Academic Year in Review: School of Humanities, Communication, and Art

8/20/2026

Students and Faculty Explored the Power of Ideas, Storytelling, and Creative Expression

During the 2025-2026 academic year, the School of Humanities, Communication, and Art highlighted creativity, scholarship, and meaningful discovery. Across disciplines, students and faculty explored the ideas, stories, and perspectives that deepen our understanding of one another while developing the critical thinking, communication, and creative skills needed to lead in an increasingly complex world.

From original undergraduate research and scholarly presentations to exhibitions, performances, and community partnerships, members of the School of Humanities, Communication, and Art embraced learning as both an intellectual pursuit and a means of making a lasting impact. Whether examining contemporary issues through communication research, uncovering new historical insights, creating thought-provoking works of art, or sharing music and performance with the community, students were challenged to think deeply, express themselves confidently, and engage thoughtfully with the world around them.

The year’s accomplishments reflect the enduring strength of a liberal arts education at the Mount—one that encourages curiosity, fosters creativity, and prepares graduates to communicate with purpose, lead with empathy, and contribute meaningfully to their professions and communities. Through academic excellence, interdisciplinary collaboration, and experiential learning, the School of Humanities, Communication, and Art continued to demonstrate the transformative power of the liberal arts.

Keep reading to learn more about student and faculty accomplishments this year!

Interdisciplinary Initiatives

Under the leadership of Assistant Dean of the School of Humanities, Communication, and Art and Professor of Communication Michelle Scollo, PhD, the School of Humanities, Communication, and Art has aimed to advance the synergistic relationship between the liberal and creative arts in innovative, interdisciplinary programs and events. A few examples from the past year are below!

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Interdisciplinary Concert Meshes Music with Shakespeare

On April 23 (William Shakespeare’s birthday!), the School of Humanities, Communication, and Art presented its inaugural interdisciplinary concert titled “Master Remix: from Shakespeare to Radiohead—A Concert Examining the Cover Song.” Based on the area of interest, expertise, and research of Professor of English Stephanie Pietros, PhD, the presentation featured musical performances by the Dolphtones (UMSV’s a cappella ensemble), students from the WORDS performance club, and UMSV Conservatory faculty, along with programmatic material written and presented by UMSV English students. Musicians presented pairings of different versions of pieces spanning the centuries in an examination of how they can be understood in some way as imitations or adaptations, particularly in ways that seem to significantly change the mood or context of the original.

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Annual Humanities, Communication, and Art Symposium Showcases Research

This year’s Humanities, Communication, and Art Symposium was a wonderful and exciting moment for the University of Mount Saint Vincent community. With support from the Office of the Provost, the School of Humanities, Communication, and Art was able to invite students and faculty from other regional institutions to join Mount students and faculty and present papers from across the Humanities for the first time. Organized by Associate Professor of History Daniel Opler, PhD, it was a day where Humanities scholars, students, and faculty alike, at institutions throughout the Bronx, came together to celebrate the extraordinary work of undergraduate students across the Humanities.

The papers from UMSV students (represented at almost every panel) were extremely strong throughout. UMSV students presented papers from communication (influencers and friendship), modern languages and literatures (Spanish-speaking healthcare workers), English (on translations of the Odyssey and film noir), history (on Anne Boleyn and Queen Anne of England), and religious studies (during a panel on Catholic Social Teaching). Mount students had the opportunity to present professionally and thoughtfully in front of an audience.

But the very range of subjects was itself also important: papers were presented on everything from art exhibits to the Fenian uprisings, from Trayvon Martin to Anne Boleyn, and from film noir to influencers to Catholic social teaching. But, more importantly, attendees looked at the connections between these subjects—at how crime and perceptions of it change over time, at how religion offers insight into political questions, and how art and political movements are intertwined.

“My favorite thing about the Humanities Symposium has always been those moments when we have different scholars, in different fields, reflect on how their work is related, and this happened in abundance this year,” Dr. Opler shared. “It was interdisciplinarity made concrete in ways it all too often isn’t.”

And perhaps most important, the day was not only intellectually stimulating, but lots of fun! Students and faculty, from Mount Saint Vincent and beyond, genuinely enjoyed delivering their papers, discussing them with one another, answering questions, challenging one another (always in a respectful way, of course!) and learning from each other. That sort of fun is all too rare at academic conferences, but absolutely central to the humanities as a field. Congrats to all the participants!

Research and Discovery

Senior Communication Majors Complete Capstone Studies

This academic year, 15 communication majors successfully completed the capstone course in the major, Seminar in Communication, taught by Assistant Dean of the School of Humanities, Communication, and Art and Professor of Communication Michelle Scollo, PhD in Fall 2025 and Associate Professor of Communication Brad Crownover, PhD in Spring 2026. Students spent an entire semester conducting original research in the communication field on cutting-edge and socially relevant topics using a variety of research methods. Topics included:

• The role of social media in fans’ connection to professional sports teams and athletes
• The influence of a large social media presence on how college students form friendships with influencers in real life
• The role of social media in users’ romantic relationship expectations
• How TikTok videos influence users’ attention spans on social media
• How neurodivergent people are perceived through social media
• The portrayal of gender in Super Bowl commercials from 2020-2025

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Senior History Majors Complete Capstone Studies

In Fall 2025, five history majors completed original research papers on a range of compelling topics in the Department’s capstone course, Senior Research Seminar. Professor of History and Chair of the Department Joseph Skelly, PhD supervised the students’ work. Utilizing cutting-edge research methodologies, they wove an array of primary sources and secondary sources into sophisticated assessments of major historical eras. Julia Angeles ’26 investigated “Anne Boleyn and the Protestant Reformation.” Stuart Condado ’26 wrote about “Saint Augustine and Manichaeism.” Kevin Feijo ’26 documented “The Age of Discovery: A Deep Dive into the Portuguese Age of Exploration, 1400-1650.” Marion Fernandez ’26 brought back to life “The Legacy of Etruscan Civilization.” And Steven Gomez ’26 explored the ethics of “The United States, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki.” All five of these students successfully complemented their written work with captivating presentations to the Department of History and its guests in December 2025.

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Senior English Majors Complete Capstone Studies

In Spring 2026, six students in the English major capstone course, ENGL 450 taught by Professor of English Stephanie Pietros, PhD, completed their senior seminar papers.

• Abigail Farillas ’26 | “A Girl’s Guide to Being Authoress and Empress: Re-Envisioned Colonial Tropes in Margaret Cavendish’s The Blazing World“
• Camryn Gleeson ’26 | “Margaret Cavendish’s Convent: A Fallen Paradise” [About Cavendish’s play The Convent of Pleasure]
• George Kakamanolis ’26 | “Cavendish’s Portrayal of the Prince(ss): Ambiguous Yet Distinct” [About Cavendish’s play The Convent of Pleasure]
• Chante (Ari) Martinez ’26 | “Feminist” [About colonial poet Anne Bradstreet]
• Jhon Moscoso ’26 | “Salome’s Role in the Reigning Question of Monarchy” [About Elizabeth Cary’s play The Tragedy of Mariam]
• Leila Schiavo ’26 | “Role of Religion in Misogyny and Racism in The Tragedy of Mariam“

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English Faculty Member and Alumna Co-Write Article in Inside Higher Ed

Associate Professor of English Leonard Nalencz, PhD co-wrote an article on the classroom as a sanctuary of attention with one of his former students, Jahony Germosen ’24. It was published in Inside Higher Ed on January 23. Read the article here!

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Two Students Present Papers at Providence College

Stuart Condado ’26 and Brennan Sherman ’28 presented philosophy papers at the Humanities Symposium on March 20 at Providence College. Their papers were well received!

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History Major Presents at Regional Undergraduate Conference

Under the direction of Associate Professor of History David Gallo, PhD, history major Stuart Condado ’26 presented his Senior Research Seminar paper, “Emerging From the Cave: Augustine’s Path Toward Christianity, 375-386 A.D.,” at the Phi Alpha Theta New York–New Jersey Regional Undergraduate Conference at Mercy University on Saturday, April 18, 2026.

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Department of Arts and Communication Chair Williams and Professor Willis Co-Host Third Annual “ART EXPO 2026” with Local Architecture Students

The Department of Arts and Communication continued its community outreach and arts education initiatives through the third annual “ART EXPO 2026,” a collaborative design showcase and awards program held in partnership with St. Margaret of Cortona-St. Gabriel School in Riverdale. Co-organized and co-hosted by Department Chair Robert Williams and Assistant Professor of Studio Art Thomas Ray Willis, MFA, the event took place in Benedict’s Hall and celebrated the work of middle and high school students in the school’s architecture program, led by teacher Mr. David Mosher.

Students presented their architectural projects to faculty, alumnae/i, families, and peers, receiving feedback and encouragement from members of the University of Mount Saint Vincent arts community. A panel discussion, moderated by Professor Willis, featured distinguished UMSV art students Serena Duran ’26 and Jordan Russell ’26, who served as guest critics and offered constructive critique, mentorship, and insight into creative pathways.

The event concluded with a lunch reception, giving students and families an opportunity to connect with faculty and alumnae/I while learning more about the value of arts education and opportunities at the Mount. Now in its third year, “ART EXPO 2026” continues to celebrate student creativity while strengthening community partnerships and supporting outreach and recruitment for the Department of Arts and Communication.

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Four Humanities, Communication, and Art Students Complete Honors Theses

This academic year, four graduating seniors in the School of Humanities, Communication, and Art completed and presented their Honors Theses at the annual Honors Thesis Symposium on May 12. This year’s students were:

• Emily Breen ’26 mentored by Associate Professor of Spanish Rosita E. Villagómez, PhD | “Translation in Healthcare: How Patients in NYC Hear Their Care”
• Brianna Brown ’26 mentored by Assistant Professor of Media Studies Diami Virgilio, PhD | “The Hoodie and the Headline: Media Framing and the Racialization of Trayvon Martin”
• Justin Demano ’26 mentored by Associate Professor of Spanish Rosita E. Villagómez, PhD | “The Impact of Music During Martial Law in the Philippines”
• Abigail Farillas ’26 mentored by Professor of English Stephanie Pietros, PhD | “Tell Me the Story of a Complicated Woman: A Cross-Translational Analysis of the Women of Homer’s Odyssey”

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2026 Senior Art Exhibition: “Veils of Perception”

In Spring 2026, “Veils of Perception,” the senior capstone exhibition for the Department of Arts and Communication, featured final projects from seven graduating art majors in the senior capstone course. The exhibition was on view from April 8 through May 16, 2026, on the second floor of the Elizabeth Seton Library.

An opening reception was held on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, marking the culmination of four years of artistic development, experimentation, and personal inquiry for the exhibiting students: Sofia Barone ’26, Juan Coatl ’26, Aaliyah Defreitas ’26, Serena Duran ’26, Sebastian McIntosh ’26, Mika Narinesingh ’26, and Jordan Russell ’26.

Under the guidance of capstone course instructor Assistant Professor of Studio Art Thomas Ray Willis, MFA, the students developed bodies of work that explore personal experience, memory, culture, imagination, identity, nostalgia, loss, and transformation. The exhibition included drawing, painting, installation, sculpture, and mixed media, reflecting a wide range of material approaches and conceptual concerns. Individual projects ranged from surreal mixed-media environments and culturally rooted graphic works to handmade sculptural installations, photorealistic drawings, music-inspired abstraction, and large-scale architectural forms.

Together, the works in “Veils of Perception” examined how artists use images, objects, materials, and personal references to shape meaning from what they have seen, remembered, inherited, and lived through. The exhibition highlighted a graduating class with distinct voices and approaches, while also reflecting the Department’s commitment to rigorous studio practice, independent inquiry, critique, and professional exhibition experience for graduating seniors.

Beyond the Classroom

Two Department of Arts and Communication Professors Featured in Museum Exhibitions

Assistant Professor of Digital Media Rafael Domenech and Assistant Professor of Studio Art Thomas Ray Willis, MFA were featured artists in “DRAW: Heat,” a public art museum group exhibition at the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, NY, curated by artist, educator, and activist Tomas Vu. On view from September 19, 2025, through January 11, 2026, the exhibition brought together contemporary artists from across the United States to explore “heat” in both literal and metaphorical terms, including climate change, inequity, urgency, passion, and ideological tension. The exhibition emphasized drawing as a flexible and immediate form of inquiry, with works ranging from sketches and prints to large-scale drawings, murals, sculptures, projections, and other media. Professor Willis’s 8×8 foot drawing, “Will the Circle Be Unbroken (Nearest Objects Reprised),” was included in the exhibition, and he also served as a guest speaker for the related public program “Meet the Artists of DRAW: Heat” at the Hudson River Museum on December 14, 2025. Read more here!

Additionally Professors Domenech and Willis were featured artists in “Subway Riders,” a public art gallery group exhibition curated by Tommy White at Springs Projects in Brooklyn, NY, on view from October 2 through November 22, 2025. The exhibition invited artists, writers, and filmmakers to intervene directly on folded MTA paper subway maps, transforming a familiar New York City object into a shared site for drawing, memory, movement, and urban reflection. The exhibition was also featured in “Two Coats of Paint,” which highlighted the project’s engagement with the rhythms, routes, and layered meanings of New York City’s subway system. Congrats to both!

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WORDS and the UMSV Conservatory Present Jazz Cabaret

On April 17, the WORDS Performance Club transformed Carson Commons into a speakeasy and presented a jazz-themed cabaret expressing all the emotions, moods, and feelings brought upon by love. UMSV Conservatory faculty served as the backing band for the talented UMSV student singers as they took attendees on a musical journey through joy and heartbreak, longing and desire, indecision and uncertainty, and honesty and romance.

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UMSV Conservatory Presents Spring Concert

On April 26, the UMSV Conservatory presented its annual Spring Concert. This end-of-semester event featured the UMSV Community Choir, the Dolphtones a capella group, the solo singers and instrumentalists of the UMSV Conservatory, and the spring semester group guitar class. Showcasing musicians along all points on their musical journeys, the concert celebrated a semester of artistic growth and brought together ensemble and solo performances that reflected the talent, diversity, and hard work of the Conservatory students, faculty, and community musicians.

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Department of History Students Receive Awards and Honors

The winner of this year’s President Mary Stuart Department Medal for the graduating senior with the highest overall grade point average was Stuart Condado ’26. Each year, the Department of History presents an award to the graduating senior who, along with high academic achievement, also embodies the spirit of the University of Mount Saint Vincent. Called the Dr. Joseph Coady Award, it honors the long-serving chair of the department, Dr. Coady, who taught at Mount Saint Vincent from 1968 to 2004. This year’s winner was Julia Angeles ’26. The recipient of the Karen Egocheaga Award for Best Senior Research Seminar Paper went to Kevin Feijo ’26. His growth as a historian, as evidenced by his research paper, “A Deep Dive into the Portuguese Age of Exploration, 1400-1650,” underscores his dedication and hard work.

The Department was also delighted to induct new students into Phi Alpha Theta, the national honor society for history. Phi Alpha Theta reflects the Greek words Philia, Anthropos, and Theos: Love, Humanity, and God. The University established the Nu Epsilon chapter of Phi Alpha Theta in 1968. Majors and minors who meet the highest standards of scholarship become eligible for membership in this respected organization. Associate Professor of History David Gallo, PhD is the coordinator of the Nu Epsilon chapter. He organizes the Department’s annual ceremony, which took place this year on April 30, 2026. The special invited guest speaker was Professor of Italian and History David Aliano, PhD. The Phi Alpha Theta inductees in 2026 were: Savannah Lynne Autobee ’26, Melanie Cortes ’27, Kevin Feijo ’26, and Samantha Hans ’27. Congratulations to all!

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Communication Students Inducted into National Honor Society

Outstanding communication majors and minors were inducted into Lambda Pi Eta, the national communication honor society, in May 2026. The event’s guest speaker was Alicia Smith ’10, who currently serves as the Associate Director, Digital Engagement at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. The inductees were: Savanah Autobee ’26, Brianna Brown ’26, Paige Goerman ’27, Emily Legler ’26, Miranda Melara ’26, Catherine Philips ’26, Sean Schools ’26, Ethan Soto ’27, and Adeen Watson ’28. Congrats to all the inductees!

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English Students Inducted into National Honor Society

Stand-out English majors and minors and writing minors were inducted into Sigma Tau Delta, the national English honor society, in Spring 2026. The inductees were: George Kakomanolis ’26, Jenna Levine ’27, Jhon Moscoso ’26, Natasha Singh ’27, and Natalia Taylor ’28. Congrats!

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Modern Languages and Literature Students Inducted into National Honor Society

Undergraduate students studying modern languages and literatures at the Mount were inducted into Alpha Mu Gamma, the national foreign languages honor society, in Spring 2026. The inductees were:

• Filipino | Isabella Baldovino ’28, Melanie R. Cortes ’27, Joanne Monsales ’28, and Dav Elianne V. Tan ’27
• French | Walker Moore ’26
• Italian | Fatima Hernandez Torrez ’28, Amira Margaret Idres ’26, Ariday Vera Galicia ’28, and Alexandria Rufa ’27
• Spanish | Kendys A. Alvarado ’27, Jose Arce ’27, Victoria Blanco ’28, Emily Isidoro Cordova ’27, Chloe Hart ’28, Jhon Moscoso ’26, Mayra I. Perez Garcia ’28, and Javiera R. Sanchez ’26

Additionally, Victoria Gamarra ’26 was awarded the Solange Bruneau Mally Memorial Award at this year’s Commencement Exercises for maintaining the highest GPA among students in the department.

Congrats!

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Students from Puerto Rico and New York Collaborate Through the CHARISM Alliance on Immersive Summer Film Production Experience

This past June, the University of Mount Saint Vincent eagerly welcomed students from Puerto Rico for a one-of-a-kind educational experience that brought together institutional collaboration, experiential learning, and the power of storytelling.

As part of the CHARISM Alliance—which brings together leading Catholic, Hispanic-Serving, and Minority-Serving institutions located in major metropolitan areas to develop high-impact student experiences, new education pathways, faculty collaboration, joint research, cross-registration opportunities and shared co-curricular initiatives—19 students, including 16 from Universidad del Sagrado Corazón and three from UMSV, spent three weeks immersed in an intensive film production program made possible through the Mount’s partnership with Great Point Studios.

The three UMSV students who participated were Sean Schools ’26, Jordan Russell ’26, and Steven Pena ’26.

Read more here!

Faculty Achievements

Professor Willis Featured in Published Anthology

Assistant Professor of Studio Art Thomas Ray Willis, MFA is featured in the newly published anthology “The Best Art in the World: 20 Years of Noah Becker’s Whitehot Magazine of Contemporary Art,” edited by Noah Becker and Michael Maizels and published by Anthem Press in 2025. The book commemorates the 20th anniversary of Whitehot Magazine, an independent contemporary art publication, and gathers selected criticism, reviews, and essays that reflect on two decades of global contemporary art and the changing landscape of art writing.

Professor Willis is the subject of Kurt McVey’s chapter, “Thomas Ray Willis: A Hierarchy of Tears,” which examines Professor Willis’ conceptual art practice through projects that turn personal vulnerability, institutional critique, and art-school culture into artistic material. The article focuses especially on Professor Willis’ “NYU MFA Art Critique,” a work in which a graduate school critique session was transcribed by a courtroom stenographer and later presented as both an artist book and performance text, raising questions about authorship, consent, surveillance, and the power dynamics of critique. Kurt KMcVey also connects this work to Professor Willis’s tear-based watercolor paintings made while reading student-loan correspondence, framing them as reflections on debt, labor, emotional exposure, and the pressures of professional art education. Click here to learn more about the book!

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Dr. Pietros Presents Scholarship and Research Around the Country

Professor of English Stephanie Pietros, PhD was invited to give a talk at the Columbia University Shakespeare Seminar in October 2025. She also presented papers on her ongoing research on early modern and contemporary sonnets at the Modern Language Association Convention in Toronto in January 2026 and the Shakespeare Association of America Annual Meeting in Denver in April 2026. Additionally, she presented with a group of colleagues from across the country on AI and teaching writing at both the MLA in Toronto (on a roundtable that Dr. Pietros organized) and at the National Organization for Student Success Annual Conference in New York City in February 2026.

And, in addition to her scholarship, Dr. Pietros continues to review local independent and off Broadway theater for Thinking Theater NYC.

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Three School of Humanities, Communication, and Art Faculty Members Honored for 25 Years of Service

At the Annual Employee Service Awards Luncheon in May 2026, School of Humanities, Communication, and Art faculty members Associate Professor of Religious Studies Sr. Eileen M. Fagan, PhD, Associate Professor of History David Gallo, PhD, and Professor of English Sarah L. Stevenson, PhD were recognized for 25 years of service to the University of Mount Saint Vincent. Congrats to all!

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Sr. Fagan Presents Paper at Villanova University

Associate Professor of Religious Studies Sr. Eileen M. Fagan, PhD presented a paper at the College Theology on May 29 at Villanova University. The paper was titled “The Call for Christian Nationalism to Reckon with History: Returning to Its Prophetic Mission of the Church” and will be published in the Annual Volume of the College Theology Society, Fall 2026. Congrats, Sr. Fagan!

About the University of Mount Saint Vincent
Founded in 1847 by the Sisters of Charity, the University of Mount Saint Vincent offers a nationally recognized liberal arts education and a select array of professional fields of study on a landmark campus overlooking the Hudson River. Committed to the education of the whole person, and enriched by the unparalleled cultural, educational, and career opportunities of New York City, the University equips students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences necessary for lives of achievement, professional accomplishment, and leadership in the 21st century.