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.
Emily Edmonds-Poli is a Professor of Political Science and International Relations, and Director of the Chapman Family Foundation International Program at the University of San Diego. She received her BA from Middlebury College, and her MA in Latin American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. She earned her PhD in political science at the University of California, San Diego, and has received fellowships from the Ford Foundation, Fulbright-Garcia Robles, and the Center for US-Mexican Studies at UCSD. She teaches classes on Mexican and Latin American politics, U.S.-Latin American relations, and international relations.
Over the course of her 20-plus years at the University of San Diego, she has served as Director and Faculty advisor to the MA program in International Relations, Director and Faculty advisor for the Program in Latin American Studies, Department Chair, and Interim Assistant Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences. She has received various teaching and mentorship awards, including, the McNair Faculty Mentor of the Year, the Mortar Board Faculty Recognition Award, Outstanding Preceptor of the Year Award, and the Davies Award for Teaching Excellence.
Multiple students stressed Dr. Edmonds-Poli’s warm, welcoming and approachable nature that helped them thrive in the classroom and beyond, in addition to the confidence she instilled in students at every turn. Kim Heinle, a graduate student at the University of San Diego, writes, “What I value so much about Emily is that she has a brilliant, objective mind yet she leads with her heart.”
Vivian Mateos Zuniga, a former undergraduate student at the University of San Diego, also shares gratitude for Dr. Edmonds-Poli’s kindness and supportiveness. “At every step, she has encouraged me to dream bigger, reminded me of what I am capable of achieving, and has never let me settle,” Vivian states. “Her unwavering confidence in my ability to succeed has been more motivating than I can possibly describe. Every time I’ve felt even slightly unsettled by hints of impostor syndrome, I’ve been able to turn to her for hopeful reminders that the feelings I experience are not unique to me and that I am undoubtedly capable of overcoming them.”
Edmonds-Poli’s research focuses on Mexican politics, and her book, Contemporary Mexican Politics (co-authored with David Shirk), provides a comprehensive overview and analysis of the Mexican political system. Her most recent work examines the determinants and use of extradition as a foreign policy tool in the Western Hemisphere. Her colleague, Dr. David Shirk, underscores the student testimonies, “She demonstrates extraordinary commitment to and compassion for her students through innovative pedagogies, devoted mentoring, program development, and abundant preparation and hard work… Dr. Edmonds-Poli is one of the reasons why our students love their academic experience at USD and, in this regard, she is an incredible asset to our Department and to the University.”
The APSA Committee on the Status of Latinos y Latinas in the Profession once again thanks Dr. Edmonds-Poli for her tireless dedication to undergraduate students and offers its thanks for her commitment to bettering the political science discipline through mentoring.