When Na’Tasha Webb-Prather was exploring a topic for her Honors Capstone project, she decided to take a critical look at her native city, Cleveland. She found that practices of segregated housing that were institutionalized decades ago have impacted contemporary educational achievement in city schools. 

Webb-Prather is among more than 100 seniors in the Reneé Crown University Honors Program who will present an eclectic array of projects during the annual Capstone Presentation Day from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 4 in the Tolley Humanities Center. The presentations will run concurrently in seven rooms except during lunch (noon to 1 p.m.). The presentations are free and open to the University community.

Capstone projects are the culmination of two years of independent research and creative work by students from across the University.  Students will present work on such topics as refugee resettlement, maternal-child health care, and the impact of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans’ education system; quantum dots, polymers, and Dengue fever; human rights, religion, and literature; as well as baseball, news production, and opera. Formats for the presentations will range from Power Point slides, web sites, and illustration to films, slide shows, and performance.

The process of creating a Capstone project can be life changing for students. Webb-Prather, an African-American studies and political science major in The College of Arts and Sciences, chose her post-graduate path because of what she learned while working on her project.  She has accepted a position with Teach for America as a special education teacher in the Atlanta City School District.

“I thought this would be a perfect conclusion to my Capstone project,” says Webb-Prather, who is also a College of Arts and Sciences College Marshal. “I want to help change the system. These economic, social, and educational issues are not of the past, but continue to plague communities today.”