RE Log Spring 2022

City of Milwaukee. In Spirit and Sound, Hommen studied the importance of music as a component of religious expression, examining how churches in Coconut Grove have used music to share and celebrate their faith over decades. Hommen described the fellowship as “an incredible experience and opportunity” that has prepared her for future projects. “This project taught me many things, including how to just jump into something, no matter how big it might seem,” Hommen said. “I also learned how to reach out to people, how to approach people … I never expected I’d gain these experiences and this insight from my project. I’d like to thank Dr. King for his unwavering support. He knows that this project is a learning experience for all the fellows, and he’s always there to help.” Thorpe explored Coconut Grove as part of her project, Discovering Culture and Humanity through Architecture: the Impact of the Early Bahamian Settler. Heller, a nationally ranked jump-rope competitor, explored the foundations of the sport in the multi-cultural breakdance and double-dutch jump-rope communities that grew up in New York City around the turn of the century in BreakIn the Ropes. As a result of her fellowship, she was invited to present her work at the opening conference of the Universal Hip Hip Museum in the Bronx in the coming weeks. In his project Freedom as a Core Human Value, Mateo examined the trend toward anti-democratic forms of government in Poland and the United States in recent decades, questioning what would make people work against freedom and gravitate to authoritarianism. Stanton-Sharpless explored how theater is, was and will be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Blackout. Gotterer’s project, Unity in the Face of a Divided Homeland, looked at the history of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians; she traveled to Israel for in-person interviews and on-the-ground research in museums and through lectures. Schuchovski traveled to Brazil to study The Green Exchange, an innovative recycling program started in 1981 in Curitiba, Brazil, that views waste as a resource and is considered a model of how to combine community and sustainability. Dua collected and analyzed extensive data sets exploring Gen Z’s Political, Social, and Cultural Values, observing that individual identity is a fusion of age, ethnicity, spirituality and other traits. Since the endowment’s creation, more than 100 donors have been inspired to contribute to the fund. When fully funded, the endowment will expand to support two full-time faculty members in the humanities and a future gathering area in a new humanities building. For information about how you can support the endowment, contact Director of Advancement Melanie Hoffmann at mhoffmann@ransomeverglades.org . or 305 460 8820. SPRING 2022 Ransom Everglades LOG 27 Lauren Heller ’22, Anya Dua ’22, Alexa Hommen ’22, Kira Oglesby ’22, Kathleen Stanton-Sharpless ’22, Rebecca Gotterer ’22, Mark Mateo ’22, Leah Thorpe ’22, Maria Luiza Schuchovski ’22