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Matthew Fowler is a graduating Honors College senior, majoring in public health and sociology. Since his freshman year at ����ɫ��ҹ, Matthew has had many accomplishments, including his internship with ����ɫ��ҹ’s LGBTQ+ Center and participating in undergraduate research. All of Matthew’s accomplishments thus far have culminated in his Senior Honors Thesis, which studies “determinants of perceived discrimination towards LGBTQ+ people and its impact.” More specifically, Matthew’s thesis analyzes how a community’s location and demographic factors impact the level of discrimination an LGBTQ+ person experiences, as well as suggesting ways to identify and educate areas that are more prone to LGBTQ+ discrimination.

Throughout the course of his thesis process, Matthew says that his other experiences at ����ɫ��ҹ have given him the necessary skills to successfully complete his thesis. In his Public Health Statistics course, Dr. Abbey Eng, an associate professor in the College of Public Health, “challenged [Matthew] to think statistically, which isn’t something [he would] normally do.” Because she was so influential in developing his statistical skills, Dr. Eng is now Matthew’s thesis advisor, and the skills Matthew learned from her course helped him complete statistical analyses throughout his thesis research.

Another key experience for Matthew was working with Dr. Kamesha Spates, an associate professor in the Department of Sociology. Dr. Spates is the founder and director of the Racial Justice and Health Equity Research and Education Collaborative (RJHEREC), a collaborative at ����ɫ��ҹ that helps undergraduates and graduates learn how to complete health research, with a focus on racial equity and interdisciplinary research. In this collaborative, Matthew’s small group developed its own research question and designed a survey as part of their research project. Matthew says, “That was a guiding moment for me” because during the course of his honors thesis, Matthew decided to create his own survey about LGBTQ+ discrimination’s intersection with different demographics. Because of his experience publishing a survey in the RJHEREC, Matthew was familiar with submitting his survey to ����ɫ��ҹ’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) for approval. As such, Matthew was able to collect his own raw data and use the analytical skills he learned from Dr. Eng to analyze that data for his thesis.

A final experience that helped Matthew throughout his thesis was working with Dr. Rekha Sharma, an associate professor in the School of Communications Studies. Matthew was in an honors section of Dr. Sharma’s Freedom of Speech class, where he wrote a 16-page term paper analyzing scholarly legal reviews. Dr. Sharma was so impressed with Matthew’s work that she collaborated with him to submit the essay to the ’s annual conference. The association accepted Matthew’s paper, and he got to present his essay at the conference in the fall of 2020. Matthew says, “Now, looking back on my thesis, I see how influential that was to edit a paper . . . and submit it to a professional association.”

Not only have Matthew’s experiences enabled him to successfully complete his thesis research, but the honors thesis has also equipped him with additional skills. In the fall of 2021, Matthew will be attending ����ɫ��ҹ’s Master of Public Health (MPH) program, and his honors thesis was excellent preparation for master’s level coursework. Matthew says, “It’s just having that independent agency. This is my topic, I came up with the survey, I’m analyzing the data on my own, I’m putting in the work. This thesis has taught me how to work independently and how to meet important deadlines.” This ability to complete extensive, self-directed projects will help Matthew in his graduate studies. More broadly, Matthew says that his honors thesis also gave him a sense of personal satisfaction. “Throughout college,” he explains, “I’ve always wondered, ‘Have I really learned anything? Have I changed?’ And looking back, this piece of work has definitely allowed me to develop personally and professionally into an independent thinker.” With this awareness of how he has grown throughout the honors thesis process, Matthew feels more confident in his undergraduate accomplishments.

Matthew is grateful to all the faculty members who mentored him and supported him through his honors thesis. He is excited to orally defend his thesis this spring and to continue thinking independently throughout graduate school.

For more information about the Senior Honors Thesis/Project, please contact Lori Michael, the Honors College Thesis Coordinator.

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PHOTO CAPTION 1: Matthew Fowler, standing outside of his house.

PHOTO CAPTION 2: Matthew, wearing a mask outside of his house.

Media Contact: Stephanie Moskal, smoskal@kent.edu, 330-672-2312