Philosophers John Dewey and bell hooks recognized the pivotal role education plays in personal development. Dewey believes that a student's ability to think is more important than their ability to produce an answer. Similarly, hooks believes that education for critical thinking can have a liberating effect. Following these thinkers, I ask: Do the educational values of Dewey and hooks appear in schools in the United States, and what role does education play in individual flourishing? In this study, I explore both Dewey's and hooks’ work on education, the challenges that schools face with these values, and how we can individually experience the liberating effect of education. I conducted surveys to learn if schools share these values and explored the potential benefit of Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development in schools. I conclude that to flourish in the ways Dewey and hooks believe we can, we must pursue an education that is creative, critical, and constructive.

Capitalism produces winners and losers until only one is left on top. This paper examines capitalism in the United States and who those winners are.

Logo design project for a hypothetical company. Scoops Ice Cream Shoppe brings ocean aesthetics from the west coast to a cozy ice cream shop in western Pennsylvania.

This trifold redesign project offers a different take on Erie Pennsylvania's cozy stay, the Glass House Inn. 

The Posey's Pocket Book of Pastries and Delights was a unique exercise in layout using Adobe's InDesign and creativity. 

This T-shirt design forces creative experimentation by requiring specific visual elements while limiting color usage.

The poster presented at NCUR '24 summarizes the main ideas of Education Left Behind in a visually appealing way.