Richmond Scholars Use Enrichment Grants to Expand their Studies and Gain Hands-On Experience
Enrichment Grants provide funding for Richmond Scholars to pursue study abroad, internships, research projects, and other opportunities before they graduate. Four Scholars who utilized the grant during Summer 2024 share their experiences.
Paean Luby ‘25
Comparing Virtual and Physical Enriched Environments in Stimulating Recovery from a Neural Insult
Category: Research
With support from the Enrichment Grant, Paean conducted a four-week research project titled “Comparing Virtual and Physical Enriched Environments in Stimulating Recovery from a Neural Insult.” The experiment focused on neuroplasticity following hippocampal neuronal death, simulating a traumatic brain injury, by exposing rats to both virtual and physical enriched environments. Collaborating with Dr. Kelly Lambert, Paean aimed to adapt methodologies from other preclinical Virtual Reality experiments to identify the neural mechanisms through which virtual immersion could enhance recovery.
Looking ahead, Paean hopes to apply digitally stimulated enriched environments alongside brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) to aid post-stroke motor function recovery in graduate school.
Paean said, “Conducting this experiment not only gave me hands-on experience with the pre-clinical research process—such as caring for the rats and collecting fecal samples—but also challenged me to adapt my original design to fit time and space constraints. This is a skill I know will be invaluable in graduate school."
Evelyn Zelmer ‘25
Kenyon Residential Adult Writers workshop
Category: Other
With the support of the Enrichment Grant, Evelyn attended a week-long Adult Writers Workshop at Kenyon College, where they workshopped new poems for a book-length poetry collection. Their collection explores themes of extraction, energy, folklore, and resilience in mountain cultures across the globe. This project builds upon their previous work as a Humanities Fellow, during which they traveled through Appalachia, New Zealand, and Bhutan to deepen their understanding of these regions.
The poetry collection will form a central part of their senior thesis, to be completed in May.
"The Kenyon College Writing Workshop allowed me to strengthen my portfolio and gave me a valuable opportunity to get my foot in the door in both the literary and nonprofit world," said Evelyn.
Will Iboshi ‘26
Jepson at Cambridge Summer Program
Category: Study Abroad
Through Enrichment Grant funding, Will participated in the Jepson at Cambridge Summer Program in the United Kingdom, where he completed two advanced courses: “Law of the European Union” and “Selected Issues in International Law.” These courses, typically offered at the law-school level, allowed Will to gain in-depth knowledge of international law—an opportunity not usually available to undergraduates. Through the program, he deepened his understanding of the executive, legislative, and judicial functions of the U.N. and other supranational institutions.
Will, who will spend the 2024-2025 academic year in the U.K., shared, “This experience personally helped me adjust to life in a college setting that will mimic my full exchange year at St. Edmund Hall."
Doro ‘25
Reimagining Community Workshop
Category: Other
Doro utilized his Enrichment Grant to facilitate a creative workshop titled “Reimagining Community.” The workshop’s primary goal was to bring together a group of relative strangers and explore how to forge community through the shared experience of a small space, using unconventional means. In particular, Doro introduced and refined the use of movement as a creative tool of expression. By the end of the weekend, participants—despite having no formal training in dance—were able to communicate entire storylines through movement.
"Planning and facilitating this workshop helped me grow in confidence as a facilitator, planner, and artist," Doro reflected. "I was hesitant at first, as I was teaching a language of movement I had only just begun to explore myself. But through my advisor’s encouragement, I trusted in my abilities and successfully conducted the workshop."