Jake Knievel is a doctoral student and graduate teaching assistant in the department of political science at Idaho State University. His subfields are American politics and public administration. Inspired by his background as a library worker and local political pressures of censorship, Jake and Dr. Edward Kammerer set out to investigate the political self-conception of drag performers involved in reading time programming. The project seeks to understand the mission of these programs, their community impact and response, and if the performers view their work as a political act. Alongside LGBTQ+ politics, Jake’s undergraduate degree in music and background in performance, education, and arts leadership usher in additional research interests at the intersection of public policy and the arts. Attention to issues of funding development, governance, access, advocacy, inclusion, education, and diversity in the arts is critical for communities around the globe, particularly in times of rising authoritarianism. The arts and politics are Jake’s vehicles towards transformational change.
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. APSA has once again awarded a new cycle to provide support for students currently in their first or second year as of Spring 2025. Please join us in congratulating the 2025-2026 class of fellows.
- Learn more about DFP at https://apsanet.org/dfp
- Meet the 2025-2026 class of DFP Fellows