Braden Storytelling Grants - 2025 Cohort
2025 Braden Grant Projects
Our 2025 cohort is currently completing final edits on their stories. Their final episodes will be released in January 2026.
Alana Esposito
Alana Esposito (she/her) is from Huntersville, North Carolina. She's a senior studying Systems and Computational Engineering and pursuing a coterminal masters degree in Sustainability at Stanford. She will research what the Bison's near extinction and restoration reveal about American identity?
Alice Heiman
Alice Heiman is a computer science student interested in the intersection of technology, health, and sustainability. She’s currently working together with Professor Gretchen Daily and Hilary Brumberg to build models for prioritizing conservation and restoration efforts in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Her story will focus on the Atlantic Forest, one of the world's most important biodiversity hotspots, with over 20,000 plant species and provides ecosystem services to over 60% of the Brazilian population.
Ana Joleigh Gray
Ana Joleigh Gray is a sophomore majoring in Psychology and planning to co-term in Public Policy. Her ultimate goal in life is love on people and make the world a better place through that action. Her story will explore livermush - a practical food that uses "throw-away" cuts of meat, making it a staple for many struggling and under-resourced families, especially in the Black community for many generations in Western North Carolina and other Appalachian regions.
Kristine Pashin
Kristine Pashin is studying Symbolic Systems, minoring in Art History and pursuing a Master's in Public Policy. Her fascination with Bulgarian folklore dance began at a young age, growing up immersed in the vibrant dance community and performing yearly in folklore showcases and at Festival Verea in Illinois. Kristine will document how these time-honored traditions endure and evolve within diaspora settings across North America, using her project to contribute to a deeper understanding of how marginalized communities maintain a sense of identity and belonging through dance.
Mercer Weis
Mercer Weis is a junior majoring in Environmental Systems Engineering from Claremont, California. He believes documentary is a powerful and personal tool that can amplify voices in the climate world. Mercer will be telling the story of Clara Oaks, a biodiverse parcel of land in Webb Canyon designated as a severe fire risk zone. He'll explore how the Canyon is being threatened by development, which has the potential to spark another devastating wildfire in Southern California.
Rani Chor
Rani Chor studies International Relations and Biology. Her documentary question came to her during a History lecture—not from what was taught, but from what was missing. She will investigate Southeast Asian refugee histories in U.S. education. Using her dual lens as both a learner and a reporter, her audio narrative will explore a lacuna in our knowledge: how education often sidelines diasporic communities and why teaching these histories is essential.
Rosina Lin
As a musician who studies music and economics, Rosina Lin is interested in sharing the sounds of the ethnic through storytelling. Her research will delve into how music can amplify minority voices and reflect diverse cultural values. Her project will focus, in particular, on the music from her hometown, which is mainly Chaoshan and Guangdong music.
West Mulholland
Born near the salty shores of San Clemente, California, West Mulholland is a sophomore at Stanford studying Film and Media Studies with a minor in American Studies. His audio story “The Children’s Village” will examine the impact of war and forced displacement on childhood, focusing on lived experiences of the Japanese-American children who lived at the Children’s Village orphanage in Manzanar.
Questions? Contact SSP Director Jonah Willihnganz.
Listen to previous Braden grant projects Get details about applying