Diversity Fellowship Program
Ohio Wesleyan Senior Earns National Award from American Political Science Association
DELAWARE, Ohio – Ohio Wesleyan University student Brianna DeMuth is one of nine scholars nationwide to earn 2023-2024 Diversity Fellowship Program awards in the American Political Science Association’s fall 2022 application cycle.
All of the newly named fellows are seeking doctoral degrees in political science and will receive $5,000 over two years from the American Political Science Association (APSA) to support their graduate studies. The APSA is widely considered the leading professional organization for the study of political science and serves more than 13,000 members in more than 80 countries.
A senior from Findlay, Ohio, DeMuth is a double major in politics and government and environmental studies. While at Ohio Wesleyan, she has worked as a student research assistant studying political protest waves and political repression and participated in the university’s Summer Science Research Program, conducting research into human rights violations, democracies, and authoritarianism, and co-authoring the results for journal publication.
“It is such an honor to receive this fellowship from the American Political Science Association, said DeMuth, who still is deciding where to pursue her doctorate. “I have the privilege of sharing this title with eight other very talented and brilliant people and wish them luck in their final stages of graduate school admission.
“I could not have done it without the support of my family, friends, and the Department of Politics and Government faculty and staff here at OWU,” DeMuth said. “In particular, I owe my sincerest thanks to Dr. Franchesca Nestor, Dr. James Franklin, and Dr. Nick Dietrich for the best education, training, and support in preparation for graduate work. This fellowship means a lot to me and the honor should be shared with the faculty who made it possible.”
As an Ohio Wesleyan undergraduate, DeMuth has presented research at symposia and conferences including the Midwest Political Science Association’s 79th annual conference. She also served as a Big Ten Academic Alliance Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) scholar and researched human trafficking and transnational advocacy in Southeast Asia at the University of Iowa.
In her fellowship application essay, DeMuth discussed issues including the importance of studying and understanding identity-related politics.
“Continually researching questions on the norms of identity politics is what I believe lays the foundation for the holistic practice of political science research,” said DeMuth, who identifies as Chinese American. “Pursuing a Ph.D. would also allow me to enable change through immersive teaching by creating spaces for students to continually ask questions about where they find themselves in politics and how they perceive their individual actions as necessary for making democracies more inclusive, strong, and sustainable.”
Learn more about the American Political Science Association and its Diversity Fellowship Program at www.apsanet.org/diversityprograms and more about studying politics and government at Ohio Wesleyan at owu.edu/politics.
Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers more than 70 undergraduate majors and competes in 24 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Through its signature experience, the OWU Connection, Ohio Wesleyan teaches students to understand issues from multiple academic perspectives, volunteer in service to others, build a diverse and global perspective, and translate classroom knowledge into real-world experience through internships, research, and other hands-on learning. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives” and included on the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review “Best Colleges” lists. Connect with OWU expert interview sources at owu.edu/experts or learn more at owu.edu.