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Senior Adrian Gonzalez ’25 Represents Southwestern at Prestigious Ralph Bunche Summer Institute
Political science and English double major was one of 14 students in the country to be selected to participate in the program at Duke University.
August 09, 2024
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Senior Adrian Gonzalez ’25 represented Southwestern University this summer as one of just 14 students in the country to be accepted into the prestigious Ralph Bunche Summer Institute (RBSI), hosted by the American Political Science Association (APSA).
Held at Duke University, RBSI is an annual, intensive five-week program designed to introduce aspiring political science students to the world of doctoral study. The program is particularly geared toward students interested in studying issues affecting underrepresented groups.
“Knowing how rigorous and intense the RBSI program is, I was super nervous going in, but I was still confident, because I knew that I wouldn’t have gotten in if I couldn’t do it,” Gonzalez said. “Having finished the program, I have a sense of pride for myself and for Southwestern.”
Named in honor of the 1950 Nobel Peace Prize winner and first African American to receive a Ph.D. in political science, Dr. Ralph J. Bunche, RBSI has encouraged students to pursue careers in political science for over 30 years.
“I feel like Southwestern classes really prepared me for the type of work that was expected of me while I was at the RBSI program.” - Adrian Gonzalez ’25
RBSI Scholars take two courses for transferable credit during their time in the program, one in quantitative analysis and one in race and politics. Gonzalez and his RBSI classmates also received an introduction to the demands of graduate school, learned political science research methods, and participated in a graduate school recruitment fair. These were all valuable experiences for Gonzalez, who aims to earn his Ph.D. in political science after graduating from Southwestern this spring.
“I feel like Southwestern classes really prepared me for the type of work that was expected of me while I was at the RBSI program,” he said. “I felt comfortable in the classes and I definitely came out of the program feeling more confident in my decision to pursue a Ph.D. program. I am even more excited to start the next chapter of my education.”
Gonzalez’ comfort with graduate-level courses came as no surprise to Southwestern Professor of Political Science Eric Selbin.
“Last spring, in my Politics of Latin America and the Caribbean course, he stole the show in a very strong class,” Selbin said. “His work in an independent study to draft a prospectus for his honor’s thesis honestly felt more like working with a first year M.A. student than an undergraduate. There’s no doubt why he got into these cool programs and did so well at Duke.”
Gonzalez not only participated in the RBSI program, he excelled. At the conclusion of the program, RBSI participants must write and submit a research paper. Gonzalez’ paper, which explores contemporary Mexican politics and the rise of the Morena political party, was selected as one of the top papers in the course. Following RBSI tradition, he was invited to present his research at the APSA Annual Meeting in Philadelphia this September.
“My research involved how Morena, a practically brand new political party in Mexico, was able to win the last election by a landslide – not just the presidential election, but the majority of congressional elections in both chambers,” Gonzalez said. “I have been very interested in this topic since my first year at Southwestern.”
As the son of Mexican parents and a national champion Folklorico dancer, Gonzalez has always felt a strong connection to his Mexican heritage. His roots collided with his passion for research during a first-year comparative politics course taught by Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science Katie Aha.
“My parents grew up in Mexico and I grew up in a Mexican household, so I have always had a big Mexican identity,” Gonzalez said. “I knew I wanted to study political science and it was in Dr. Aha’s intro class that I really learned about [Mexican President] Andrés Manuel López Obrador and his political party, Morena. Ever since that first class, in any classes that I’m able to, I have studied and written about Mexican politics.”
“Ever since I got into the idea of studying Mexican politics during my first semester at Southwestern, it was a dream of mine to study in Mexico City,” Gonzalez said. “I am able to live out my dream, in a sense, by getting to study Mexican foreign policy through the lens of the different eras of Mexican politics since the Mexican Revolution. It has been a lot of fun.”
After the ISP program wraps up, Gonzalez will return to Georgetown to embark upon his senior year. As a first-generation college student, Gonzalez’ path to double majors in political science and English was largely shaped by the community that he found at Southwestern.
“The program that helped me out the most was Captain’s Academy,” he said. “Not only was the information very helpful as a first-generation college student, but I was also able to build a community with other first-gen students who understood where I was coming from. Latinos Unidos is also a great community of friends that come from similar households. We all understand the issues that we experience as latino students with latino families at home.”
During his time at Southwestern, Gonzalez has served as co-president of Latinos Unidos and treasurer of HALO, the Hispanic and Latino Organization. He has also served as the Diversity & Inclusion Chair, Grand Scribe, and Communications Chair for the Iota chapter of the Kappa Sigma fraternity.
“I don’t know if my Southwestern experience would have been the same if I hadn’t rushed Kappa Sigma,” he said. “My brothers have definitely helped me build, and I have received a lot of scholarship and leadership experience from the fraternity. I am very glad that I joined Kappa Sigma.”
Before graduation, Gonzalez has one final academic hurdle to clear. He was among a small group of students invited by the Political Science department to submit an honors thesis. Under the leadership of his thesis advisors, Selbin and former Southwestern Associate Professor of Political Science Emily Sydnor, Gonzalez is expanding upon research he conducted at RBSI.
“His work in an independent study to draft a prospectus for his honor’s thesis honestly felt more like working with a first year M.A. student than an undergraduate.” - Professor of Political Science Eric Selbin
In his thesis, Gonzalez is studying campesinos, Mexican farmers and agricultural workers, and their role in electing and supporting the Morena party. It is believed that his research is among the first to ever quantify campesinos and their political behavior, as previous research into the topic has been conducted purely through qualitative measures.
“His honors thesis promises to be one of the first serious academic attempts to assess both the quantitative and qualitative reasons Mexico’s campesinos have made the voting choices they have,” Selbin said. “With his tools and talents, Dr. Emily Sydnor’s expertise in democracy, political communication, and political psychology, and mine in political sociology, we think he will produce an original contribution that will have much to say.”
With the knowledge and experience gained at Southwestern, ColMex, and the RBSI program, Gonzalez plans to pursue a Ph.D. after graduation, with the ultimate goal of becoming a college professor.
“I think there’s something very special about being able to explain what’s going on in Mexico to future generations,” he said. “As someone who very strongly and proudly identifies as a Mexican, a student of color, and a first-generation student, I want to be able to help other students who might be in the same shoes as I was. I am very lucky that Southwestern and the Political Science department are great with students. They have helped me so much and I want to be able to do that for other students.”
