Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program

Narek Abelian is a Political Science major with a focus on global and comparative politics. As the son of Armenian immigrants, his research interests heavily center on post-USSR political developments with a particular interest in democratic transitions in post-Soviet countries. His MMUF project explores variations of democratic decline in Eastern and Central European post-communist countries. By examining democratic backsliding in this region, Narek hopes to develop methods to identify the warning signs of democratic decline in other countries as well. Narek plans to pursue a Ph.D. in political science.Narek Abelian

Jarenni Ambriz is an Asian/Asian American Studies major with an Anthropology minor. Her experience living in Mexico sparked an interest in cross-national studies, specifically in the power dynamics across empires. Her passion for music, specifically Metal, has welded her research interests in media imperialism, the music industry, and Metal studies scholarship. Her MMUF project explores the power relationships in the music industry through the analysis of local Metal bands in Southern California in attempt to identify the experiences of Metal musicians who are at the lower ends of the industry hierarchy. She plans to obtain a PhD and expand her current research into a cross-national setting in order to explore contemporary imperialist practices.

Manifa Baghomian is a first-generation college student and a member of the Iranian-Armenian diasporic community in Los Angeles County. She is pursuing a major in English, a minor in linguistics, and a certificate in speech-language pathology. Her research is in applied linguistics. She studies cross-linguistic transfer in the Armenian bilingual population in Los Angeles County. Her work expands the body of research surrounding bilingualism and Armenian linguistics. She plans to pursue the topic of bilingualism in her PhD, and hopes her work will inform the related fields of education and speech-language pathology so that educators and speech practitioners will have the tools to best serve Armenian bilingual populations.

Giovanna Calderon is a first-generation student who is majoring in Chicana (o) and Latina (o) Studies. She is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and grew up in Boyle Heights. Her research examines how organizations have boosted businesses as an avenue to community. After graduating from Cal State LA, Giovanna plans to pursue a doctorate. Receiving a Ph.D. will further her goal of building inclusive academic institutions.

Jeanette Calderon was raised in Boyle Heights for most of her life. She is currently pursuing a major in History and a minor in Asian American Studies. Her academic pursuits align with her interest in the exploration of bilingual education and its effects on the Mexican-American community during the 1970s-1990s in California. She became interested in this topic after observing the multifaceted ways in which individuals in her community engage with their heritage languages. Jeanette hopes to help record the historical struggles of her community and aspires to help first-generation students like herself. 

Arwa Hammad is passionate about exploring the intersections of jurisprudence, political theory, public philosophy, and ethics. Her current research focuses on voting ethics and studying the moral obligations (if any) of voters and the role of self-interest versus the common good. Arwa is also deeply interested in the ethics of consciousness and mind-body relations, with an emphasis for how these philosophical concepts overlap with political philosophy and law issues. When she’s not immersed in academic work, she’s advocating for students as a student government representative and organizing initiatives that amplify student voices. Arwa plans to pursue a PhD in philosophy and continue her work in research and advocacy to bridge the gap between philosophy and law.

Berto Hernandez Mendez is a Sociology and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Major. Their research project focuses on the impact of ICE detention on undocumented gender-variant folks. Berto’s interest in the topic emerged after they experienced firsthand the harmful effects of ICE detention as a queer person of color. They approach their work through an abolitionist lens, centering the humanity and the dignity of people who are experiencing detention through punitive systems. Berto is an organizer and advocate with the California Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance, working with people currently detained at ICE facilities to provide them and their families with resources to achieve their liberation. They work with various communities to build solidarity and collective power.

David is a first-generation Mexican American pursuing his degree in English with aspirations to earn a PhD and a professorship. He’s grateful to the Mellon Mays Fellowship for providing the resources, mentorship, and community to support his dream of becoming an academic and mentoring future first-gen college students. David’s scholarship focuses on medieval literature, specifically the poem by William Langland Piers Plowman. This allegorical story touches on themes of labor, integrity in commerce, and spirituality, all of which resonate deeply with the Cal State LA community. He wants to empower students like himself to engage in medieval texts, ensuring that future access, transcription and translation is available to those with inherent capabilities they may not recognize in themselves.