Meet the SSN Graduate Fellows for 2013-14

Regional groups in the Scholars Strategy Network choose a graduate student fellow each year. Our second class includes thirteen young women and men studying at universities from the North to the South and from the Atlantic to the mid-Pacific. Each is doing cutting-edge research that speaks to critical public challenges.

To learn more about each of the 2013-14 Fellows, click on a name to see the person's full profile with research interests and civic involvements. Click on a title to read the full brief. For the full list of Fellows, click here.

Angela Bruns, Northwest SSN Graduate Fellow
PhD Student in Sociology, University of Washington
Key Findings: "Can Marriage Promotion Help Children Growing Up with Single Mothers?"

Charlie Eaton, Bay Area SSN Graduate Fellow
PhD Candidate in Sociology and Javits Fellow, University of California, Berkeley
Key Findings: "Why America's Public Universities - Not Just Their Students - Have a Debt Problem" (with Jason Habinek)

Angela S. García, San Diego SSN Graduate Fellow
PhD Candidate in Sociology, University of California, San Diego
Basic Facts: "Comparing the 2013 Senate Immigration Legislation to Piecemeal Bills in the House of Representatives" (with Linda Naval, John D. Skrentny, and Tom K. Wong)

Kristen D. Gleason, Hawaii SSN Graduate Fellow
PhD Candidate in Community and Cultural Psychology, University of Hawai'i at Manoa
Key Findings: "Understanding Human Trafficking in the Hawaiian Islands"

Gilbert Gonzales, Minneapolis-St. Paul SSN Graduate Fellow
PhD Student in Health Policy and Management, University of Minnesota
Key Findings: "Why Same-Sex Marriage is Important for Good Health"

Barbara Hosto-Marti, Confluence SSN Graduate Fellow
PhD Candidate in Political Science, University of Missouri-St. Louis
Basic Facts: "Can Global Civic Campaigns Democratize International Regulation?"

Marion Johnson, Research Triangle SSN Graduate Fellow
Master of Public Policy Candidate, Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University
Basic Facts: "Why America's Women of Color Have Lost Ground Since the Great Recession"

Alison Mitchell, Maine SSN Graduate Fellow
Graduate Research Assistant and Master of Social Work Candidate, University of Maine
Basic Facts: "The Case for Expanding Head Start as a Wise Investment in America's Future"

Michael Sierra-Arevalo, New Haven SSN Graduate Fellow
PhD Student in Sociology and Graduate Policy Fellow, Institution for Social and Policy Studies, Yale University
Basic Facts: "How Targeted Deterrence Helps Police Reduce Gun Deaths"

Christopher Skovron, SSN Graduate Fellow
PhD Candidate in Political Science, University of Michigan
Key Findings: "Politicians Think American Voters are More Conservative Than They Really Are" (with David Broockman)

Leah C. Stokes, Boston SSN Graduate Fellow
PhD Candidate in Public Policy and Environmental Politics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Key Findings: "The Benefits and Challenges of Using Feed-In Tariff Policies to Encourage Renewable Energy"

Trey L. Trosper, Oklahoma SSN Graduate Fellow
PhD Candidate in Economics, University of Oklahoma
Basic Facts: "Can Development Impact Fees Reduce Urban Sprawl?" (with Gregory S. Burge)

Alexis N. Walker, SSN Graduate Fellow
PhD Candidate in Government, Cornell University
Basic Facts: "How U.S. Labor Laws Have Divided Public and Private Sector Workers and Undermined Union Clout"