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. Eric Gonzalez Juenke was awarded for exemplary mentoring of graduate students. Anthony Affigne was awarded for exemplary mentoring of undergraduate students and junior faculty.

ERIC GONZALEZ JUENKE

Eric Gonzalez Juenke is an associate professor in the department of political science and the Chicano/Latino Studies Program at Michigan State University. He was director of the Chicano/Latino Studies Program from 2016-2019. He specializes in Latinx politics, Black politics, representation, state and local elections, legislative and bureaucratic representation, and democratic theory. He received his doctorate from Texas A&M University.

Juenke was nominated for the award by two graduate students. Both nominators emphasized a strong ethic of care in Juenke’s approach to working with students inside and outside of the classroom.

Erika Vallejo, a graduate student at Michigan State University, stated “he goes above and beyond to make sure his students succeed not only academically, but also emotionally and mentally.” Upon moving to Michigan for graduate school, Vallejo shared that Juenke, “provided his students with winter coats he collected from faculty and his own home. He also shared money for Thanksgiving with me to enjoy a nice meal.”

Raymundo Lopez, a graduate student at Stanford University, shared “…because Juenke had made the conscious effort to get to know me on a personal level, he was able to later use that experience to teach me something that resonated with me. All of this would not have been possible had it not been for his willingness to care for me on both an academic and personal level.” Lopez added, “I observed…his praise toward colleagues and students for their contributions, no matter how big or small.”

Juenke served as member of the APSA Committee on the Status of Latinas and Latinos in the Profession from 2014-2017. He received the CQ Press Award, presented by the Legislative Studies Organized Section, in 2012 for his article An Indelible Imprint? Assessing the Evolution of Racial Politics in Shaping Conflict in Congress during the Civil Rights Era. The award is presented annually to the best paper on legislative studies presented at the previous year’s APSA Annual Meeting. Juenke served as a research mentor for the Michigan State’s Research Opportunities Program from 2012-2019.

ANTHONY AFFIGNE

Anthony (Tony) Affigne is a senior professor in the political science department and Black studies program at Providence College and visiting professor of international and public affairs at Brown University. His research on Latino, Black, and Asian American politics, environmental parties and policy, and the early history of political science, has been published in the US and abroad.

Affigne was nominated by six individuals for the award, many of them former students. Nominators stressed Affigne’s ability to foster inclusive learning environments and extensive mentorship that pushed them to envision new career trajectories. An undergraduate student at Brown University shared, “Tony created a space where our own lives and experiences were honored and respected. He listened to our stories and perspectives and pushed us to think more deeply and broadly about our lives, la comunidad, and our own futures as Latina/o/x professionals.”

“Tony sees students as beings capable of making decisions and actively involves them in teaching and learning processes,” writes Terza Lima-Neves, professor of political science at Johnson C. Smith University. “…The key lesson I learned from Tony as an undergraduate was to think about the type of life I wanted to live and impact I wanted to make in the world and pursue a professional path that would lead me there. His influence and mentorship inspired me to pursue my PhD in political science and become a professor and community advocate for the global Cabo Verdean community.”

Angela Ocampo, assistant professor of political science at the University of Michigan, reflected on her experience with Affigne sharing, “As a Latina, immigrant and first-generation college student, the material I learned in Professor Affigne’s class was transformational. For the first time, I learned about the political and social realities of Latinx communities in a classroom setting. Professor Affigne’s expansive knowledge and deep passion for the subject was inspirational. This full immersion sparked my interest to pursue a career as a political scientist, to engage in research about Latinx politics, and to teach and mentor undergraduate and graduate students alike.”

Christian Martell, a graduate student at the University of Michigan, offered, “He skillfully guided me through my first time conducting quantitative research and encouraged me to volunteer for the 2009 National Conference on Latino Politics, Power, and Policy. As the first in my family to attend college in the U.S., these were accomplishments I could not have fathomed without Affigne’s guidance and support. Needless to say, my trajectory was forever changed.” Lizeth Gonzalez, a former student, underscored the sentiments of other nominators adding, “he deserves this recognition for his thoughtfulness, for his interest in his students, and for his desire to see his students succeed.”

Affigne was also praised for their engagement with colleagues and emerging research in the discipline. Betina Cutaia Wilkinson, associate professor and associate chair of politics and international affairs at Wake Forest University, shared, “Tony has always served as an active audience member in conference presentations, particularly by emerging scholars of marginalized backgrounds. When Affigne attends a conference presentation, presenters can always count on him to provide critical, constructive feedback on research projects. I feel incredibly fortunate to have benefitted from his research and professional advice at conferences during my early years as a faculty member.”

For nearly thirty years, Affigne has offered some of Providence College’s most popular political science classes, including “Race and Politics in the Americas,” “Political Thought in Science Fiction,” and “The Politics of Climate Change.” As visiting professor at nearby Brown University, his courses have included race and public policy, Latinx politics, and environmental politics. At both colleges, Affigne has earned a reputation as an innovative, caring professor who integrates inspired lectures, lively discussion, experiential learning, and thoughtful mentoring. For students of color, in particular, his insistence on high aspirations and high standards has made him a beloved advisor and advocate for generations of talented young scholars.

Beyond his classrooms, Affigne has been a major force to broaden the discipline of political science, creating new opportunities for his students and for other rising stars. He led the historic 1995 national effort to establish for the first time an Organized Section on Race, Ethnicity, and Politics (REP), now one of the profession’s largest, most vibrant subfields. In 1998 he co-founded the Latino Caucus in Political Science, was a founding member of the Fund for Latino Scholarship and is a longtime member of the National Conference of Black Political Scientists (NCOBPS). He previously served as treasurer and executive council member for APSA and held leadership roles in the Western Political Science Association. In 2011 he was recipient of the Frank J. Goodnow Award, APSA’s highest recognition for distinguished service to the discipline. He served as a member of the APSA Committee on the Status of Latinas and Latinos in the Profession from 1997 to 1999.

The APSA Committee on the Status of Latinos y Latinas thanks Juenke and Affigne for their tireless dedication to mentoring and offers its thanks for their commitment to bettering the political science discipline.■