College of Arts & Sciences students made their mark at the annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Students (ABRCMS) in San Antonio, Texas.

Trinity student, Saron Gebereegziabhier won a presentation award in Psychology at the ABRCMS conference in San Antonio, Texas, while the rest of the Trinity delegation made their marks with well lauded presentations.

“In November 2025, I had the honor of receiving the Outstanding Presentation Award at the 2025 ABRCMS Conference in San Antonio, Texas for my presentation on Literature as Legacy: Generational Trauma in African and African American Narratives,” Gebereegziabhier writes.

She continues, “My research addresses an often overlooked reality: generational trauma in African and African American communities shaped by slavery, colonization, and ongoing systemic oppression. I explored how literary narratives preserve memory, process pain, and support resilience showing that storytelling can be both a record of what happened and a pathway toward healing.”

This opportunity began with Trinity’s summer research program. While the program was designed primarily with STEM students in mind and my background is in psychology, Trinity supported my curiosity and welcomed my interdisciplinary research. I’m deeply grateful to Dr. Kimberly Monroe for her mentorship and guidance, and to Dr. Greer for supporting the psychology dimensions of my work. I also want to thank Dr. Casiano, Trisha and the library staff, my professors, friends, and family.

Winning the award was a proud moment for me not only because it recognized the effort behind the research, but because it allowed me to represent Trinity on a national stage. Most of all, it reminded me that there are many possibilities ahead and with support, mentorship, and dedication, they are attainable.

J’Kaylah Beasley (Senior, Biology) analyzed images from wildlife cameras taken in the Patagonia Region of Argentina to research the interactions of predators with humans and their livestock. Her faculty mentor was Dr. Olivia Filedman at University of California, Davis.

Dania Nettles (Senior, Biology) presented a project involving researching and mapping the species and estimated ages of trees on campus using R programming code to create and publish an interactive web map of our campus trees. As part of this study, she also examined the impacts of last summer’s drought on trees in the DC area using satellite and aerial imagery. Her faculty mentor was Dr. Patrice Nielson.

Cynthia de la Paz Charco (Junior, Chemistry) synthesized and characterized metal-organic complexes. Her faculty mentor was Dr. Nyesa Enakaya.

Millicent Okoro (Junior, Biochemistry) investigated how microbial signals may influence epigenetic regulation of genes involved in neural development and function. Her faculty mentor was Dr. Taylor McFadden.