Every year, the dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences recognizes outstanding undergraduate scholarship through the Jonathan B. Rintels 1927 Prize and the Interdisciplinary Studies Thesis Prize.
Established in 1986 in honor of Jonathan B. Rintels, Class of 1927, the Rintels Prize celebrates original papers in the Arts and Humanities and the Social Sciences that best combine clarity of thought and expression. In 2024, the Office of the Dean of Faculty introduced a parallel award for International and Interdisciplinary Studies, honoring theses that reflect the same intellectual rigor and clarity.
“This year’s winners exemplify the depth, creativity, and independence of thought that these prizes were designed to honor,” says Interim Dean of Faculty John Carey. “Their work spans economics and political behavior, the philosophy of mathematics, and community histories of migration—each offering insights that resonate far beyond their disciplines.”
Jonathan B. Rintels 1927 Prize in Arts and Humanities
Jadyn Malone ’25: Magicicada and Mathematics: What the Parochiality of Our Explanations Means for the Indispensibility Argument
Faculty Advisor: Kenneth Walden, Department of Philosophy
Jadyn Malone’s thesis tackles one of philosophy’s oldest questions: What is there in this world? Beginning with the deceptively simple inquiry of whether numbers or triangles exist, Malone explores the “indispensability argument,” which claims that what we need to explain the world is what we should believe in. Her work interrogates the persuasive power and limitations of this argument, asking whether explanations are universal or inherently “parochial.” Malone even examines and argues for the explanations that she ultimately rejects.
Malone’s faculty advisor, Kenneth Walden, praised her work as “creative, persuasive, and insightful,” highlighting her ability to engage deeply with counterarguments rather than dismiss them. “This is intellectual dialogue of a particularly high order in that it arrives at its claims by giving due consideration to counterclaims,” agreed Colleen Boggs, associate dean for the arts and humanities.
In Malone’s words:
“During the History FSP I went on in the fall of my junior year, I worked on an individual archival research project culminating in a 25-page paper that was ultimately published in the Tufts Historical Review. When talking about the possibility of writing a thesis, Professor Gaposchkin helped convince me that working on a thesis could be even more satisfying and a great way to challenge myself academically during my senior year.”
On challenges:
“My thesis was a much more iterative process, where I was both reading and writing every week. I found this different workflow a bit challenging at times, especially the feeling of not knowing exactly where I was going to end up, but it also forced me not to predetermine the answers to my questions and the conclusions to my arguments.”
On rewards:
“The two most rewarding parts, beyond picking up the printed copy of the thesis in June, were presenting/defending my thesis and working closely with my advisor, Professor Walden. His guidance was indispensable, and the opportunity to work so closely with a professor for two terms of independent research was one of the most rewarding aspects of the thesis writing process.”
Jonathan B. Rintels 1927 Prize in Social Sciences
Kavya Nivarthy ’25: The Taxing Divide: Realigning Political Effects of the 2017 State and Local Tax (SALT) Deduction Cap
Faculty Advisor: Elizabeth Cascio, Department of Economics
Kavya Nivarthy’s thesis investigates the political consequences of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, focusing on the $10,000 cap on the state and local tax (SALT) deduction. By limiting deductions, the law effectively raised federal income taxes for high-income families in states with high taxes. Nivarthy asked a critical question: Did this policy shift penalize Trump and other Republican lawmakers in subsequent elections?
Her analysis covers presidential and congressional elections from 2012 to 2024, revealing that counties most affected by the SALT cap shifted significantly toward Democrats—changes large enough to influence electoral outcomes. Using survey data, she also demonstrated declines in conservative ideology among those hardest hit by the cap, employing sophisticated methods to rule out confounding factors. Nivarthy’s faculty advisor, Elizabeth Cascio, deemed the thesis a “magnificent piece of work,” and Benjamin Valentino, associate dean for the social sciences, praised it as “a sophisticated and compelling analysis of a key question at the intersection of economics and politics.”
In Nivarthy’s words:
“I was motivated by the intellectual autonomy writing a thesis would afford me—the ability to rigorously consider a question about the world of my own choosing and to fully own the analysis from start to finish was something that really excited me. My topic … was actually the culmination of several research projects I pursued at Dartmouth on this question.”
On challenges:
“The thesis journey is full of unexpected turns. I was challenged to be precise and evidence based as a thinker and communicator. The experience also taught me the value of creativity in academic inquiry—the toughest questions were rarely answered at the surface and often required leveraging existing knowledge to craft a new way of thinking about a scenario.”
On rewards:
“Building close relationships with my professors … was incredibly rewarding. My advisor, Professor Elizabeth Cascio, was particularly encouraging of my creativity and depth of thought. The mentorship I received instilled in me the values of independence of thought, rigor and depth of analysis, and intellectual curiosity.”
Interdisciplinary Studies Thesis Prize
Melissa Reyes ’25: From Puebla to el Barrio: Migration, Identity, and the Making of a Mexican Enclave in Passaic, New Jersey
Faculty Advisor: Matthew Garcia, Department of Latin American, Latino and Caribbean Studies
Melissa Reyes’ thesis offers a nuanced history of Mexican migration and identity formation in Passaic, New Jersey, with a focus on Poblanos—immigrants from Puebla, Mexico. She conducted more than a dozen oral history interviews, with requests from community members to continue collecting and sharing their stories. Using the oral histories alongside archival research, municipal records, and local media, Reyes reconstructs a community history often absent from official archives.
Matthew Delmont, associate dean of international and interdisciplinary studies, praised Reyes’ ability to “navigate between local and national frames of analysis,” noting her engagement with scholars of “underdocumented” communities. For the social impact of her research and her community engagement, she was also honored by the Puebla government with a Premio Carmen Serdán “Mujeres que Transforman” / Carmen Serdán “Women Who Transform” Award.
In Reyes’ words:
“I realized that the migrations that shaped my family and my community weren’t reflected in the histories I was reading and learning about. The seed for this project actually started in my Mellon Mays application back in my sophomore year, and becoming a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow pushed me to be brave enough to write the histories I grew up hearing in Passaic. I wanted to make visible the stories, movements, and memories that I knew mattered.”
On challenges:
“I found it difficult at first to find sources about Mexicans and Poblano communities in the archives I initially consulted. Over time, I stopped seeing the archive as a fixed place and started seeing it as something else that communities can build themselves. This thesis changed the way I understand the history I come from and the responsibility I carry in telling it. Carrying those stories changed me and made me take the work even more seriously.”
On rewards:
“The most rewarding part was talking to people. So many community members wanted to share their migration journeys and experiences growing up here in Passaic. I’ve received so many requests from people who want to hear more, learn more, and see their stories reflected in this work. In a moment of heightened anti-immigration rhetoric, it feels powerful to witness how unafraid people are to preserve their histories.”