Maxwell Juhas (he/him) is a senior in the AMCS department from Millstadt, Illinois. He is currently completing a research project examining the ways in which people express their identities through material artifacts and popular culture, using Funko Pop! figurines as his primary topic of investigation. He has completed qualitative interviews with several Funko Pop! collectors, and used their stories to formulate a new theory he calls the “pleasure archive:” a phenomenon whereby a collection of objects can externalize the most cherished parts of the self into the physical environment, and in doing so, stabilize identity. Beyond his research, Maxwell is the vice president of the student theater group Cast n’ Crew, a committee director for the WashU International Relations Council, and a tour guide for Undergraduate Admissions. He’s currently looking to obtain a Master of Public Policy after graduation.
