Seniors Xavier Nazzal, Lucia Zima, and Anna Lineberry spent the past three years researching a topic of their choosing through the Bellarmine Capstone program. Here is a preview of the 2023 Capstone ceremony and the recipients’ research topics.

Xavier Nazzal:

“My Capstone project centers around the question of which leadership style, if any, results in the success of seven case study companies across three extractive industries (oil, natural gas, and mining) or if there is indeed no set leadership style that can be applied to the extractive industry as a whole and that success is as relative as the CEO behind the company. I analyze companies such as ExxonMobil, Saudi Aramco, and BP and take into account events such as the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, semi-recent miner strikes in Canada related to Glencore, or gas price hikes (late 2022, early 2023) and assess how certain leader types (e.g. financier, manager, or scientist) can impact companies for better or for worse. This project has lasted for over a year in duration and the process has been greatly and formatively aided by Dr. Jill Purdy of UW Tacoma, who served as my mentor since I began. Without her, this project would not be possible.”

Lucia Zima:

“For the past 3 years, through the Bellarmine Capstone Project, I have been blessed with the opportunity to study a topic of interest . My topic of research has been related to sports injuries and mental health. All of the work that I have done has been centered around the question: How do severe sports injuries affect the mental health and mentality of athletes? I have conducted both academic and quantitative research to be able to answer this question. I have surveyed students, faculty members, and teammates about their own experience with sports injuries. Capstone has allowed me to learn about a topic very important to me and hopefully help athletes realize they are not alone in their struggles.”

Anna Lineberry:

“My project is about how beauty standards presented in social media affect the mental health of teenagers. My research has centered around apps like Instagram, Snapchat, and Tiktok and how they push unhealthy habits like excessive dieting. My hope is for my presentation to raise awareness of mental health online.”

Their presentation date has yet to be determined, but keep an eye out on Bellarmine’s social media accounts for the announcement. Congratulations to the 2023 Capstone recipients.