Patrick Kiernan '25 explored the complexities of school desegregation in his honors thesis, focusing on key Supreme Court cases from the 1960s and 1970s. His research examined the challenges of enforcing desegregation post-Brown v. Board of Education, highlighting how the process was complicated.

Brooks Freeman ’25, an English major at Virginia Military Institute, sought a common core between the philosophies of Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī, a 13th century Middle Eastern Sufi mystic and poet, and SØren Kierkegaard, a 19th century Danish philosopher, theologian, and poet, in his honors presentation.

Suzanne Leaptrot ’25 explored the intersection of comedy and political rhetoric in her honors thesis, examining whether comedians, like Colbert, engage in demagoguery by analyzing his monologues from the 2016, 2020, and 2024 conventions.

Simon Moore ’25 was drawn to Arthur Schopenhauer’s pessimistic views and honesty about pain and suffering. He said it might be considered a taboo subject, but it intrigued him.

Harrison Williams ’25, a cadet at Virginia Military Institute majoring in economics and business, researched the wisdom of investing in the United States for his honors project, “Sustainable Debt Limit Estimates for the U.S. and 20 Other OECD Countries.”

Delilah Martindale ’25 researched for her honors thesis, “Preventing Suicide: The Effect of Visibility on Mental Health Infrastructure.” She chose the subject of suicide prevention in order to merge her major in international studies with her minor in psychology.

Kanokpon “Gun” Mettasat ’27 spent 15 days last June living as a monk at Wat Khlong Khru Buddhist temple in Tha Sai, not far from his home in Bangkok.

Jackson Miller ’24 was drawn to a research topic as he approached his 1st Class year with strong philosophical and religious themes. He presented his research "Dostoyevsky and Star Wars: Understanding How Narratives Can Help Us Deepen Our Moral Awareness" during Honors Week in the spring semester.

The power transition theory appealed to Devin Thomas '24 due to its focus on power dynamics and systemic changes, which have significant implications for international relations at various levels.

According to Dylan Palmer '24, the nature of unmanned systems inherently reduces the risk to operators conducting missions during wartime. He presented his honors thesis, “Drone Countermeasures, Ethics, and Drones’ Effects on a Modern Battlefield" during VMI's Honors Week.