Senior Theses

In with the Old: The Relevance of Old Books in the Modern Classroom

Avonlea Johnston 

Avonlea Johnston Biography
Avonlea has attended Bradford Academy for all twelve years of her education. She is proud and extremely honored to be a part of the first graduating class. She would like to thank all of her teachers for the time they invested in her. She is astounded at the amazing love and kindness every single teacher has shown to her and she could not thank them enough. It is because of her teachers that she has decided to major in elementary education at Boyce College. She would also like to thank her dad for providing some invaluable materials for her thesis but most importantly, she would like to thank him for the school he started where she has spent the majority of her life, making some of the best memories and the best of friends she could ever imagine. She knows she will always be a part of Bradford and she couldn’t imagine a better place to be a part of. Avonlea would lastly like to thank her mom for the behind-the-scenes, yet crucial, part she has played in helping Bradford run. She thanks God for the time that she has spent at Bradford and she is confident that she is better prepared for the world because of the education she has received and she is eternally grateful for this.

One Lord, One Faith, One Thousand Denominations: A Call to Pursue Biblical Unity in the Church

Miriam Campbell 

Miriam Campbell Biography

Miriam has attended Bradford Academy since 7th grade. Her favorite part of her classical education has been the ways it has taught her to think critically while also having the scriptures as the center of every subject. She is thankful for the rich friendships she has gained through Bradford. Additionally, she is grateful for the way the teachers and staff have continuously shown her how to live a Christ-centered life and have also practically prepared her for the next phase of her education. 

She is attending The College at Southeastern and is hoping to pursue a major in English and a minor in Business. She chose her thesis topic because she wanted to explore an issue that is relevant to all Christians, and unity is something she wanted to learn more about personally. She would like to thank her mentor, Pastor Michael Lopes, for graciously taking the time to read over her paper and provide feedback.

Home Is Where the Heart Is: Christian Responsibility Within the Foster System

Kaitlyn Gomez

Kaitlyn Gomez Biography

Kaitlyn Gomez has been at Bradford Academy since first grade. Every year, she gains a deeper appreciation for the blessing that Bradford has been to her. She is thankful for the teachers, staff members, parents, coaches, classmates, and community members who made her education possible. After graduating, she plans to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with an undecided major. 

Kaitlyn chose to present her senior thesis on Christian involvement in the foster system because she believes that the topic is extremely important but often overlooked. She could not have completed this capstone without the help of God, the patient guidance from her rhetoric teacher Mrs. Dovan, the stories and experiences from local social workers, the encouragement and critique of classmates, the constant support from her parents, and the memory and inspiration of the foster children who stayed in her own home.

Go and Do Likewise: The Christian’s Commission to Help the Poor

Mallory Jones 

Mallory Jones Biography

Mallory is a senior who’s very sad to be leaving Bradford! She’s incredibly grateful to have had the chance to attend Bradford, and has grown so much under the wisdom and love of all her amazing teachers. Mallory is very excited to attend Grove City College in the fall, where she hopes to learn much more about the Lord and her Christian walk. Her favorite memories of Bradford are literature and creative writing class, playing volleyball and basketball, and having the best friends imaginable in her tiny class of ten. Mallory is also extremely grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Johnston for their sacrifice and hard work to make Bradford the place it is, as well as her parents and all the Bradford teachers. 

She chose this topic because its prevalence in the Bible– studying James, Paul’s epistles, etc. revealed a consistent theme that seemed critical to Christian living. She hopes to work towards fulfilling this commission throughout the rest of her life! 

Pet or Threat: The Overlooked World of Dog Abuse

Mary Grace Mitchell 

Mary Grace Mitchell Biography

Mary Grace has been at Bradford for eight years and has enjoyed learning not only about how to do the basics of reading, writing, and math but also growing in her faith with Christ. Though she doesn’t have a favorite book from Bradford’s curriculum she did enjoy all of the plays written by Shakespeare. 

With the next year coming on rapidly, Mary Grace plans to take a gap year so that she can work full time. She then wants to attend the North Carolina Massage Institute in Hillsborough. From there she is hoping to take on the task of learning horse massage therapy and eventually opening her own practice. 

Mary Grace chose her senior topic based on her love for dogs and how she has helped her sister transport many foster pitbulls for a foundation called Merit Pitbull. This allowed her to see the pain that has been inflicted upon so many dogs around the United States and more. 

Mary Grace’s mentor Ian Brown is a professional dog trainer for Haven Dog training. Ian helped Mary Grace clarify her thoughts and gave her new ideas and thoughts to add and expand on in her paper.

“Who Run the World?”: A Biblical Alternative to Feminism

Hannah Campbell 

Hannah Campbell Biography

Hannah Campbell has been a student at Bradford Academy since the 7th grade. She is incredibly thankful for how the school has cultivated her love of reading and writing through the Omnibus course, which has helped her to better view the world through the lens of Scripture. She plans to attend The College at Southeastern to obtain a B.A. in English, possibly going on to obtain an M.A. in Teaching at NC State University. 

Hannah chose her thesis topic because she wanted to learn more about a contemporary worldview and be able to compare it well with her Christian worldview. She enjoyed the research process because she was able to read and listen to many different kinds of people with different perspectives, weighing each one with biblical truth to the best of her abilities. 

“All the World’s a Stage”: The Power of Theatre to Transform Community

Veronica Newsome

Veronica Newsome Biography

Veronica Newsome wants to express her immense gratitude towards Bradford Academy for the past 12 years. Without the love and support from her friends and her teachers, she would not be the person she is today. She plans to attend Western Carolina University in the fall to study elementary education. 

Veronica’s thesis was chosen because of her love for theatre and her heart for the community around her. Veronica has been performing since she was three years old, and this thesis only grew her love for the art. Theatre had an incredible impact on her life, and she believes it can do the same for anyone who experiences the power of theatre.

Looking at the Past: The Importance of History

Caleb Rivera

Caleb Rivera Biography

Caleb has been at Bradford since the sixth grade. The reason why he chose the importance of history for his topic is because history is his all time favorite subject. Bradford students read a lot of books over the years and the only ones that have been really interesting to Caleb are the history books, his favorite being The Prince by Machiavelli. Ever since he was young he was always fascinated by the subject. One of the most fascinating parts of his research was learning about how little people his age and older know about American history. It’s such an important part of who we are today.

An Age of Practicality: The Importance of a Liberal Arts Education for Careers in STEM 

Olivia White 

Olivia White Biography

Olivia White has attended Bradford Academy since second grade and is immensely thankful for all of her years at Bradford. She is thankful for the teachers, who always put the students first and point them to Christ in every class, and for her fellow students, who have always been a blessing and an encouragement to her. After graduating, she plans to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a major in Biomedical Engineering.

Olivia chose to write her thesis on the importance of a liberal arts education for careers in STEM because, although she is pursuing a STEM career, she has received a liberal arts education and is very grateful for that education. She would like to thank her rhetoric teacher, Mrs. Dovan, who helped her through every aspect of her thesis, her content advisor, Dr. Nikias, president emeritus of the University of Southern California, who willingly provided assistance in her thesis, and finally, her mom, who taught her to love the liberal arts, and her dad, who taught her to love STEM.

Manna and Mission: Redeeming the Dinner Table for Christ

Caroline Garrett 

Caroline Garrett Biography

Caroline Garrett has been at Bradford Academy since ninth grade. She deeply appreciates each of the teachers, parents, coaches, staff members, classmates, and friends who have made her time at Bradford so full of blessing. After graduating, she plans to attend Grove City College to major in biology and Spanish.    

Caroline chose to write her senior thesis on ways that Christians can use meals for the spread of the gospel because she sees an incredible amount of opportunity that Christians often overlook. She only accomplished this project through the grace of God, and she is also immensely grateful for the kind guidance and wisdom of her rhetoric teacher, Mrs. Dovan, her classmates who have stretched and supported her, and her parents, who daily lead her family to the Savior who welcomes sinners to his table of grace.