ScholarWorks at Seattle University Features Alfie Scholars’ Conference Papers

Lorra Hernon and Farhia Hassan receive feedback from their peers.

The Alfie Scholar Program provides a scholarship for underrepresented transfer students and a comprehensive program calibrated to develop our scholars into civility leaders committed to finding and implementing solutions to complex social issues. The scholars attend a summer-session philosophy course during their junior and senior years, and they participate in year-round civility leadership programing. As part of the two summer courses, the scholars research, present, and write about an issue of social significance that they hope to influence and improve. During their first summer, scholars participate in an intensive 4-week course on civility, leadership, critical thinking, analysis, and writing before the start of the philosophy course, a required course for Seattle University undergraduates. At the end of both summers, all scholars present their papers at a professional-level conference. Through this process, the scholars also develop skills to lead constructive dialogue about their chosen social issue. Past scholars have taken on a range of social justice topics, such as animal testing, climate change, the digital divide, underemployment, living under a dictatorship, and racial disparities in healthcare. 

Jorge Arturo Lara Alvarado and Richard Pallangyo

We are excited to announce that now the Alfie Scholars Conference papers are permanently housed on the Seattle University Library website ScholarWorks. ScholarWorks, a service of Lemieux Library & McGoldrick Learning Commons, is the institutional repository of Seattle University. Showcasing the work of faculty, staff, and students, as well as archival items and unique holdings, ScholarWorks represents Seattle University's commitment to share its intellectual output with the world.

"More than anything, the exposure through a program like Alfies has given me the confidence to dig deeper, research, and write about a topic I am interested in. Having my paper be available in the public domain is the first step to making information accessible and provides us all with the chance to engage and build community over ideas we are passionate about." shared Mashaal Shameem, a member of Cohort 6 of the Alfie Scholars.

Elizabeth Vargas and Chhavi Mehra

Mashaal, a junior pursuing a Bachelor's in Accounting with a focus in Global Business and Strategic Communications, is a proud global citizen who has lived experiences in Canada and Pakistan and uses her culture and perspective to tackle social issues related to equity and justice. As a Muslim herself, Shameem picked up on the inconsistent representation of Muslims in the Western media from an early age and has shared experiences in dealing with the negative stereotypes that come from being constantly associated with an agenda of spreading fear. Mashaal's paper and presentation, The Scapegoats of Terror: The Disparity in Muslim Representation in the Western Media, discuss the relationship between the media and the concept of terrorism and, finally, provide solutions for media outlets to focus on a more objective portrayal of violent incidents and a more positive portrayal of Muslims.

Read Mashaal’s and other Alfie papers at https://scholarworks.seattleu.edu/alfie-conferences/