2026 MFA Thesis Exhibtion

March 31–April 30, 2026
Duke Hall Gallery of Fine Art

Opening reception: Tuesday, March 31, 5–7:30 p.m.

Three exceptional graduate students showcase their talent and creativity in this dedicated exploration of ideas. The thesis exhibition is the culminating experience of the Master in Fine Arts program in JMU’s School of Art, Design, and Art History.

Featuring: Behnaz Ghasempour, Ver Ikeseh, Liv Luke

4/17 | Friday - Recital - Thomas Crouch and Ann Bosch, harpsichord
Asbury United Methodist Church, 6:00pm 

4/17 | Friday - DMA Recital - Gray Smiley, horn
Forbes Recital Hall (Livestream available), 8:00pm

4/18 | Saturday - MM Recital - Augusta Nafziger, voice 
Forbes Recital Hall (Livestream available), 12:00pm

4/19 | Sunday - DMA Recital - Uche Aghulor, voice
Forbes Recital Hall (Livestream available), 4:00pm

4/25 | Saturday - MM Recital - Hannah Caraker, euphonium
Anthony-Seeger Auditorium, 11:30am

4/25 | Saturday - MM Recital - Isabelle Pearson, composition
Forbes Recital Hall (Livestream available), 8:00pm

4/26 | Sunday - DMA Recital - Keqin Ma, piano
Forbes Recital Hall (Livestream available), 1:00pm

4/26 | Sunday - MM Recital - Shkurte Gashi, piano 
Forbes Recital Hall (Livestream available), 7:00pm

5/1 | Friday - MM Recital - Ryan Walker, piano 
Forbes Recital Hall (Livestream available), 6:00pm

5/1 | Friday - MM Recital - Sydney Murrell, voice
Forbes Recital Hall (Livestream available), 8:00pm

5/2 | Saturday - DMA Recital - Joshua Sheppard, percussion
Forbes Recital Hall (Livestream available), 12:00pm

5/2 | Saturday - DMA Recital - David Kriete, clarinet
Forbes Recital Hall (Livestream available), 2:00pm

5/2 | Saturday - DMA Recital - Runze Bai, piano
Forbes Recital Hall (Livestream available), 4:00pm

5/2 | Saturday - DMA Recital - Joshua Brancaleone, flute
Muhlenberg Lutheran Church, 4:00pm

5/2 | Saturday - DMA Recital - Ying Zhang, piano
Forbes Recital Hall (Livestream available), 6:00pm

5/3 | Sunday - DMA Recital - Thomas Crouch, piano
Forbes Recital Hall (Livestream available), 1:00pm

5/3 | Sunday - DMA Lecture Recital - John Meshreky, cello
Forbes Recital Hall (Livestream available), 4:00pm

5/5 | Tuesday - DMA Recital - Xinlu Ai, piano
Forbes Recital Hall (Livestream available), 7:00pm

Oral presentations during the Graduate Showcase
on April 17, 2026 in The Hall of Presidents - 8:30 am-12:00 pm.

8:30 am - Jordan Baker, Catherine Foster, Shelby Lam, and Zoe Spangler, Exploring Simulation Platforms to Enhance Occupational Therapy Education, Occupational Therapy, M.O.T.

8:45 am - Jenna Harper, A False Autonomy: Hetairai Women and the Struggle from Slavery to Athenian Wifehood, History, M.A.

9:00 am - Shania Kate Baldevia, Nyah Jordan-McCauley, Chloe Swan, and Catherine Zarchin, Navigating challenges: Supporting occupational therapy fieldwork educators in student placement, Occupational Therapy, M.O.T.  

9:20 am - Ver Ikeseh, Belonging: JMU Project 50, Studio Art, M.F.A. 

9:35 am - Katherine Cooper, Epigenetic analysis of the developing vertebrate retina, Biology, M.S. 

9:50 am - Ashlynne Brown, Julian Burke, Avery Haines, Brianna Rowe, and Lauren Schloegel, Mental health in occupational therapy: Exploring the integration of psychosocial in adult-based OT settings, Occupational Therapy, M.O.T. 

10:10 am -  Mohammad Rahman, Leadership Effectiveness and Program Outcomes: Insights from Reentry Programs in Shenandoah Valley Region, Virginia, Strategic Leadership Studies, Ph.D. 

10:25 am - Francesca Cuchna, Danyelle Kynaston, Sarah Pearce, Nancy Pisano, and Emma Taylor, The Development and Analysis of a Flourishing-Based Peer Mentorship Program for JMU Master of Occupational Therapy Students, Occupational Therapy, M.O.T.

10:40 am - Kathryn Hughes, Gretchen Maune, and Amber Sykhammountry, Navigating Anti-DEI in Purple Writing Centers, Writing, Rhetoric and Technical Communication, M.A. 

11:00 am - Art Beqiraj, Name Retrieval in Cognitive Aging, Psychological Sciences, M.A.

11:15 am - Kira Quintin, Burn the Ships: Resistance as an Exercise of Agency Among Teenage Reformatory Ship Inmates in Victorian Liverpool, History, M.A.   

11:30 am - Samantha Ronalds, Roles the mutualism-parasitism transition plays on the gut microbiome of Epicephala, Biology, M.S.

Poster presentations occur simultaneously during the Graduate Showcase
on April 17, 2026 - 2:00-3:30 pm

Ololade Afolabi, Employee Engagement and its Motivational Drivers: Lived Experiences of Generation Y Employees​, Adult Education/Human Resource Development, M.S.Ed.

Hairat Alatishe, Digital Product Interpretation in Nigeria’s Informal Sector: Challenging Western Design Patterns in Nigerian-Founded Digital Products, Writing, Rhetoric and Technical Communication, M.A. 

Ian Barry, Cartoon Rodent and Chiropteran Dentition as Storytelling Devices, Biology, M.S. 

Zoe Hannabass, The Impact of Partner Quality on Female Perception of Ovulation Cues During Pregnancy, Psychological Sciences, M.A.

Kathryn Hughes, Developing Multimodal Asynchronous Feedback Services for James Madison University Writing Centers, Writing, Rhetoric and Technical Communication, M.A.

Wendy Kinyeki, Leadership and Workplace Bullying: A Narrative Exploration of Employee and Bystander Experiences., Adult Education/Human Resource Development, M.S.Ed.

Ezekiel Olaniyan, Learning Practices Between Peer Writing Center Consultants, Communication and Advocacy, M.A.

Oghenetega Ologbo, Bridging Education and Community Impact to Empower Future Professionals, Communication and Advocacy, M.A.

Aminat Oyelude, Prioritizing Student Voice in College Composition: My Ethical Justifications, Writing, Rhetoric and Technical Communication, M.A.

Alexandra Schleyer, Deliberation and Argumentation: Civility on Contemporary College Campus, Communication and Advocacy, M.A.

Fiona Summers, The Role of Reflexivity in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, M.A./Ed.S.

Barnabas Suva, Exploring the Efficacy of Ethical Reasoning Training Intervention for Nonprofit Organizations' Boards and Leaders, Strategic Leadership Studies, Ph.D.

FNU Najib Ullah, Indirect rule and development in the North West Frontier Region of Pakistan and Northern Nigeria, History, M.A.

Yu Wang, "Examining perceived organizational culture on student satisfaction at JMU, Strategic Leadership Studies, Ph.D.