The APSA Diversity Fellowship Program, formerly the Minority Fellowship Program, was established in 1969 as a fellowship competition to diversify the political science profession. DFP provides support to students applying to, or in the early stages of, a PhD program in political science. Since its inception, the APSA Diversity Fellowship Program (DFP) has designated more than 600 fellows and contributed to the successful completion of doctoral political science programs for over 100 individuals. APSA has once again awarded a new cycle to provide support for PhD students currently in their first or second year as of Spring 2024. Please join us in congratulating the 2024-2025 class of fellows. Learn more about DFP at https://apsanet.org/dfp.
LARISSA BECKMAN
Larissa Beckman (she/her) is a Brazilian lawyer and holds two master’s degrees in law, the first from the Judicial School of the State of Rio de Janeiro (EMERJ-Brazil) in public and private law and the other from the Queen Mary University of London (QMUL-UK) in human rights law. As a political science PhD student, Larissa’s main fields are comparative and American politics, with a particular geographical focus on Brazil and Latin America. Larissa is interested in researching the intersections between gender, race, law, and the political science studies of institutions.
JANE BETCHLEY
Jane Betchley is a second-year student in the political science PhD program at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She holds a BA in modern history and MA in political economy from the University of Essex, and she has previously held various roles working for the British government in the US With a strong interest in political psychology, her primary research focus is cognition, particularly implicit social cognition, and how the information environment interacts with general and individual tendencies in information processing. She seeks to better understand how people’s internal experiences can influence their real-world political attitudes and behavior, using both psychophysiological and implicit measurement methods. She also intends to explore how neurodiversity may play a role in political cognition, particularly in terms of emotional and moral reasoning, and how this may connect to ideology or political values. Jane is currently serving as a graduate representative on the Association of Politics and the Life Sciences (APLS) Council.
ALIANNA CASAS
Alianna Casas (she/her/ella) is a second-year PhD student at the University of Arizona’s School of Government and Public Policy. Her subfields are international relations and comparative politics. Her research interests include gender in conflict, rebel governance, and illicit markets. Currently, Alianna is researching how individual-level characteristics shape women’s roles in conflict. Additionally, she is working on a project with her advisor, Dr. Javier Osorio, looking at how the close election of female politicians influences the incidence of gender-based violence during the Colombian conflict. Prior to attending the University of Arizona, Alianna received her BS in business economics and political science and her MA in applied economics from Western Kentucky University. Alianna is a proud alumnus of the University of Arizona Graduate Center’s University Fellows Program (2023-2024) and Western Kentucky University’s Distinguished Minority Fellowship Program (2022-2023). After completing her doctoral studies, Alianna plans to pursue a career in academia where she can empower future generations of Chicana scholars.
AMANDA S. CHEN
Amanda S. Chen is a first-year PhD student at Cornell University studying the effects of institutional constraints on American political development, specifically as it relates to race and ethnicity politics and historical institutionalist analysis. During her undergraduate career at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, she co-authored two papers, one of which quantitatively investigates how people can engage in political discourse within seemingly non-political online discussion forums, and the other of which qualitatively explores tools to best address campus sexual violence. More recently, her research has focused on analyzing how federalism shaped efforts of democratization and racial progress in the United States and Brazil during each country’s post-abolition periods. At Cornell, she is a research assistant to Dr. Jamila Michener, and she is the graduate coordinator for the Politics of Race, Immigration, Class & Ethnicity Initiative. As she progresses through her doctoral studies, Amanda hopes to use mixed methods to continue studying how the historical contexts of institutions impact democratic stability and social equity today.
ANGELA DANSO GYANE
Angela Danso Gyane is a political science PhD student at the University of Missouri-Columbia’s Truman School of Government and Public Affairs. She holds a history and political science BA from the College of Wooster. Her primary fields of study are international relations and comparative politics, with a particular focus on the intricate dynamics of race, ethnicity, and gender in international relations. Angela’s research interests span human rights, conflict studies, peace studies, African studies, and politics of the Global South. She is dedicated to understanding and assessing the enduring influence of pre-colonial political and social systems on the contemporary political landscape of African politics. Angela’s research explores the diversity in African pre-colonial social and political systems, shedding light on how these systems shaped African women’s non-violent and violent political engagement. Angela aspires to pursue an academic career while also contributing to administration to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Additionally, she hopes to engage in consultancy roles with think tanks focusing on developmental studies and conflict resolution in the Global South.
NOOR MAY HAMWY
Noor May Hamwy graduated from the University of Washington-Seattle with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and public health-global health in 2020. She then pursued her master’s in public policy at Hamad bin Khalifa University in Qatar Foundation. Currently, she is a first-year political science PhD student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, specializing in comparative politics. Noor, who is of Syrian and Palestinian descent, has been awarded with the Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowship for the study of Hebrew for the years 2023-2024 and 2024-2025. Noor’s research interests center on the dynamics of minority-state relations, the varying degrees of political repression within social groups, and the evolution of collective memories into strategies for group survival. She particularly focuses on these themes in the context of the MENA/SWANA region.
MASON HOLLAND
Mason Holland is a graduate student in the political science PhD program at the University of Michigan. He holds a BA in political science with a minor in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies from the University of Connecticut. His subfield is in American politics with a specific focus on Black politics. His research interests broadly center around American voter behavior, public opinion, and political psychology. He has pursued these research interests as a 2022 Ralph Bunche Summer Institute scholar, an undergraduate research assistant at the University of Connecticut and now as a graduate student at Michigan. Upon graduation, Mason hopes to enter academia and serve as both a professor of political science and a mentor to undergraduate and graduate scholars engaging in REP research.
MARZIA HUSSAINI
Marzia Hussaini is a first-year PhD student in the department of political science at Michigan State University where she studies American politics and research methods. She is particularly interested in political psychology and identity politics and her current research focuses on the psychological factors influencing political engagement. Marzia received a Bachelor of Arts in political science and a Bachelor of Science in psychology, both summa cum laude, from the University of the District of Columbia where she worked as an undergraduate research assistant on various projects.
ISABELLE JENSEN
Isabelle Jensen is a second-year PhD student at the University of Maryland. Her main field is American politics, and her subfield is methods. Isabelle is interested in disabled people as a political group; particularly, how the identity of disabled people affects the way they participate in and experience politics. She also wants to investigate the ways in which nondisabled people view policies about disability. Isabelle identifies as disabled and wants to give disabled perspectives a place in political science. Isabelle believes that disabled people are a diverse and growing group that has frequently been ignored, but, in all their variety, should hold a place in political identity research. Isabelle was a coauthor of a political psychology chapter, “Racial Attitudes, Messaging, and Appeals.” She is currently a graduate assistant for TerpsExceed, a post-secondary education program for students with intellectual disabilities. Isabelle graduated summa cum laude from Hofstra University with a bachelor’s degree in political science. She wants to use academia to empower disabled people through her research and teaching.
MADELINE KITTLER
Madeline Kittler is a first-year doctoral student at the University of Missouri, Columbia. Her primary field of study is American politics, and her secondary field is public policy. Madeline’s research interests include conservative religious groups’ influence on American state politics and administrative burden’s effect on democracy. Her current research examines conservative Christian legislators’ agenda setting behavior. Before attending the University of Missouri, Madeline obtained a Bachelor of Science in political science and public administration from the University of Central Arkansas. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a career in academia and advocacy for students with disabilities.
FAWZIYAH LAGUIDE
Fawziyah Laguide graduated from University of California, Berkeley with Departmental High Honors, earning a Bachelor of Arts in political science in the spring of 2023. She is currently a first-year political science PhD student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, focusing on American politics. In August 2021, she also created and taught the first ever Female Kingship and Power course at UC Berkeley as an undergraduate in the university’s DeCal program, she then continued to teach this course for two years. In April of 2022, Fawziyah was selected as a Ronald E. McNair Scholar where she published her research on education and gender politics. Additionally, she is a published poet and creative writer. Her scholarly interests center around race and gender identity politics, as well as education and public opinion. In her McNair research, using original surveys, she found that education plays a defining role in political engagement on gender issues. In her current research, she’s interested in studying African immigrants’ and African Americans’ political behavior and educational opportunities. In the future, Fawziyah hopes to pursue a career in academia, conducting research on education, race, and gender, as well as teaching multi-disciplinary courses that reignite a passion for learning among students.
HOPE MARTINEZ
Hope Martinez is a second-year PhD student in Georgia State University’s doctoral program of political science. Her subfields are public law and American politics. Hope’s research focuses on Indigenous law and politics with a broad interest in judicial politics, methods, and the effects of colonialism. She is currently working on projects about state effort to limit Native sovereignty including state use of the US Supreme Court in Indigenous law cases. She hopes to provide knowledge to advocates of Indigenous protection and sovereignty to support their success against colonial efforts. Hope has also begun to investigate the effects of incarceration on the political beliefs of vulnerable communities. Prior to arriving at GSU, she earned her BS from the University of South Florida-Saint Petersburg and her MS degree from the University of Central Florida. She then worked as a teacher in Florida at Title 1 schools and started an adult education company to help parents earn their GED. After graduate school, Hope plans to pursue a career as a researcher and educator to advocate for the liberation of Indigenous and people of color living in colonial structures.
SPRING BOME MI
Spring Bome Mi is a second-year PhD student in the department of political science at the University of California, Berkeley. She received her Bachelor of Arts in peace and conflict studies and Middle East studies from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2018 with a high academic distinction, and received her Master of Arts in international relations from the University of Chicago in 2021, where she received the Social Sciences Scholarship of full tuition. Her research interests lie at the intersection of racial identities, threat perception, and foreign policy. Spring’s current research project studies the conditioning effects of racial identities on public support for trade. Given that social psychological predispositions such as social dominance orientation, expectation of privilege, racial prejudice, right-wing authoritarianism, and a feeling of national superiority influence voters’ evaluation of fairness in trade deals, Spring examines how voters’ perception of disproportionate domestic distribution of trade benefits shapes public support for trade for both the dominant and subordinate racial groups. By studying the impact of racial hierarchies, sociotropy, and ethnoracial groups’ divergent understanding of social justice, she hopes to contribute to the growing literature on identity politics, international political economy, and public opinion.
ANNA NGUYEN
Anna Nguyen is a second-year PhD student in the department of political science at the University of Washington, Seattle. Her fields of study are American politics, race and ethnic politics, and political methodology. She received her BS in political science and economics from the University of Oregon, where she became interested in tenant organizing and the intersections between housing and labor struggles. Her current research examines the role of social networks in building solidarity and collective power among immigrant domestic workers. Anna is passionate about political education, and her work is inspired by efforts to produce knowledge inside and outside of academic spaces. After completing her PhD, Anna hopes to continue engaging in work centered around social movement organizing as a researcher and educator at the university level.
KELSEY OSBORNE-GARTH
Kelsey Osborne-Garth is a native of Nashville, TN, and joined the department of political science at Michigan State University in the Fall of 2022. At Michigan State, she studies American politics, emphasizing race and ethnicity politics. She is particularly interested in the study of American identity, attachment to national symbols, and how these affect political behavior and public attitudes. Kelsey is particularly dedicated to racial justice and considers herself an activist scholar. In the summer of 2020, she began a petition that amassed over 11,000 signatures to remove a confederate monument across the street from her university’s admissions building. This encounter has inspired much of Kelsey’s work to date. She hopes to continue this career by teaching the next generation in the classroom. You can find out more about Kelsey and her research at kelseyosbornegarth.com.
SAVANNAH PLASKON
Savannah Plaskon is a second year PhD student at the University of California, Irvine in the department of political science. Her subfields are American politics and race, ethnicity, and politics. She is also a member of UC Irvine’s Graduate Feminist Emphasis Program. Savannah’s research interests include race, gender, representation, elections, and campaign finance. Her current work analyzes how constituents’ perceptions of members of Congress are shaped by race and gender. Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, her interest in political science was sparked by her parents’ engagement in grassroots political organizing. Savannah’s research has been funded by UC Irvine’s Jack W. Peltason Center for the Study of Democracy and American University’s New Perspectives in American Governance Program. After completing her doctoral degree, Savannah hopes to pursue a career in academia where she can conduct research, teach, and inspire a new wave of scholars to approach political science through a diverse array of methodologies.
JESSICA REESE
Jessica Reese is a distinguished PhD student in government and politics at the University of Maryland, College Park. She specializes in racial and ethnic politics within the American political landscape, leveraging her Bachelor of Science in political science from the University of Southern Mississippi. Jessica’s research notably examines the black conservative movement, contributing significant insights into political behavior and voter dynamics. Her work as a research assistant on emotional expectation and blame attribution in politics showcases her analytical skills and dedication to the discipline. With teaching interests closely aligned to her research, she focuses on American politics, emphasizing racial and ethnic politics. Jessica aims to expand her research to explore broader political behaviors and the impact of race on political outcomes, aspiring to offer meaningful contributions to academia and policy-making. Her academic journey is highlighted by prestigious accolades, including the Dean’s Fellowship Grant and the Allan B. McBride Political Science Methods Award, demonstrating her exceptional performance in political science methodology.
SOFIA ROSALES
Sofia Rosales is a PhD student in the department of political science at Michigan State University. At Michigan State University, she holds the prestigious position of University Enrichment Fellow. Sofia’s fields of study center around American politics with a minor in public policy, complemented by a certificate in Chicano and Latino studies. Her research interests lie in the realms of the Supreme Court, constitutional law, and public opinion. Currently, Sofia is immersed in a project examining the impact of Supreme Court rulings on immigration policies on the opinions of American voters. Prior to her enrollment at Michigan State University, Sofia graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor of arts in political science and a minor in psychology from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Upon completing her doctoral studies, Sofia aspires to embark on a career in academia, where she can contribute to the advancement of political science through teaching and research, nurturing the next generation of scholars.
LINETTE SANCHEZ
Linette Sanchez is a first-year PhD student at the University of Texas at Austin. Her subfields are American politics and methodology. Her research interests include race and ethnic politics, Latine politics, and immigration. Currently, Linette is researching the political participation of children of undocumented immigrants in the United States and how their political actions are driven by higher beliefs of political efficacy. Linette graduated summa cum laude from DePaul University with a BA in political science and applied diplomacy. At DePaul, Linette became interested in pursuing a PhD as a Ronald E. McNair Scholar. Originally from the suburbs of Chicago, IL, Linette’s research is motivated by her experiences as a Latine child of immigrants in Chicago. After completing her PhD, Linette plans to pursue a career in academia where she hopes to continue engaging in work that advances our understanding of Latine politics and in mentoring underrepresented scholars like herself.
ANUSHKA VISHAHAN
Anushka Vishahan is a first-year PhD student in the government department at Georgetown University. She is in the American government field and is a member of the Gender, Race, and Ethnicity Politics (GREP) Lab. Her research interests are in political behavior, pan-ethnic racial groups, and race-ethnicity politics. Currently, Anushka is researching the nuances in the pan-ethnic Asian American community in terms of sense of ethnic identity and preferences in descriptive representation. Additionally, she is also working on a study examining the differences in patterns of elite behavior as reflected in their responses to anti-Asian discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before attending Georgetown University, Anushka graduated magna cum laude from The College of New Jersey with a BA in psychology and political science. There, she researched White Americans’ feelings of racial status threat and the different ways it impacts their political attitudes towards minority groups. After completing her PhD, Anushka aims to continue her research in race-ethnicity politics and political psychology and pursue a career in academia. She is intent on broadening and deepening our understanding of interracial politics in the United States and contributing to the intellectual community in a way that brings us closer to understanding and confronting issues of inequality.
MYCHALA WALKER
Mychala Walker is a graduate student in the University of Maryland’s government and politics PhD Program. Mychala’s areas of study are comparative politics and political methodology. Specifically, her research interests are in Black Politics and identity politics. She graduated summa cum laude in 2021 from Virginia State University with a BA in political science. Prior to her graduate studies, Mychala worked for two years with the US Department of State as a political affairs intern in the Bureau of African Affairs. ■
