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 honored 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. Drs. Ricardo Ramirez and Jesse Acevedo were awarded for exemplary mentoring of undergraduate students. Dr. Andrea Silva was awarded for exemplary mentoring of graduate students. Drs. Ines Valdez and Tony Carey were awarded for exemplary mentoring of junior faculty.
Ricardo Ramirez is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame. He is the director of the Hesburgh Program in Public Service. He is past President of the Western Political Science Association. He received his B.A., cum laude, from UCLA and his Ph.D. in political science from Stanford University. His research focuses on the effects of political context on participation, the political mobilization of minority populations, and the causes and consequences of increasing diversity among elected officials.
“Dr. Ramirez has been my undergraduate senior honors political thesis advisor for the past year, and I can attest he embodies exceptional mentorship. Not only has Dr. Ramirez helped me understand how to become a better political scientist, but he has taught me how to be a transformative Latina leader. His thoughtfulness fosters a warm space for intellectual curiosity on how to improve the state of Latinos in the United States,” states Paola Ortiz, an undergraduate student at the University of Notre Dame.
Ortiz continues, “Aside from his moving mentorship, Dr. Ramirez is an avid supporter of the Latinx student body at Notre Dame. He constantly engages with Latinx student groups and asks for feedback on how to improve this university for Latinx students. Dr. Ricardo Ramirez is a true Latinx leader.”
Dr. Ramirez is Principal Investigator of The National Latino Legislative Database Project (1990-2020). His recent publications include Latinos and the 2016 Election: Latino Resistance and the Election of Donald Trump (2020), Mobilizing Opportunities: The Evolving Latino Electorate and the Future of American Politics (2013), “American Democracy and Voter Suppression (2023),” “From the Bench to the Ladder: Gendered Local Political Experience and Latina Success in State Legislatures (2023) and “Unlinking fate? Discrimination, Group-consciousness, and Political Participation among Latinos and Whites (2019)”
Sofia Casillas, an undergraduate student at the University of Notre Dame, also shares “He truly encapsulates what it means to be a mentor.”
The APSA Committee on the Status of Latinos y Latinas in the Profession once again thanks Dr. Ramirez for his tireless dedication to undergraduate students and offers its thanks for his commitment to bettering the political science discipline.