Cristina Torija graduated with high honors from the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras in 2023, where she earned a BA in political science and government. Her research interests include Latin American politics, political violence, legacies of repression and authoritarianism, distributive politics, social welfare, and non-state actors such as religious institutions and criminal groups. She is currently working as a Research Assistant at the University of Pittsburgh’s Social Vulnerability and Resilience Lab (SOLVER). Before that, Cristina participated in The Leadership Alliance’s Summer Research Early Identification Program in 2022, through which she worked in the Transitional Justice and Democratic Stability Lab (TJDS) at the University of Chicago. Her research has been presented at The Leadership Alliance National Symposium, the Western Political Science Association annual conference, the Midwest Political Science Association annual conference, and the International Studies Association annual conference. After receiving a PhD in political science, Cristina aspires to become a scholar and researcher that mentors students from underrepresented backgrounds and underfunded institutions. This way, she hopes to contribute to increasing the presence of Latinx and other minorities in academia.
The APSA Diversity Fellowship Program, formerly the Minority Fellowship Program, was established in 1969 as a fellowship competition to diversify the political science profession. The DFP provides support to students applying to, or in the early stages of, a PhD program in political science. The goal of the program is to increase the number of scholars from minoritized backgrounds in the discipline and ultimately the professoriate. APSA has once again awarded a new cycle to provide support for students currently in the process of applying to political science PhD programs for Fall 2024. Please join us in congratulating the 2024-2025 class of fellows.
- Learn more about DFP at https://apsanet.org/dfp
Congratulations Cristina, I wish you the best in the upcomming years! Professor Acevedo, UPRRP