting lens to observe the geopolitical and socioeconomic difficulties of small-scale economic engagement in this area of heavy conflict. Finally, interesting patterns, behaviors, policies, and operating methods of microlending banks are scrutinized in order to deeply understand the challenges and philosophies behind microlending.

"Gastrodiplomacy: Opening Minds by Filling Stomachs" explores the role of food as an instrument of cross-cultural exchange and understanding, in three parts: why food is an ideal medium of communication, how food exchange can be an effective catalyst of conflict resolution, and a study that highlights the relationship between ethnic food consumption and positive or negative stereotyping of racial and ethnic groups. The study revealed that those who ate food that lies beyond their culture's traditional culinary boundaries fairly often were more likely to have a higher opinion of different racial and ethnic groups; those who rarely strayed beyond those boundaries were more likely to negatively stereotype different cultures. "Gastrodiplomacy" works its way through the foods of the world, and how innately geography, food, and politics are connected, whether it's through French discrimination against kebabs \u2014 a traditionally Middle Eastern food \u2014 or through the use of the dolma to help settle long-standing disputes between the warring countries of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Abstract The United States has a very long history of putting laws into place that enable certain people to immigrate equally, but prevent others from doing so, thus promoting large undocumented populations. In many instances the people creating these laws cite worries that the people attempting to enter the United States are a hazard to the country. Some examples of this include :the "Chinese Exclusion Act", which prevented people from China from immigrating, the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII, and the creating of various laws that designated Irish people as not being white during the 18th century. Now there is a debate over whether or not people who come to the United States undocumented with their parents at a young age should be barred from living here. These Dreamers are at the center of this often debated issue. A set of hour-long interviews has been conducted with seven dreamers in order to get their opinions on several topics. These include SB1070, the Dream Act, HB56, and a variety of other topics. In addition a comprehensive timeline and review of legislation concerning immigration has been created to provide a historical context. Lastly, my own conclusion about this topic have been presented.

I am double majoring in Film & Media Production and Geography, and whenever I tell anyone that their first reaction is one of polite incredulity. The two disciplines seem so far from each other that there doesn't seem to be any possible way of combining them. With this project, I wanted to incorporate these two very different fields into one meaningful product. Using film as a medium, I explored how impactful a geographical location can truly be on someone. When we think about our pasts, we often focus on the people and events, losing sight of the physical location where these memories take place. Life in a Museum attempts to shine a light on this forgotten aspect of memory. I moved to Prescott, Arizona when I was 11 and moved away when I was 18, living there for only 7 years. Yet as time passes, I am starting to realize how impactful Prescott has been on me. For my Honors Creative Project, I created a video essay in an attempt to "map" my relationship with Prescott and how it has changed over time. Incorporating digital video, Google SketchUp Animations and historical photographs, Life in a Museum acts as collage that attempts to mimic the tangential aspects of memory. The film addresses my upbringing in Prescott, the town's intense pride for its history, and how living there has affected my own perception of time, memory, death and the future. Link to video: https://vimeo.com/126633587

The city of Groningen in the Netherlands is often referred to as the "world cycling city" because over fifty percent of trips are made on bicycles (Van Hoven & Elzinga, 2009). On the contrary, just four percent of trips in Tempe, Arizona are on bicycles (McKenzie, 2014). Through a series of interviews and surveys, this study investigates what causes such high bicycling rates in Groningen and applies these findings to Tempe. The results suggest that Groningen experiences high bicycling rates because the city uses "carrot" and "stick" policies to encourage bicycling and discourage driving. It is therefore recommended that Tempe adopt both types of policies to raise bicycling levels.