ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First, I’d like to thank my advisor, Christopher Waddell, for pushing me to choose a topic that I would be able to fully immerse myself in. This would not have come together without his guidance.

I also want to say thanks to my family and friends for their unwavering support, to my peers for being there while we all lost our minds during this process and, of course, to all the sources I spoke to for letting me tell a small part of their story.