About the Committee
On September 2, 2015, the APSA Council approved a new standing Committee on First-Generation Higher Education Scholars in the Profession, parallel to the existing APSA status committees. The goal and mission of this committee is to bring focused attention to the ways that class, economic inequality, and mobility can affect political scientists’ ability to thrive educationally and professionally throughout their careers.

Committee Members

Term expiring September 18, 2022

• Davin L. Phoenix, University of California, Irvine, Chair 
• Jessica Lavariega Monforti, California Lutheran University
• Joshua Miller, University of North Carolina, Charlotte 

Term expiring September 3, 2023

• Daniel Mallinson, Penn State Harrisburg
• Josue Franco, Cuyamaca College

Term expiring September 8, 2024

• Holley Hansen, Oklahoma State University
• Carie Steele, Northern Arizona University

Please contact [email protected] for more info.

First Generation Scholar Travel and Accessibility Grant

Goal: The Committee is delighted to offer travel and accessibility grants in the amount of $250 to support First Generation Higher Education Scholars in the Profession who attend the APSA Annual Meeting.

Applications for the 2021 Travel and Accessibility Grant are now open. 
To apply, create an APSA profile and submit an online application. All application materials must be submitted through the online application. Application Deadline: Friday, November 5, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern.

Eligibility for Travel Reimbursement Grant:
This committee adopts a broad, inclusive definition of First Generation Scholar (FGS), including: 
• scholars who have parents who have attained neither a bachelor’s nor an associate's degree and/or 
• international scholars who are the first generation to study and/or teach at the college or university level in the United States. 
• Applicants must also have registered for and attended the 2021 APSA Annual Meeting. Please note: Undergraduate attendees are not eligible for this travel reimbursement grant opportunity.

Please email [email protected] with any questions about the travel and accessibility grant.

Previous Grant Recipients

The following individuals received the 2020 accessibility reimbursement grant. 

• Muhammad Hassan Afzal, Kent State University
• Thomas Benson, University of Delaware
• Glen Billesbach, University of Florida
• Elizabeth Dorssom, University of Missouri
• Qingming Huang, University of Florida
• Maricruz Osorio, University of California, Riverside
• Justin Zimmerman, Northwestern University

The following individuals received the 2019 travel reimbursement grant. View select bios by clicking on the scholars' names:

• Cameryn Blackmore, University of Alabama
• Tugba Bozcaga, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Gustavo Diaz-Romero, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Kyle Endres, Duke University
• Bailey Fairbanks, Georgia State University
• Carlos Galina Perez, The George Washington University
• Christina Lai, Georgetown University
• Yanira Rivas Pineda, University of California, Santa Barbara
• Nahrain Rasho, University of California, Davis
• Semra Sevi, Universitè de Montrèal
• Peter Onah Thompson, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
• Gerasimos Tsourapas, University of Birmingham

The following individuals received the 2018 travel reimbursement grant. View select bios by clicking on the scholars' names:

• Tran Thu Doan, University of Michigan
• Stephen Omar El-Khatib, University of California, Riverside
• Keith A. Preble, State University of New York at Albany
• Dr. Mario Guerrero, Cal Poly Pomona
• Alexander Kustov, Princeton University
• Vivien Leung, University of California, Los Angeles
• Nura Sediqe, Duke University
• Christine Marie Slaughter, University of California, Los Angeles
• Dr. Bann Seng Tan, Bogazici University
• Kristian Warpinski, Georgia State University
• Nicole Yadon, University of Michigan

The following individuals received the 2017 travel reimbursement grant:

• Margaret Brower, University of Chicago
• Jenn Jackson, University of Chicago
• Michelangelo Landgrave, University of California, Riverside
• Lama Mourad, University of Toronto
• Tyler Reny, University of California, Los Angeles
• Bertha Vitela, Louisiana State University 

Previous Panels or Roundtables at the APSA Annual Meeting:

• 2021 Roundtable: APSA Committee on the Status of First Generation Scholars Roundtable
• 2020 Roundtable: Best Practices in Supporting First Generation Faculty and Graduate Students in the Profession
• 2019 Roundtable: The Status of First Generation Scholars in the Profession
• 2017 Roundtable: APSA Committee on the Status of First Generation Scholars in the Profession Roundtable 
• 2016 Roundtable: First Generation Scholars in the Profession Roundtable Discussion