The Adaljiza Sosa-Riddell Mentor Award is presented annually by the APSA Committee on the Status of Latinos y Latinas in the Profession to recognize the exemplary mentoring of Latino y Latina students and junior faculty each year. The award is named in honor of Adaljiza Sosa-Riddell, the first Latina to earn a PhD in political science. APSA was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Dr. Sosa-Riddell in August 2023. The Committee on the Status of Latinos y Latinas intend to honor her legacy and contributions to both the Latino/a community and the discipline as a whole at the 2024 APSA Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Efrén Pérez is a Full Professor of Political Science and Psychology at UCLA. His research centers on political psychology, with specific interests in intergroup politics, group identity, language and political thinking, implicit political cognition, and psychometrics. He has published numerous articles in leading general science, political science, and psychological science journals, including Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, Social Psychological and Personality Science, Political Behavior, and Political Psychology. He is also the author of four books, including Diversity’s Child: People of Color and the Politics of Identity (Chicago University Press) and Voicing Politics: How Language Shapes Public Opinion (Princeton University Press), which received the 2023 Robert E. Lane Best Book Award in Political Psychology from the American Political Science Association. In addition to his research, Efrén directs the Race, Ethnicity, Politics, and Society (REPS) Lab at UCLA.
“Dr. Pérez is an outstanding mentor to both undergraduate, graduate students (just look at his publications with both undergraduate and graduate students), and junior faculty… I know Efrén to be a great mentor for junior faculty. When I was a junior faculty, I reached out to Efrén on numerous occasions for mentorship and feedback and Efrén always made time to provide feedback and advice. Dr. Pérez has also served as an official Russel Sage Foundation mentor for my pipeline grant,” states Yalidy Matos, a faculty member at Rutgers University.
Dr. Matos continues to reflect on Dr. Perez’s tireless dedication and mentorship to students and junior faculty alike, “In looking at his CV, about ten of his latest publications have been with undergraduate and graduate students. Pérez co-authors with both undergraduates and graduates and these co-authorships for those who want to go into academia are invaluable. Finally, his mentorship of these students, especially, are also increasing the pipeline of academics of color. This level of co-authorship with students is not the norm in political science and should be recognized. Pérez has been a mentor since he was a graduate student (he was my RBSI TA) and has continued to be a mentor to students and faculty even outside his own institution.”
The APSA Committee on the Status of Latinos y Latinas in the Profession once again thanks Dr. Perez for his tireless dedication to junior faculty and offers its thanks for his commitment to bettering the political science discipline.