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2015
Department of Political Science & Sociology
STUDENT SPOTLIGHTS PREPARING FOR CAREERS BY ENGAGING OUR WORLD
T he Department continues to offer exciting courses
and programs in international affairs to engage
students in cultural immersion, international service, and
global learning. Professor Bordelon led thirteen students on
a European study tour of international law and politics
during winter break. Students attended lectures studying the
history of the British government, the formation of
professional legal associations in the United Kingdom, the
plight of refugees and international humanitarian law and
also the political structure of the European Union. Students
applied what they learned on the European tour in the
International Service Seminar class in the spring semester of
2015.
TEN DEPARTMENT GRADUATES HEADING TO LAW SCHOOL IN THE FALL OF 2015
Jenna Ferraro’15
Drexel University Law School
Meaghan Hess’15
Gonzaga University Law School
Eric Romanowski’15
Pace University Law School
Jacqueline Corsentino’15
Rutgers-Camden Law School
Matthew Lang’15
Duke University Law School
The department is home to a political
science-legal studies concentration as well as minors in legal studies and
social justice. Extra-curricular law based activities include: a mock trial team, a
debate team, a model UN team, and
the pre-law club.
James Creech’15
Pace University Law School
Kimberly Wood’15
New York Law School
Daniel Roman’15 Seton Hall
University Law School
Elizabeth Anderson’14
George Washington University Law
School
Miriam Peguero’13
Northwestern University Law
School
MONMOUTH UNIVERSITY
Page 2 DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE & SOCIOLOGY
The Department had 15 students participate in the
Washington Semester program. The students were
placed in the following offices: 1) Dan Roman, The
White House; 2) Jim Creech, U.S. Department of the
Interior; 3) Ashtin Brinkerhoff, Jacques and Associ-
ates; 4) Ryan Kelly, Institute of World Politics; 5) Iziah
Thompson, Amara Legal Center; 6) Ashley Medina, Re-
store America’s Estuaries; 7) Tyler Vandergrift, Shia
Rights Watch; 8) Sarah Mustafa, Empowered Women
International; 9) Michael Hamilton, Jacques and Asso-
ciates; 10) Katrina Boyle, Close Up Foundation; 11)
Zak Irizarry, U.S. Marshals Service; 12) Susie Esmail,
U.S. Marshals Service; 13) Michael Kulik U.S. Marshals
Service; 14) Payal Patal, SeraphimGLOBAL; and 15)
Sydney Underhill, NARAL-Pro-Choice America.
Several of the students are featured below.
A special congratulations to political science major
Michael Hamilton on receiving the TOMO DAIICHI
GENERATION PROJECT AWARD while working in
Washington for developing a practical and relevant
civic engagement project to help those negatively
impacted by the Fukushimi Daiichi nuclear disaster. In
a national contest, his group was one of two teams to
win an all expense paid trip to Japan to consult with
Japanese public officials on strategies for improving
conditions in the region.
Political Science Student Interns in White House
R yan Kelly’15 is a three-year award winning member of the MU Debate Team. After interning in the
spring at the Washington Semester for the Institute of World Politics, Ryan was accepted to the
Masters in Political Science programs at the London School of Economics (LSE), Boston College
and American University. This fall he will begin graduate work at the London School of Economics, which
is ranked number three in the World Table for graduate studies in political science.
A shtin Brinkerhoff’15 was hired as the office manager and legal assistant for the DC-based law
firm Marzulla Law. She is excited for this employment opportunity and the chance to remain in DC
following her semester-long experience at the Washington Center where she interned for the lob-
bying firm Jacques and Associates. Her ultimate goal is to attend Navy Officer Candidate School, which
involves a lengthy application process (up to a year). Her general career goal is to become an intelligence
officer. She took the Aviation Selection Test Battery and the Officer Aptitude Rating Exam, and scored well
on the piloting sections. The Navy is now inquiring if she might consider becoming an aviator or flight
officer. She has applied to both.
D an Roman’15 is seen here on President Obama’s basketball court. He
interned for President Obama in the White House during the spring of 2015 as
part of the Washington Semester program. He will start law school at Seton
Hall University in the fall of 2015. Dan served as the captain of Monmouth University’s
policy debate team for three years and competed in 16 debate tournaments over his
four year college career. He received a number of debate team and individual awards
from prestigious universities across the country. He also served as the President of the
Pre-Law Club and the Political Science Club and competed for two years on the moot
court team while at Monmouth.
J ames Creech’15 is seen here with U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, senator from the state of Oregon.
Jim interned at the U.S. Department of the Interior. Jim will be attending Pace University Law
School in the fall on a full scholarship. His honors paper on the politics of natural gas received the
Jane Freed Award and will be published in the fall of 2015.
15 STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN THE WASHINGTON SEMESTER PROGRAM IN 2015
Page 3 DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE & SOCIOLOGY
M ichael Hamilton’15 interned at the lobbying firm of Jacques and Associates. He was a
member of the debate and moot court teams. Michael graduated in the spring of 2015 and is
preparing for graduate school. He received the TOMO DAIICHI GENERATION PROJECT
AWARD in Japan. He helped develop a relevant civic engagement project to help those negatively
impacted by the Fukushimi Nuclear Reactor Disaster in Japan. In a national contest his group of Japa-
nese and American students won an all-expense paid trip to the Tohoku Region to consult with Japanese
public officials.
K atrina Boyle’15 poses here with political activist Ralph Nader. She interned during the spring
Washington Semester at the Close Up Foundation which informs, inspires and empowers young
people to exercise the rights and accept the responsibilities of citizens in a democracy. Katrina
graduated in the spring of 2015, is pursuing career opportunities and is planning on attending graduate
school in the near future.
M ichael Kulik’15 interned during his Washington Semester in the U.S. Marshals Service. He was
a member of the MU debate team for two years. Mike graduated in the spring of 2015 and was
recently hired by the New Jersey State Police.
T yler Vandergrift’15 interned at the Shia Rights Watch in Washington, D.C. He graduated in the
spring of 2015 and is currently employed with the same organization.
A shley Medina’15 interned in Washington, D.C. at Restore America’s Estuaries. She graduated in
the spring of 2015 and will begin graduate work at Monmouth University this fall.
S usie Esmail’15 interned during her Washington Semester in the U.S. Marshals Service. She
graduated in the spring of 2015 and is currently pursuing a position as a criminal analyst for a law
enforcement agency.
P ayal Patal ’16 interned at SeraphimGLOBAL which is a non-profit organization that does research
on Human Trafficking and Healthcare policies in El Salvador, Lebanon, and the United States.
Payal is an award wining member of the debate team and a member of the Student Government
Association. She will be graduating in the coming year.
S ydney Underhill interned during her Washington Semester at NARAL-Pro-Choice America. Sydney
is an award winning pitcher for the Monmouth University softball team. She will graduate in the
coming year and will be attending graduate school.
Page 4 DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE & SOCIOLOGY
DEBATE TEAM COMPETES ON NATIONAL STAGE AND COACHES ASBURY PARK TEAM
T he Debate Team received 10
awards at the Western
Novice Debate Championship at
Sacramento State University in Sac-
ramento, Cal i fornia in mid -
March. Ryan Kelly took a first place
speaking award and Sana Rashid
took a third place award. Ryan and
Sana also took a second place team
award after losing on a 2-1 vote to
the University of Washington in the
final round. The team also won
awards at debate tournaments at
the West Point Military Academy,
D r. Charles Cotton as
advisor of the 2015 MU
Model UN Team took
students for the week long National
Model United Nations Conference in
New York City. Students served on
ten different UN Committees
representing the country of Guinea.
Areas of focus ranged from
women's rights and nuclear
proliferation to the current events
surrounding the war in Syria and the
status of Palestine.
I n only its second year, the
Monmouth moot court pro-
g r a m h a s g r o w n i n
membership, poising the students
to excel in future competitions as
part of the American Collegiate
Moot Court Association (ACMA).
The Monmouth moot court team
was invited to compete in the
American Collegiate Moot Court
Association (ACMA) National
Invitational Tournament in
Chicago, IL hosted by the
University of Chicago. Legal
studies juniors Joe Talafous and
Nick Whittaker represented
Monmouth in the competitive field.
I n its third year, the Monmouth
mock trial team had success in
the fall invitational season with
its first individual attorney award. At
the Third Annual “Hooter” Invitation-
al hosted by Temple University,
Sophomore Josh Manning took
home a first place individual award
for both his performance as a wit-
ness as well as his role as a plaintiff
attorney. Monmouth hosted the in-
augural Jersey Shore “Hawk” Mock
Trial Invitational and teams from
Maine, Florida, Wisconsin, New York
and New Jersey competed with Car-
leton College winning 1st place.
MOCK TRIAL TEAM MODEL UN MOOT COURT
West Virginia University, and at the
5th Annual Jersey Shore Invitational
hosted on our campus. Debate
teams from 15 universities com-
peted at the Monmouth tournament.
Team members run debate
practices every Tuesday afternoon
at Asbury Park High School and
accompany the Asbury kids to
tournaments in New York City as
part of the Urban Debate League.
Above MU debaters Angela Ryan,
Saliha Younas, Sana Rashid,
Danielle Doud, and Samah Khalifa
celebrate with the Asbury
debaters after the team took a
first place award in March of 2015
in Queens, New York. The six-year
debate mentorship program was
featured on Fios TV news and on
the front page of the Asbury Park
Press. The mentorship program
also received a commendation
from State Senator Jennifer Beck
and the Asbury Park Town
Council. The program is fully fund-
ed through a debate grant
provided by TD Bank.
Page 5 DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE & SOCIOLOGY
James Creech ’15 won The Jane Freed Award for one of the top research papers in the Honors School.
Michelle Grushko’16 will present her thesis, "#Hillary: Social Media and Female Leaders in the United States," at the
Northeastern Political Science Association’s 2015 meeting.
Brandon Johnson ’15 will present his thesis "Presidential Signing Statements: Tools of Polarization," at the Northeast-
ern Political Science Association’s 2015 meeting.
Justine Longa ’16 was awarded the Esther Hymer Scholarship from the county branch of the American Association of
University Women (AAUW).
Dylan Maynard ’14 had his undergrad thesis on the history of corruption in India accepted for publication in the Fall
2014 issue of the Journal of Undergraduate International Studies, published by the University of Wisconsin Madison.
Lexi Todd ’13 had her article on the default of Argentina's debt published in the Brooklyn Law Review.
ALUMS: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Brandon Johnson’15
Interning at Coali-tion for Peace and
applying for graduate school
Jacob Lawrence’15 Attending MU for Masters in Public
Policy
Michael Mello’15
Working for Diversent, a Red
Bank—based staffing firm
Christopher Miller’15 Working for
Disability Rights New Jersey
Miguel Nunez’15
Teaching English for Gaba Instruc-tional Program in
Tokyo, Japan
Susan Pagano’15
Attending MU for a Masters in Public
Policy
Kelsey Reece’15 Attending
graduate school at the University
of Cincinnati
Tevrin Brandon’14 Cornerback for
the NFL’s Denver Broncos
Amanda Kryzynski’14 Peace Corps.,
Philippines
Dylan Maynard’14
Attending the NYU Masters Program in World History
Sam Maynard’14
Attending graduate school at
Georgetown University
Jessica Roberts’14
Attending Rutgers for Masters in PS concentration in
UN & Global Policy
Jennifer Sime’14
Auditor for the New York State Department of
Health
Arielle Giordano’12
Law Clerk at U.S. Senate Committee
on the Judiciary
Brandon Karkovice’12
Program Development Manager at
Alliance for Con-sumer Education
in D.C.
Donald McCarthy’12 Graduated Cum Laude with a JD
from Buffalo Law School. Working as a law clerk for
the Superior Court of NJ
Jessica Rohr’12 ’14
Aide to New Jersey Governor
Chris Christie
Morganne Firmstone’11,’13
Public Affairs Manager for
JerseyCAN, a non-profit in the education policy
sector
Samantha Stillo’11
Law Clerk to Honorable Joseph W.
Oxley
Tracy Olski ’09 Probation
Division, NJ Judiciary, Ocean County Supreme
Court
Amanda Doremus
(Schmidt)’04 Valley Point
Concrete
DEPARTMENT NEWS
Page 6
Full Time Faculty:
Gregory Bordelon, JD Lecturer, Political Science
Rekha Datta, PhD Professor, Political Science
Johanna Foster, PhD
Assistant Professor, Sociology
Director of Sociology & Gender Studies Program
Jennifer McGovern, PhD Lecturer, Sociology
Kenneth Mitchell, PhD Associate Professor, Political Science
Joseph Patten, PhD Associate Professor, Political Science Chair
Saliba Sarsar, PhD Professor, Political Science
Kevin Dooley, PhD Associate Professor, Political Science
Kathryn Kloby, PhD Associate Professor, Political Science Director, MA Public Policy
Nancy Mezey, PhD Associate Professor, Sociology
Steven Chapman, PhD Assistant Professor, Political Science
F ormer New Jersey Governor
James J. Florio who served as
New Jersey's 49th governor was
Monmouth University's 2014-15
Public Servant in Residence. Through-
out the year, he engaged with the
campus community through
presentations, class discussions and
chairing a panel on affordable health
care. This was a unique opportunity
for our students to meet and learn
from a prominent political figure.
C ongratulations to our students who
graduated with Department Honors in
2015: Ashtin Brinkerhoff, Jacquelyn Corsentino,
James Creech, Jenna Ferraro, Brandon Johnson,
Danielle Marzilla, & Ashley Medina.
C ongratulations to our students award
recipients in 2015.
Political Science Academic Award: Susan Pagano
Sociology Academic Award: Leila Ali
Political Science Club Leadership Award: Michelle Grushko
Sociology Club Leadership Award: Rachel Murphy &
Danielle Zabihialam
Debate Team Leadership Award: Dan Roman & Michelle
Grushko
Model UN Leadership Award: Saliha Younas
Tom Crane Service Award: Sandra Meola
Elvin R. Simmil Memorial Award: Jacquelyn Corsentino
Newsletter compiled by Kristen Gillette . For more information about the Department of Political Science & Sociology,
please visit http://www.monmouth.edu/school-of-humanities-social-sciences/political-science-and-sociology.aspx
Enoch Nappen, PhD Associate Professor, Political Science
Former NJ Governor James J. Florio with Michelle
Grushko, Dan Roman, Ryan Kelly, and Samah Khalifa