Meghan Arias is a Microbiology major in her third year at KU. Meghan received an Undergraduate Research Award for the Spring of 2025, which has allowed her to focus on her research, exploring how a host protein called PARP14 may inhibit herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) in a strain-specific manner. We talked to Meghan about the topic of her research, what inspired her to pursue this project, advice she would give to students interested in research, and more. 

Charlie Johnson grew up here in Lawrence, but with a quadruple major in Religious Studies, Political Science, History, and Global & International Studies, his studies have taken him great distances away from the Hill. During his time at KU, Johnson has been a part of an internship through the Army University Press, research on the Druze religion in the Levant, and so much more. Looking ahead, he hopes to work in international human rights law or foreign policymaking. Learn more about Johnson’s College story below.

Jiyoon Park, a second-year Jayhawk, grew up in Topeka, just miles away from the state capitol building. Lawrence has always felt like a second home to him, since his mom teaches here, and he has always been around. Now triple-majoring in Political Science, Global & International Studies, and Environmental Studies, Park looks forward to a future in politics, including working in areas of lobbying and national security.

Amu Nuney is interested in exploring humanity from all angles —where we come from, how we communicate with one another and what makes us who we are.

KU senior Jade Groobman had long been interested in the many misconceptions that exist about Jewish identity. And as an Asian American Jew herself, she experienced first-hand what she describes as a disconnect between the U.S.’s larger Jewish population and Jewish community members of color.

Lourdes Kalusha-Aguirre knew from a young age that she wanted to make movies. With her Film & Media Studies major and Journalism minor, the KU senior has been able to build a network of talented actors, writers, editors and cinematographers to live out her dreams.

Nikki Brown discovered her passion for politics, cross-cultural sociology, and pop culture through an American Identities class during her freshman year. Now a junior in the McNair Scholars program, she’s conducting interdisciplinary research on Latinx voting and political attitudes in the 2020 election.

Long before COVID reared its ugly head, many Lawrence and KU community members were struggling to access nutritious food on a regular basis. As the health and economic crises ignited by the pandemic accelerated, so too did the already rampant problem of food insecurity.

Sam Glaser wanted to chart his own course at KU. As a student in the College, he was able to do just that by creating his own major. Recognizing the need for a pre-medicine-specific concentration within the physics B.S. program, Sam reached out to program directors across the country and began mapping out a plan for the new concentration area.

2020 has been — well, take your pick of adjective: Difficult. Uncertain. Unpredictable. Unprecedented. Challenging. By now, we’ve all heard and used these words so many times that they hardly do justice to the collective whiplash and mind-boggling paradigm shifts we’ve adjusted to during the past months.

Mason Hussong’s passion for language goes back to high school, where he spent four years studying Latin. After learning about KU’s nationally renowned Slavic Language program and earning a scholarship from the KU Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps, he knew it was the right fit for him.

Religion and politics in America can be messy, divisive, and contentious, certainly. But, as Abigail Vegter points out, the topics are anything but boring. In her doctoral research in KU’s Political Science program, Abigail is looking at the overlapping issues of gun policy and religious and political beliefs in the United States.