LAURA JENKINS' fine honors project, “Morocco's Youth en Avant: A Presentation of Changing Perceptions on Self and Society in the Discourse on Marriage, Tradition and Moudawana Reform,” won the award for Best Senior Honors Presentation at the 2007 Fall Honors Forum. A visit to Shangri La, Doris Duke's estate on O`ahu was the initial inspiration for Laura’s senior honors project, thanks to the beauty of the art and cultures presented in Duke’s collection. Laura became particularly interested in Moroccan culture and decided to pursue a topic for her honors project that would enable her to travel and do research in Morocco. Before transferring to UHM from Colorado University in 2006, Laura had lived in Paris for one year, and her knowledge of French added interest in traveling to Morocco. She designed her own study program through UH’s independent Study Abroad program. At the same time, she found the School for International Training’s program for Arabic language and field study in Morocco. Some months later, Laura was living with a family in Rabat, Morocco and traveling throughout the country to prepare for her field research. While in Morocco Laura took intensive courses in Modern Standard Arabic, and a seminar in Moroccan Culture and Society. She also interviewed young Moroccans in the medina, the old city, about their perceptions of Moudawana (family law) reform. As Laura puts it, “Morocco is a fascinating place to study because you have to be alert all the time, and every moment is stimulating. I made very close friends as well, since there were students from all over the country with various interests, but a common interest in travel and language study. I also made many Moroccan friends through the interviews I conducted for my research, which was an amazing experience in itself.” After graduation in December of 2007, Laura will be working in communications at the Hawai`i Senate for the spring session, and afterwards will travel to Nepal with her sister, Amy. She hopes to attend graduate school in the near future, but for now, she is busy making plans and exploring options!


LOURENA P. YCO was the second English Honors student to win an award at this year’s Fall Honors Forum, hers for "Best proposal presentation in English and Film Studies." Lourena became an English major, because she loves reading and writing. In her view, there no major other then English that blends both of her interests so well. Her initial goal was to become a writer/correspondent for newsmagazines, but now she has become interested in editing for publishing houses, as well, so she aspires to a career that combines writing and editing. Since she became an English major, she has taken classes that have helped her grow as a writer. She takes every comment and correction in every paper she writes very seriously, and believes this will help her to become a better writer. From advice on handwritten drafts to getting rid of passive voice, she fully appreciates how much she has grown as a writer in all her years in college. Taking so many literature classes, she grew more passionate about 19th century British literature. She loves the style of writing of many 19th century writers like Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, and Charles Dickens. She also likes the timelessness of their stories, and the many ways that contemporary readers can still relate to the characters and their situations. In fact, her senior honors thesis will be focusing on H. Rider Haggard's works and the Victorian era. After receiving her bachelor's degree next Fall 2008, she hopes to move on to graduate school.