Motivating Experience
Ohio Wesleyan Students Conduct Research, Prepare Paper, Present with Professor at Conference
Name: Emily Kocel '26
Hometown: Worthington, Ohio
High School: Thomas Worthington High School
Majors: International Studies and Environmental Studies
OWU Connection Experience: Kocel and Shannon O'Malley '26 of Ashville, Ohio, completed a 10-week Summer Scholarship and Research Program (SSRP) project with faculty mentor James Franklin, Ph.D., professor of Politics & Government.
The students, both International Studies majors, have since collaborated with Franklin on a paper, "Analyzing Oppression and Political Repression with New Global Indicators of Human Rights Violations," and all three presented it March 23 at the International Studies Association conference in Columbus, Ohio.
Professor Franklin shares, "We worked to code new human rights indicators that consider whether those being targeted are part of the political opposition or not. Using human rights reports, we coded our variables for over 100 countries for five years."
Why This Experience?
"Having research experience and presenting at a very well-known conference will help set me up for success," Kocel said. "I would never have gotten to co-author and present these findings if I had not applied for last summer's SSRP. Dr. Franklin's SSRP led to even more opportunities that look great on a resume, helped build my research and writing skills, and made me want to continue my education beyond an undergraduate degree."
My Favorite Moments
"My favorite moment of this experience was talking to the other panel members after we all shared our research papers. It was very inspiring to see people older than me who are still passionate about the things I am. Everyone at the conference was very nice and gave me great advice about future jobs/internships and graduate school."
Not only did this experience make me look good for grad school, internships, or jobs, but it also helped shape me into a better, more motivated student.
Lessons Learned
"One important thing I learned is how to manage my time better for my other classes. I have always struggled with motivating myself to do work outside of class. With this research experience, the entire work was remote, and it forced me to develop better time-management skills.
"Right now, I don't have a set goal for what I want to do when I leave college. However, doing research and talking with brilliant people who are still doing research confirmed that staying in academia is what is best for me and that, within the next couple of years, I will go to grad school.
"Experiences like this are extremely important. Not only did this experience make me look good for grad school, internships, or jobs, but it also helped shape me into a better, more motivated student. Even if my future is slightly uncertain after college, I at least know what I am passionate about and know which direction I want to go."
My Campus Involvements
Kocel volunteers with the Food Recovery Network, a national nonprofit that brings together college students, food providers, and local businesses to combat climate change and hunger.
Why Ohio Wesleyan?
"Ohio Wesleyan has great opportunities that I knew I wanted to take advantage of. The main thing for me was studying abroad. Because of OWU, I was able to live in Chile for an entire semester. It is an experience I think about all the time, and I wish I could go back to.
"Since OWU is a smaller school, it was a better learning environment for me. I feel like I actually have relationships with a lot of my professors and that they actually care about my education, which is hard to get in larger universities."
My Plans After Graduation
"I am currently applying for jobs and internships for the summer. Eventually, I would like to go to grad school. OWU has been very helpful in preparing me. In particular, the Career Connection, working with Mindy Agin, has been extremely helpful."