HIST11900: U.S. Hist: The History of Death and Mourning, taught by Dr. Jeffrey Smith, is a pure reflection of ������Թ�'s mission statement: Real Experience. Real Success. Throughout the course, students explore death and burials in the 19th century. Dr. Smith has developed a series of activities where students go to Oak Grove Cemetery in St. Charles, survey the location, collect data for their assignments, and do research on what catches their interest, from gravestones and decorative motifs to epitaphs, inscriptions, and so on.

On April 15, the ������Թ� School of Humanities held its annual Honors Convocation ceremony to recognize students’ academic excellence in a virtual format. Award recipients, family, friends, and faculty attended the joyous event to celebrate the end of another successful year of studies.

Last week, ������Թ� held its Honors Convocation to recognize the winners of academic and student involvement awards, in addition to members of ������Թ�’s honor societies. ������Թ� is pleased to announce the 2021 award recipients.

Kirsten Hawkes is a recent graduate and student financial services counselor here at ������Թ�. She graduated with her Bachelor’s in 2020 majoring in music business and minoring in Philosophy. During her time in the Music Business department, Hawkes had the amazing opportunity to participate in a special project offered in the music business program, which she believes exemplifies ������Թ�’s passion for Real Experience, Real Success. This project led her to begin exciting marketing and design work with local bands of Saint Louis.

In a new partnership with 4 Hands Brewing Co., ������Թ� BFA alumni Mitch Bierer and Zach Smithey currently have their art featured on beer cans from the St. Louis brewery. These limited-edition products are available in stores now.

On April 7, 2021, Dr. Melissa Elmes published a collection of essays titled Food and Feast in Premodern Outlaw Tales, alongside co-editor Kristen Bovaird-Abbo. The collection was published by Routledge, a global publisher of academic works founded in 1836. It is a longstanding publication that focuses on works in Humanities and Social Sciences and has published pieces by historical icons, like Albert Einstein and Theodor Adorno.

������Թ� fashion business and design students enrolled in the apparel design course made 75 face masks for a community donation. The class donated the masks to the YWCA St. Louis in support of their campaign, Start by Believing. The campaign “is a global campaign to transform the way we respond to sexual assault” and runs through April.

Senior Malachi Cecil is a shining example of the bright young students on ������Թ�’s campus. This May, he will graduate with a triple-major in International Relations, Political Science, and Spanish with minors in French and Chinese Studies. During his time at ������Թ�, Cecil has explored his interests in languages, cultures, and international affairs in his ambitious interdisciplinary curriculum, and he will leave ������Թ� with the multicultural know-how and global awareness so vital in our modern world.

Joseph Puleo, ������Թ� graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Digital Cinema, recently had his first feature-length documentary featured on PBS, a public broadcasting and television program distributor. The film was co-produced with another ������Թ� graduate, Steve Cakouros. America’s Last Little Italy: The Hill describes the iconic St. Louis neighborhood, The Hill, in an entertaining way. With footage of several families of Italian immigrants talking about their past and how they made it to America, viewers can develop a connection to the neighborhood and immerse themselves in the Italian culture of St. Louis.

������Թ� has always encouraged students to think outside the box when it comes to schoolwork and other academic projects. While taking an Arthurian Legends class, Lauren Paulin was given the choice of a creative project and ran with it. For her project, she created a doll of Bertilak, the Green Knight from the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.