Dilia is a four song project entirely produced by me and inspired by Rick Rubin's book, The Creative Act. Through mesmerizing sounds, moving rhythms, and minimal vocals, this project serves as an exploration of my transition from a competitor to a creative with help from the genius producer himself, Rick Rubin.

This document is the foundation for an app called Keeper. The app aims to help users keep track of and stay ahead of their schedule to avoid procrastination. The belief is that if a person can be proactive and avoid procrastination, there is a reduced chance that they will suffer from work-related stress. The app entices users to remain on schedule with small incentives such as beautiful pictures, inspirational quotes or jokes. The goal of Keeper is to help users gain and keep their responsibilities under control over their schedules and to be a simple source of positivity in the user's day.

Into The Network is the result of a years worth of role-playing game research and design. Creating a game that allows for dramatic and comical narratives about colliding video-game worlds. This thesis documents the process of researching various analog games, the process of developing mechanic ideas into a prototype, testing the prototype on groups, and finalizing the game into a full product.

This paper examines the modern discourse of South Korean culture and its history to illustrate how methodological challenges and the use of ambiguous cultural terms have contributed to the development of dominant, essentializing narratives of South Korean cultural identity. In so doing, I scrutinize a variety of influences that have caused South Korean cultural characterizations to be othering, focusing on themes of cultural determinism, assumptions of homogeneity, cultural engineering, and concepts of “uniqueness.” Finally, I show how the dual nature of important cultural concepts such as han, hŭng, and chŏng—as emotions yet also as signals of Koreanness as a distinct and unified social category—contributes to (re-)generating culturally essentializing narratives of South Korea. By revealing how the essentialization of cultural terms diminishes their ability to fully and faithfully convey the nuances of a vast, intricate, and deeply historied people, this paper prompts renewed interest in the meanings and relevance of these terms in contemporary discourses.

This project explores how reckless capitalism has distorted the American Dream, causing a decline in the quality of life for the average citizen. It reflects on the current financial struggles, noting the reality that over 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, the high rate of childhood poverty, and the extreme wealth disparity exemplified by the fact the top three richest billionaires own more wealth than the bottom half of our population. The thesis critiques government alignment with corporate interests, influenced by modern corporations that project a facade of social and environmental responsibility. Drawing from Joel Bakan's insights in "The New Corporation: How 'Good' Corporations Are Bad for Society", it exposes these companies' selective advocacy for social and environmental issues, prioritized only when profit margins are unaffected. At the end of the day, these corporations aren’t acting out of the kindness of their heart, as having a socially responsible model yields economic benefits, reputation boosts, and marketing advantages.

This report chronicles the journey of Julia Chiavaroli, Mira Camunez, Katherine Schiller, and Siddharth Somani through the Founder's Lab program, leading to the creation of INEZ, an organic, all-natural beauty brand specializing in hair care products. Motivated by a shared dedication to health and wellness, the founders embarked on a collaborative path, eventually converging on the concept of crafting a natural hair care solution. Rooted in comprehensive ingredient research and product development, INEZ emphasizes purity and nature, reflected in its earthy aesthetic and western influence. The branding strategy encompasses a distinct color palette, whimsical font, and the slogan "Rustic Roots." Targeting both women and men, the marketing strategy prioritizes online presence, especially on Instagram, complemented by plans for local event engagement. Pricing strategy is informed by market demand and unit economics considerations, with products priced at $19.99. Customer discovery efforts, including surveys, have shaped product development and pricing decisions, aligning INEZ with customer preferences for sustainability and organic ingredients. Through meticulous planning and execution, the founders have established INEZ as a promising venture at the intersection of health, beauty, and sustainability.

Social Loafers Bakery is an international bread bakery aimed to introduce ASU students and faculty to breads that one would likely not be able to find at their local grocery store or bakery. Tempe does not have a wide array of bread specific bakeries, and as a result, opening an international bread bakery would help differentiate us from our competition. Through the Founders Lab program, we were able to gather data through several tabling events and taste-tests to help curate a lineup of breads that out target audience would be interested in. In this report, we delve into our research, key findings, and the transformative experiences that shaped our venture during the Founders Lab program.