This year’s MURALS Symposium at Colorado State University spotlighted outstanding work among students across the university, with the top award-winning project providing an examination of the health disparities among racial groups in the United States.

More than 75 undergraduates participated in MURALS — Multicultural Undergraduate Research, Art and Leadership — in a virtual showcase March 25-26. As in previous years, the signature event highlighted student work in social sciences, humanities, STEM, creative arts and service learning and leadership.

This year’s event marked the sixth time CSU has hosted the MURALS Symposium. The event is designed to celebrate the academic success of students of color and expose them to undergraduate research opportunities and other scholarly endeavors.

Janaye Matthews, a senior biomedical engineering and electrical engineering student in the Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering, was the overall winner and received a $1,000 prize.

Matthews’ project spotlighted the widespread health disparities among racial groups in the U.S. amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The project allowed for personal exploration around health inequities, while also following the resurgence of the conversation around reparations for Black Americans.

“I’m really humbled by this honor,” Matthews said. “In all honesty, I was completely surprised by it. Committing to MURALS this year was a bit of a personal push, and I wasn’t really focused on the competition aspect. I’m kind of just a bit of a nerd who loves learning from others and seeing the world from my peers’ perspectives.”

Matthews added that she appreciated the collaborative environment of MURALS, which celebrated different forms of research and brought awareness to important issues.

Maya Siegel, a junior business administration student in the College of Business, was one of the five students to win a first-place honor, which included a $750 prize. For MURALS, Siegel shared information on Space to Speak, an organization she launched during her freshman year to give youth a voice in the sexual violence prevention movement.

In April 2020, Space to Speak partnered with organizations FreeFrom and The Survivor Coalition Project to help people experiencing domestic violence during the pandemic. In the span of four months, they helped raise over $118,000, which directly supported more than 470 survivors in FreeFrom’s database, providing funds for rent, groceries, medicine and other critical needs. In total, the campaign raised over $266,000.

“I’m so grateful to the MURALS staff for affirming my potential and holding space for me to grow and shine,” Siegel said. “It’s easy to feel invisible at a big school, especially as a freshman, so being invited to participate in MURALS year after year — and then seeing faculty coming to the event and supporting the participants — means so much to me.”

Christal Dominguez Vasquez, a senior fish, wildlife and conservation biology student in the Warner College of Natural Resources, was one of four second-place winners who received a $500 prize. Her project examined how the Soapstone bison have several intersectional stories through art.

“I feel validated that all the hard work, passion and creativity that I showed in my project was honored because it’s hard to feel seen,” she said. “Being a Latina in STEM is sometimes difficult because there is not enough space for people like me to be given a platform to show my work. Therefore, I am incredibly proud and grateful to have the opportunity to collaborate alongside other students of color and be celebrated for our success.”