Past Senior Comprehensive Project Titles

Class of 2011

Sustainable Hotels, How the Industry is Moving Beyond Green
By Erica Albert

Mobilizing for a River: The Ebb and Flow of Power in the Los AngelesRiver Movement
By Joellen Anderson

Investing in Trial and Error: A Reimagining of Teacher Education
By Jacob Berry

Opportunities and Obstacles to Retain, Grow, and Attract Green Manufacturers in Los Angeles
By Sarah Barton

What Happened in Hollywood? Evaluating the Need for Affordable Housing in Transit and Redevelopment Areas
By Shane Boland

Student Potential to Eradicate Global Poverty: Building the Ideal Campus-Based Microfinance Initiative
By Mackenzie Brown

Colleges & Climate Action: A Study of Transportation Emissions Reduction Strategies at CaliforniaColleges and Universities
By Claire Coddington and Warren Logan

Los Angeles' Cycling Revolution: Paving the Way for a New City
By Nicholas Dierl

Farming Without Harming: Bringing Environmental Responsibility to Scully Land
By Liam Dixon

Breaking the Green Glass Ceiling: What are the Barriers to Entry for Women in the Green Economy?
By Jessica Gelzer

The Rights of Nature: Restructuring Societies to Stabilize the Environment in Response to Corporate Abuse
By Stephanie Glenn

Tea party Effects on Mainstream Politics
By Matthew Gordon

The Culture in Agriculture: CommunityGardens as a Space for Community Empowerment and Cultural Cohesion for Immigrant and Ethnic Communities
By Caitlin Goss

The Marginalization and Criminalization of Immigrants: The Role and Impact of Evolving Contemporary Federal and State Policy Approaches
By Kathryn Griffith

Understanding Popular Education: The Practice of Democratic Freedom
By Kristen Leahy

The ABCs to Improve Homeless Education: An Extended Program to Support Homeless Children into Adulthood, Better Funding, and Community Involvement
By Chloe Lee

Power, Poverty, and Policy: Evaluating Anti-Violence Strategies in the Context of Los Angeles' Skid Row
By Kelsey Longmuir

Women's Health Matters! A Study of Young Women's Knowledge of Reproductive Benefits Within Health Care Reform
By Kate Meyer

Regional Food Hubs and School Meals: A comprehensive approach to nutrition in Southern California schools
By Kelsey Newport

Manufacturing Affordability: An Evaluation of Factory-Built Housing in the United States
By Casey Ogden

"Not Leaving It Worse Than You Found It." A Study of What Sustainability Currently Means to Restauranteurs
By Emily Ritchie

Grounding the AngelCity: Rebranding Los Angeles as a MorePedestrian-OrientedCity
By Jacqueline Salazar

Environmental Justice in LincolnHeights: An Evaluation of the Cornfield Arroyo Seco Specific Plan (CASP)
By Michael Sin

Environmental Sustainability in a Competitive World
By Audrey Spiegel

Painting the Path to Solidarity: Art, Music and Community in Highland Park, Los Angeles
By Josh Wiener

Class of 2010

Beyond adult-centrism: Advancing children's rights and well-being through participatory urban planning: A case study of Southeast Los Angeles
By Meredith Abood

Authorized Art: Public Art Programs of Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles
By Jordan Aura-Gullick

Promise in Los Angeles? Insights on Comprehensive Place-Based Initiatives and the Potential for Promise Neighborhoods in Communities Across America
By Mary Carlton

From Progression to Oppression: A look at the injustices associated with progressing Los Angeles' transportation system
By Felisia Castaneda

Advancing the GreenSchool Movement: Building a Greening Template for Private K-12 Schools
By Kylie Dennis

The Green Rush: Regulating A Growing Industry
By Benington Evers

CharterSchool Accountability in LAUSD: The Balance Act
By Lisa Fehsenfeld

Wildfire Management in Los Angeles' Wildland-Urban Interface:
Identifying Better Strategies for Reconciling Wildfires with LA's Communities
By Kayt Fitzmorris

Are You Listening? The Pursuit of High Quality Healthcare for Low-Income Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children in Los AngelesCounty
By Chandrika Francis

Explaining the Complexities of the "Rail Dilemma"
By Matthew Harter

The Alien Tort Claims Act and Regulatory Commissions: Ancient and new tools for Corporate Accountability
By Shannon Hurley

The Los AngelesRiver Revitalization Master Plan and Urban Wildlife:
Mitigating Negative Human-Wildlife Interactions Along the River
By Shannon Kincaide

The Long Haul: Food Policy Approaches in Los Angeles, Then and Now
By Abigail Klein

How to Sustain a Sustainable Practice: Community Gardening and Long Term Sustainability in New York and Los Angeles
By Daniel Lawler

The Real Solar Leaders: American Colleges and Universities
By Jason Lehman

Public Health Case Study of Baldwin Park: Revealing Design Strategies that Lessen the Fear of Crime as a means to Promote Physical Activity
By Alfred Mata

What About Waste? Re-envisioning Los Angeles' Waste Paradigm: An Assessment of the Local Implementaion of Conversion Technology and Waste-to-Energy Waste Management Solutions
By Ava Mikolavich

Le droit a la ville: Addressing Spatial Injustice and Hostile Geographies through the Application of Lefebvrian Philosophy in Contextually Capitalist Urban Planning Models
By Ian Nunley

Determining Appropriate Growth: Slowing the Process of Gentrification with L.A. Department of City Planning Zoning Tools
By Giulia Pasciuto

Co-op Grocery Stores and the Triple Bottom Line: For the Workers, For the Community, For the Environment
By Allison Riemer

Proposition 8: The Divide of Faith and Politics?
By Helen Santos

Carrying the Tune of Sustainability: Addressing Climate Change in Creative Ways
By Derek Singleton

Early Education and Community Improvement: Engaging parents with their communities through Head Start
By Jacey Totta

Fostering Sustainable Lifestyles: Green Roofs and Edible Landscaping at Affordable Housing Sites
By Duncan Will

Building the Big Box: Recommendations for a Comprehensive Big Box Ordinance in Los Angeles County
By Justin Young

Class of 2009

Beet the System: A Study of Community Supported Agriculture as a Model for Enhancing Low-Income Food Security
By Alex Altman

Food Policy for People: Incorporating food sovereignty principles into State governance
By Sadie Beauregard

XXX-XX-XXXX Nine Digits Away from a DREAM: Analyzing Institutional Responses to Increased Awareness and Policy Changes Regarding Undocumented Students
By Ana Bonilla

Empowered and Equipped: Success Strategies for Young Women of Color of South Los Angeles
By Drea Chicas

Spatial Injustice in Los Angeles: An Evaluation of Downtown L.A.'s Privately Owned Public Open Space
By Paolo Cosulich-Schwartz

The Twin Cities: A Region's Region
By Max Davis

MUSEUMS: ENGAGING & STIMULATING EDUCATION AMONG YOUTH
A Look at Art Museums, Science Centers, and Ecomuseums
By Alicia Egan

Green Technology High School Academies: Pioneers at the Crossroads of Economic, Educational, and Environmental Challenges
By Colin Englesberg

Voicing Community Concerns: The LA River Revitalization Master Plan
By Celeste Faber

Improving L.A.’s Air: An analysis of Heat Island Mitigation, Urban Forestry, and Landscape Management as Strategies for Air Quality Management
By Claire French

Case Study Research Exploring Interim Use Brownfield Projects and Their Feasibility in the United States
By Whitney Hawke

A Parking Requirement In-lieu Fee Dedicated to Transit Access in Los Angeles
By Taylor Kaplan

Becoming a Social Entrepreneur
By Emily Lowell

Coastal Environmental Education: Nicaragua's Estero Padre Ramos Reserve and a Community-Based Organization

By Zachary Lundgren

The Promotion of Livable Neighborhoods within the Los Angeles Planning Process: A Look at Highland Park and the Ave. 57 Specific Plan
By Rennie Newton

Developing a Carbon Conscience: A Portrait and Assessment of the Voluntary Carbon Offset Market
By Sarah Ritter

The City of Palm Springs: Developing a Plan for Smart, Sustainable Growth
By Scott Saunders

Welcome to McCain Country: The Impact of the Obama Campaign's Grassroots Organizing on Rural Communities in Battleground States and the Future Involvement of These Communities Through Organizing for America
By Margot Seigle

Good Times go Green: How Night Clubs and Bars can Reduce Their Impact on the Environment
By Laura Simanonok

Class of 2008

(Re-)Constructing the Sustainable City: Toward a Green Affordable Housing Model for Los Angeles
By Mary Jane Boltz

Growing a Movement: Community Gardens in Los Angeles County
By Laura Benjamin

Building the Velorution: Bike Culture, Community, and Politics in Los Angeles
By Erica Fick

Making Senses of the Trucking Industry from A Truck Drivers Perspective, And the Need for Clean Air and Grassroots Organizing
By Nidia Garcia

Preventing Unwanted Pregnancies: An Evaluation of Access to Emergency Contraceptives for victims of Sexual Assault in Los Angeles County
By Julia Granholm

Dressing Up Our Conscience: The Importance of Eco-Fashion
By Robin Hamilton

Women’s Association in Mali: Empowerment, Leadership, and Political Mobilization
By Kether Hayden

Beyond Green Building: A Step towards Sustainability in Boyle Heights
By Sua Iris Hernandez

What’s Up With That? An Evaluation of Kipp’s Practices and Academic Progress with Low Income Populations
By Sonia Huizar

Democratizing the Arts: A Struggle for Socio-economic Equality in Today’s Creative Economy
By Ian Johnston

Commodity Fumigation With An Emphasis on Food: Examining the Permit Process in Los Angeles County
By Laura Knuttunen

The Green Imperative: The Time Has Come to Revolutionize the U.S. Built Environment
By James Leonard

Social Change: TestingtheState of Two Front Activism
By Victor Lopez

Revitalizing Downtown Pomona: An Evaluation of The Artisan and Recommendations for Its Success
By Lorena Matarrita-McNicholas

Hungry for Change: The Struggle for the Tohono O’odham Native Food System
By Caitlin Peel

Community Planning and Its Potential for Community Resistance
By Lilia Pharazyn

Tourism and Smart Growth in Canyon Country: Challenges and Opportunities in Moab, Utah.
By Abigail Scott

College, Career, and Postsecondary Success: An Analysis of Building Trade Academies in California High Schools
By Marika Tsolakis

Cultivating Roots: A Community Story of Resistance
By Jasmine Wade

An Equity Agenda for Transit-Oriented Development: Planning for the Sustainable Growth of Los Angeles’ Inner City
By Madeline Wander

Class of 2007

A Crisp, New $20 Bill / A Nickel Taken: “Revitalization,” Gentrification, and Displacement in Los Angeles’s Skid Row
By Philip Barney

Turning the Corner at the Cornfield: Rethinking the Relationship between Urban Parks and Community Development
By PJ Capin

English Language Learners in Public Schools: A Challenging Environment and a Path to Improvement
By Alexandra Cooper

Ethiopia vs. Jamaica: A Study of Ethiopian Immigrants in Los Angeles to Afro-Caribbean Immigrants in New York City
By Tahanee Fisher

Towards a Greener, More Affordable Housing Market
By Krystal Freeman

Beyond the Classroom: What do we do now? Realizing the Needfor Effective Transitional Services forIndividuals with Autism
By Ashley Hiestand

Approaching No-Kill: Challenges and Solutions for the Los Angeles Animal Services Department
By Caroline Nasella

Reclaiming Community Places in Urban Spaces: A Community-based Arts Approach to Urban Land Reform and Neighborhood Empowerment in Los Angeles
By Kristen Sheline

EMS on College Campus: A Look at Occidental College
By Nastassia Toruno

A YouTube Moment in Politics: An Analysis of the First 3 Months of the 2008 Presidential Election
By Margot Turkheimer

pWNd? Women, the Media, and Online Gaming
By Christine Wagner

Class of 2006

Too Many Inmates in One Cell, Leads to Emergence of Violence
By Maritza Agundez

Outdoor Adventure Education at Oxy
By Jacob T. Dubail

Exploring Bus Rapid Transit for Los Angeles
By Andrew Grinberg

Homeless Youth and the Bring LA Home Campaign to End Homelessness
By Windyn Hines

Social Justice in Experiential Education: A Sponsored Case Study of Go Trek Learning Based Adventures
By Daniel Hoffman

Social Movement Unionism: A Case Study of Local 11
By Shingoon Hong

Growing Community: A Garden for Eagle Rock High School and Occidental College
By Bryden Johnston

Diabetes Management Programs: The Effect of Knowledge and Psychological Status on Glycemic Control
By Kelsey Lewis

California Foster and Kinship Care System: A Pathway to Prison or a Temporary Solace? An Evaluative Analysis of the Kinship Guardianship Assistance Payment Program
By Caroline Murray

Cheap Stuff Has a High Price: Community Life Impacts of Global Trade and the Goods Movement in Southern California
By Leslie Mahley

Approaching No Kill: Challenges and Solutions for the Los Angeles Animal Services Department
By Caroline Nasella

Fair trade: Challenges in Forming a Mainstream Movement
By Midori Niikura

The Global Gag Rule: Policy Analysis and Case Study of Impacts on Ethiopia
By Catherine Packer

Remaking the Southern California City: A Case Study of Pasadena
By Max Podemski

Searching for the Roots of Food Security Movement: A Portrait and Evaluation
By Olivia Prebus

Acute HIV Infection among MSM
By Vikram Shankar

The Southern Baptist Disaster Relief: California Disaster Relief and the Los Angeles Southern Baptist Associations Involvement in Hurricane Katrina Disaster Relief
By Natalie Simon

Class of 2005

The Boyle Heights Landscape: The Pressures of Gentrification and the Need for Grassroots Community Action and Accountable Development
By Lydia Avila

Of Human Bondage: The Contemporary Slave Trade, A Look at Trafficking in Persons and the Emerging Strategies to Combat it
By Shaina Campbell

Proyecto Jardin: Growing Community and Making Linkages through a Garden and Community Space
By Molly Franson

The Route to Transportation Equity: A Critical Evaluation of the Job Access and Reverse Commute Program and Strategies to Implement First-Class Public
By Huong Hoang

Inequalities in Urban Education: A Focus on Gentrification
By Julieian Alexis Jiles

The Cost of Free Trade: North America Free Trade Agreement's (AFTA) Negative Effects on Labor and the Apparel Industry in Los Angeles
By Caitlin Lynch

Student-Labor Alliances on College Campuses: Strategies to Empower Workers and Build Community-Case Studiesof Occidental and Other Colleges
By Will Meade

A Crack in the “Tough on Crime” Program? The Rise and Fall of Proposition 66 in California
By Alessandro Morosin

Poems and Politics
By Clayton Perry

After School Matters: A Case Study of After School Programs in Pasadena and Options for the Future
By Eli Reisman

Fair Trade Thai Jasmine Rice: Social Change and Alternative Food Strategies Across Borders
By Ellen Roggemann

Sweat-free Los Angeles: A Comparative Analysis of the Adoption and Implementation of Municipal Sweat-free Procurement Ordinances and their Lessons for Los Angeles
By Molly Russell

Internal Colonization, African Americans, and No Child Left Behind: The impact of education policy on academic and socio-economic achievement and the negative effects on African American students
By Brandon Smith

Experiential Transformation: Strategies to Energize Educational and Community Service Programming through a Ropes Course Approach at Occidental College
By Erin VanDenburgh

Class of 2004

Farmers’ Markets in Low-Income Communities in L.A. County: Assessing Needs, Benefits and Barriers, with a Focus on the Shift to Electronic Benefit Transfer Technology for Food Stamp Recipients
By Anna Berzins

Expanding a Movement: A Case Study of the Compton Farm to School Project
By Colleen Callahan

Liquor Stores in South Central Los Angeles: A Profile of How One Neighborhood Area Has Been Impacted
By Adrian Carpenter

Getting the Lead Out: Childhood Lead Paint Organizing
By Natalie Deutsch

A Chance to Take the High Road: Managing Transportation Demand at Occidental College
By Chris Green

Vieques: The Power of People’s Protest
By Justine Lewis

The Dash for Cash: Politics, Public Policy, and Why Money Matters in Elections
By Rebecca Lewis

Olive Court: A Case Study in Transit-Oriented Development
By Vanessa Martinez

The MacArthur Park/Westlake District: A Case Study of Community Capacity
By Evelin Montes

Campus-Community Relationships: A Case Study of the University of Southern California and an Overview of Town-Gown Alternatives
By Maria-Isabella Prack

Organizing Filipino Registered Nurses: A Social Movement Unionism Approach
By Carla Saporta

More Than a Diploma: Strategies to Improve the Educational Attainment of Latino Students
By Guadalupe Solis

Challenging Wal-Mart in California: AnInvestigation ofWal-Mart'sProposed Supercenter Expansionand the Emergence of Big Box Ordinances as a Tool for Resistance
By Abby Wheatley

Diverging Perspectives: Conflicts Between Land Conservancy Efforts and Residents’ Sense of Place on Catalina Island
By Callie White

Class of 2003

SweatX: Taking the High Road in Los Angeles (Video presentation and Resource Guide)
By Michelle Ashley and Ingrid Melendez

The Need for Universal Preschool in the Wake of Welfare Reform: An Examination of How to Alleviate the Child Care Crisis in Los Angeles
By Regina Clemente

The Living Wage Movement: Lessons for the Labor Movement, Community Allies and the Working Poor
By Deanna Furman

Art and Power: Los Angeles Murals
By Bethany Graham

Public Art: A Photo Essay and Analysis of Graffiti Along the Los Angeles River
By Mia Gutfreund

Reduced Drinking and Driving on College Campuses: Working Towards a More Progressive Policy at Occidental
By Sarah Lapin

Social Capital Within the Vietnamese American Community: A Comparative Investigation of Asian Pacific Islander Community Organizations
By Kim Pham

Inmate Abuse in Prisons: The Importance of Pursuing Rehabilitation Rather than Punishment
By Hetty Wong

The State of AIDS Housing: An Evaluation of the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS program (HOPWA)
By Flaherty Wright

Class of 2002

Upholding the Mission at Occidental College: The Unionized Workforce in the Campus Community
By Megan Buchanan

Roses are Red, Workers are Blue. An Examination of the Fresh-cut Flower Industry in Latin America
By Nicole Drake

Redesigning Eden: Fertile Ground for an Urban Green Space Movement in Los Angeles?
By Maggie Fleming

Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) for Severe and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI): Implications for National Mental Health Policy
By David Flores

Exploring Land Use at Occidental College and a Recommendation for the Establishment of an Ecological Study Area
By Miriah Mortimer

Notice of Displacement: The Real Cost of the Staples Center
By Payton Phillips

From the Suburban Dream Machine to the Urban Nightmare: The Federal Housing Administration from 1934 through Today
By Sarah Pope

Modern Solutions for Today's Oil Crisis: A Case Study for Not Drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
By Stephanie Schroeder