My summer consisted of traveling for my honors thesis, which has come a long way since it’s conception last Spring. Artist Eric Leleu, who lectured at FSU in the Spring, inspired me to study and explore the representation of migrants in art throughout Europe. His work focused on Calais, so I set my sights on…
Research Spotlight: Can We Prevent Democratic Breakdowns and Help Democracies Endure?
The world is facing an erosion of democratic institutions. But this erosion is not an equal opportunity offender. Elections, a standard feature of democracy, have rarely been more popular. Today, democrats and autocrats alike employ elections to legitimize their rule. At first glance, we might be encouraged by this. However, despite this potentially positive trend,…
Social Science Scholar: Interning with CREAR
I spent this past summer in rural Costa Rica as an Art Program Aide Intern with La Asociación CREAR. This non-governmental organization focuses on providing free supplemental education to rural school-aged children in the communities of Playa Sámara and El Torito. For two months, I assisted the art teacher in developing lesson plans, preparing materials,…
Policy Pub: Generosity in Hurricane Michael’s Wake
Hurricane Michael hit Florida’s Gulf Coast in October of 2018 as a category five hurricane. The storm leveled communities to the West of Tallahassee, damaging homes, displacing residents, crippling some industries, and leaving piles of debris behind. In its wake, I set off to study how civil society – nonprofits, religious organizations, and less organized…
Galentine’s Day has become a thing – why hasn’t Malentine’s Day?
On Feb. 13, women will celebrate Galentine’s Day, a holiday trumpeting the joys of female friendships. The holiday can trace its origins to a 2010 episode of “Parks and Rec,” in which the main character, Leslie Knope, decides that the day before Valentine’s Day should be an opportunity to celebrate the platonic love among women, ideally with…
Social Science Scholar: Florida Democratic Politics
This past summer, I worked in Florida Democratic politics with the Florida Democratic Party as an intern, Florida College Democrats as the Director of Political Affairs, and FSU College Democrats as President. These positions were all based out of Tallahassee and were centered around organizing Democrats across the state for the elections in 2019, 2020…
Is The Gender STEM Gap Smaller in Less Developed Countries Than in Highly Developed Ones? What Role Does Urbanization Play? Evidence From Cambodia
Women earn bachelor’s degrees at higher rates than men in most economically developed countries. Within these countries however, women continue to lag in postsecondary majors and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. This has considerable implications for women’s earnings. While the relationship between economic development and urbanization and gender equity in educational…
Student Spotlight: Internship with Patriots Ghana/Cheerful Hearts Foundation
I have had the amazing opportunity to intern with Patriots Ghana/ Cheerful Hearts Foundation on the Child labor and trafficking project. This Non-profit organization is located in the Central region of Ghana to raise awareness to end child labor within the 3 fishing communities in Ghana, called Senya, Fetteh, and Nyanyano. These regions are located…
The Damaging Impacts of Gentrification on Urban Communities. Is Enough Being Done to Address this Issue?
As cities across the U.S. recovered from the Economic Recession, numerous families and households in urban communities were faced with increasing rent for their homes and local businesses. This was the result of gentrification, which involves increased capital investment in – and the development of – disenfranchised communities. When this investment occurs, the market value…
Student Spotlight: Parliamentary Internship
If you had told me as a Freshman at FSU that I would live in London and work in Parliament, I would have laughed. However, today, I am so proud that I took the initiative to apply for the Internship Program at FSU because it has changed the trajectory of my life in more ways than one.
