PS • April 2019 397 N e w s ©American Political Science Association, 2019 The APSA Minority Fellows Program (MFP), established in 1969, is a longstanding fellowship compe- tition to diversify the profession by providing support to students from under- represented backgrounds applying to, or in the early stages of, a PhD program in politi- cal science. The goal of the program is to increase the number of minority scholars in the discipline, in particular political science PhD programs, and ultimately the profes- soriate. APSA has once again awarded a new cycle to provide support for fi rst- and second-year political science PhD students from underrepresented backgrounds. Please join us in congratulating the 2019– 20 class of fellows. CLAUDIA ALEGRE Claudia Alegre is a senior double major- ing in political science and sociology at UC Santa Barbara. She is a McNair Scholar and has had the opportunity to present her research at her i n s t i t u t i o n a s well as a national conference. Her current research interests focus on race and ethnic politics, specifi- c a l l y L a t i n o politics. In addi- tion, Claudia is interested in investigating undocumented Latino political engagement and the impacts of mass illegality on the political socialization of Latinos. She hopes to enroll in a PhD program in political science to become a professor and continue her work on race and ethnic politics. GREGORY AMUSU Gregory Amusu graduated from Carleton College with a major in political science/ i n t e r n a t i o n a l relations and a minor in political economy. He has held positions as a research assistant in the department of political science a t M i c h i g a n State University, as a participant in the Hoover Institution Summer Policy Boot Camp at Stanford, and as an intern in the IDA Development Finance office at the World Bank. His research interests include comparative and international political economy, with a focus on the political economy of devel- opment. Having conducted fi eldwork in Hanoi, Vietnam on female migratory labor and the political economy of the Vietnam- ese craft industry, Gregory has a strong regional interest in mainland Southeast Asia. He has also conducted research on ethnic partitioning throughout the Afri- can continent. Gregory has presented his research at Carleton College, Michigan State University, and the University of Chicago. AUSTIN BARRAZA Austin Barraza is a second-year master’s student in political science at California State University, Fullerton (CSUF), where he studies educa- t i o n p o l i t i c s . Austin focuses o n h o w s t a te legislatures use funding to incen- tivize commu- nity colleges to m e e t s t u d e n t success metrics. H e w i l l b e presenting his research at the 2019 West- ern Political Science Association’s annual meeting and hopes to carry this research into his doctoral program. As a Graduate Equity Fellow at CSUF and a fi rst-gener- ation college student, Austin hopes to become a professor and to mentor students who are the fi rst in their families to attend college. In 2018, he completed a certifi - cate in teaching and learning at CSUF and a faculty internship at Fullerton College. Prior to attending CSUF, Austin earned his BA in political science with honors from UCLA and his AA in American studies with distinction from Riverside City College and Norco College. JUAN CAMPOS Juan Campos is an MA candidate in politi- cal science at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). While studying at CSULB, Juan became a CSU Sally Casanova Pre-Doctoral Scholar and earned the most prestigious graduate award on campus—the CSULB Gradu- a t e R e s e a r c h Fellowship. In 2013, he received his BA in govern- ment and inter- national politics f r o m G e o r g e Mason Univer- s i t y . J u a n ’ s research inter- ests include political violence, democrati- zation, and state-cartel peace settlements in Latin America. In a paper published on Justice in Mexico’s website, he empir- ically assesses the causes and conse- quences of mayoral assassinations. Drawing on a novel dataset of Mexican states between 2005 and 2017, this work shows that competition among different political parties across multiple levels of government (federal and state) makes it difficult for security institutions to protect mayors from being assassinated by drug trafficking organizations. At the doctoral level, Juan plans on specializing in comparative politics and international relations. MICHAEL HERNDON Michael Herndon (RBSI 2018) is a senior at the University of Nebraska at Omaha where he is pursuing a dual degree in political science a n d i n t e r n a - t i o n al s t u d i e s w i t h a m i n o r in Chicano(a)/ Latino(a) stud- i e s . M i c h a e l c o m p l e t e d a n i n d e p e n d e n t research project through the Ralph Bunche Summer Institute (RBSI) in 2018 and has presented his work at the Politics of Race, Immigration, and Ethnicity Consor- tium (PRIEC) in Houston. His research interests include identity, Latinx politi- cal behavior, and representation in legis- lative bodies. Michael aims to pursue a career in academia where he can continue to conduct research and mentor future change-makers. Meet the 2019–20 APSA Minority Fellows 398 PS • April 2019 N e w s ©American Political Science Association, 2019 LEANN MCLAREN Leann Mclaren (RBSI 2018) is a politi- cal science and history double major at the University of Connecticut, in the honors program. She currently serves on the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Lead- ership Board and has served as the vice president of the Univer- sity of Connecti- cut’s chapter of the NAACP. Her research inter- ests center on American public opinion, voting behavior, race and ethnicity, and immigra- tion politics. Specifi cally, Leann is interested in Black immigrant voting behavior and political incorporation. Over the course of her undergraduate career, Leann has assisted on several projects facilitated by university faculty, including research on homicide and sex traffi cking of women of color, gender bias in congressional hearings, and archival research on Caribbean immigration. Leann is a 2018 Ralph Bunche Summer Insti- tute (RBSI) Scholar and has presented her research at the 2018 APSA annual meeting and the 2018 Emerging Scholars Conference at the University of Michigan. SRILEKHA MURTHY Srilekha Murthy is a senior at Mount Holy- oke College, pursuing a major in politics, along with minors in French and develop- ment studies. Her current research project examines the successes of indigenous move- ments aligned with the Catho- lic Church in the Andean region of Latin Amer- ica. This project has informed her broader interest in the political participation of racial and ethnic minorities. She aims to pursue a doctoral degree in political science where she plans to study questions of race, ethnicity, and political participation in Latin America and the Caribbean. Ultimately, Srilekha aims to be a professor and to work to increase repre- sentation of racial and gender minorities in academia. MONIQUE NEWTON Monique Newton (RBSI 2017) is a recent graduate of Oberlin College where she double majored in politics and law & society and minored in Afri- cana studies. Her research inter- ests lie within the subfields of race and ethnic- ity politics, urban politics, politi- cal psychology, and political behavior. In graduate school, she intends to explore African American political participation in urban settings. Monique has presented her research at various conferences includ- ing the 2017 APSA Annual Meeting. As an alumna of the Ralph Bunche Summer Institute (RBSI), Mellon Mays Undergrad- uate Fellowship, and the Institute for the Recruitment of Teachers Summer Work- shop, Monique is excited by the opportu- nity to mentor fi rst-generation students of color as a political science faculty member upon completion of graduate school. CRYSTAL ROBERTSON Crystal Robertson (RBSI 2018) is currently a senior in the honors program at the Univer- sity of Michigan, where she is majoring in political science. H e r r e s e a r c h interests include American poli- t i c s , ra c e a n d ethnicity poli- tics, and public opinion. Specif- i c al l y, C r y s t al is interested in racially-focused social movements and how public percep- tions of the movement shift across diff erent racial groups. Crystal is a 2018 APSA Ralph Bunche Summer Institute (RBSI) scholar. She has presented her research at confer- ences such as the 2018 APSA Annual Meet- ing, where she presented her work on Black Lives Matter and racial attitudes. She is currently completing an honor's thesis under the advisement of Dr. Vincent Hutchings. PRECIOUS CHERAY ROBINSON Precious Cheray Robinson is a senior at Bryn Mawr College, where she is majoring i n p o l i t i c a l science with a c o n c e n t r a t i o n in gender and sexuality stud- ies. As a Mellon M a y s U n d e r- graduate Fellow, she was involved in the Univer- sity of Chicago's Summer Research Training Program where she began her current project. Precious’ research focuses on Black femi- nist literature, which she maintains, is a topic that has been largely overlooked by the field of political theory. Through engaging Black feminists, she explores how Black political thought can be enriched by acknowledging and overcom- ing its patriarchal biases. She presented her work at the 2018 Association for Polit- ical Theory (APT) Conference as well as the 2017 Chicago Research Symposium. Precious is currently the head of the Bryn Mawr Student Curriculum Committee and aspires to become a professor once she finishes her PhD. MICHAEL STRAWBRIDGE Michael Strawbridge (RBSI 2018) is a senior at Beloit College double majoring in politi- cal science and media studies. As a McNair scholar, he researched the progress made i n Fe r g u s o n , MO since 2014, a s s e s s i n g t h e city’s progress and challenges i n e n a c t i n g reforms. At the Ralph Bunche Summer Institute (RBSI), he completed a project examining the effects of print, television, and internet news on opinions regard- ing the importance of gun control. He presented his research at the 2018 APSA Annual Meeting. Michael’s research interests include American politics, political communication, public opin- ion, and media and politics. As a PhD student, Michael intends to explore the role media plays in diminishing the voices of those less privileged while prioritizing the issues facing those already in a posi- tion of power. PS • April 2019 399 N e w s ©American Political Science Association, 2019 CATALINA UDANI Catalina Udani (RBSI 2018) is an honors senior at the University of Central Florida studying human communication, intelligence and national secu- rity, and terror- ism studies. She conducted inde- pendent research at the 2018 Ralph Bunche Summer Institute (RBSI) on terrorism and human trafficking and looks forward to her first publications, a coauthored book on terrorist propaganda and a book chapter analyzing terrorist rhetoric, both of which are in progress. Her undergraduate thesis was a longitudinal thematic analysis of ISIS digital media, comparing rhetorical trends with the group's real-world operations. A teaching assistant for the Burnett Honors College, Catalina's research interests include inter- national peace and conflict, terrorism, CBRN weapons, and human rights abuses. She developed these research interests as a Lawrence J. Chastang Global Fellow and an India Research Fellow for the Global Perspectives Office. Upon graduation, she plans to use her research interests to pursue an academic career through a PhD in politi- cal science with an international relations focus. ZOE WALKER Zoe Walker (RBSI 2018) is a senior at the University of Notre Dame studying polit- ical science and English. At Notre Dame, she was named a Franklyn Doan Scholar for her outstanding research skills. She has also conducted research for the American Bar Foundation (Montgomery Summer Research Fellowship) and was a participant in the 2018 Ralph Bunche Summer Institute (RBSI). Zoe is interested in studying the effects of partisan polarization on the political partici- pation of minor- it y groups as well as the role of media in shaping political behav- ior and attitudes, changes in Amer- ican public opin- ion, and identity g r o u p - b a s e d political conflict. She has presented her research at Notre Dame's Undergradu- ate Scholars Conference, the 2018 APSA Annual Meeting, and the 2018 Emerging Scholars Conference at the University of Michigan. Zoe plans to earn a PhD and she looks forward to producing scholarship in political science with an eye towards the role that identity plays in political decision making. ■