ASU students turn required academic project into benefit for Make-A-Wish Arizona
Ambika Nagarajan (left) and Taylor Oddonetto, both students in Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University, redefined the parameters of their honors thesis by creating ELIVA, a student-founded dance showcase benefiting Make-A-Wish Arizona. Courtesy photos
Every student in Arizona State University's Barrett, The Honors College is required to complete a thesis before graduating. Many spend months, sometimes years, deciding on a topic.
For third-year Barrett students Ambika Nagarajan and Taylor Oddonetto, the question was not “What should our thesis be about?” It was, “What could it do?”
If you go ...
Date: Sunday, Feb. 22.
Showtimes: 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Location: Margaret Gisolo Dance Theatre on ASU's Tempe campus.
Tickets: $12 for ASU students and staff (ASU ID required); $20 general admission. Proceeds benefit Make-A-Wish Arizona.
Tickets are available in advance via @elivadance on Instagram and will also be available at the door. Advance purchase is recommended. Send questions to [email protected].
On Feb. 22, Nagarajan and Oddonetto will present ELIVA, a student-founded dance showcase featuring more than 150 performers. The event serves as the centerpiece of their honors thesis and reflects a growing shift toward nontraditional, impact-driven projects.
The showcase will be hosted by Clayton Echard, former star of "The Bachelor" and Netflix’s "Perfect Match." Sponsors include Red Bull, Kendra Scott and Raising Cane’s, with event proceeds benefiting Make-A-Wish Arizona.
“This started as a personal idea and grew into something much bigger,” Nagarajan said.
A business entrepreneurship major pursuing a certificate in data analytics in the W. P. Carey School of Business and a lifelong dancer, Nagarajan said the idea for ELIVA emerged after a major knee injury forced her to step away from dance. During recovery, she began reflecting on how quickly access to movement can be taken away — a realization that later shaped the direction of her thesis.
“I wanted my recovery to mean something bigger than just coming back to dance,” Nagarajan said. “I saw my thesis as a safe space to take risks and try something ambitious. Even if it failed, I would still be proud that I tried.”
Oddonetto, a finance and financial planning major in the W. P. Carey School of Business from Globe, Arizona, joined the project as a partner. Together, the students coordinated performers, secured sponsors, hosted free dance classes and organized fundraising efforts throughout the community.
“It took a lot of coordination,” Oddonetto said. “We have weekly meetings, constant communication and regular check-ins with our advisors. There were moments where securing a venue or pitching the project felt intimidating, but I learned how to talk to different people, adapt my approach and keep pushing forward.”
Halah Berglin, events specialist at Make-A-Wish Arizona, said their thesis work sparked the relationship.
“Their initiative brought us together, and they were deeply invested in understanding our mission and finding meaningful ways to involve wish kids, families and the broader community,” Berglin said.
Among the featured performers is Lanee Nawrocki, a finance and financial planning major in the W. P. Carey School of Business and a proud Make-A-Wish alumna. Diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at age 7, Nawrocki received a wish trip to Disney World during treatment. Throughout two and a half years of chemotherapy, dance remained a constant in her life.
“Dance became a lifeline to normalcy for me,” Nawrocki said. “The studio and the stage were places where I felt accepted and could process what I was going through. Being part of ELIVA feels like a full-circle moment, bringing together dance and Make-A-Wish in a way that reminds me how powerful both have been in my life.”
ELIVA also features dancers and choreographers across a wide range of genres, each bringing their own story and perspective to the stage.
“I hope people leave feeling connected,” Nagarajan said. “Not just to the performances, but to each other and to the purpose behind the event. If people walk out feeling like they were part of something meaningful, then ELIVA did exactly what it was meant to do.”
Faculty advisors say projects like ELIVA reflect the broader intent of the thesis experience at Barrett.
“The thesis gives students the opportunity to integrate their academic learning with what matters most to them,” said David Olarte, clinical assistant professor in the School of Music, Dance and Theatre within the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts and a member of Nagarajan’s thesis committee. “In Ambika’s case, the process of producing ELIVA allows her to explore why dance matters, not just to her, but to the community. That kind of creative research carries forward into any field.”
Cari Koch, associate clinical professor and production manager in the School of Music, Dance and Theatre, said allowing flexibility in thesis projects is critical.
“Not every student or project is best served by a traditional paper,” Koch said. “The freedom to explore different formats allows students to discover focus, test ideas and better understand how they want to move forward after graduation.”
Together, the project demonstrates how honors thesis work can create meaningful community impact while also giving students a distinctive, applied experience they can highlight on resumes and speak to with confidence during job interviews.
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