PhD Candidate, President of PSCI Graduate Students
When Shawnna Mullenax enrolled at West Virginia University, she had plans to become a chiropractor; however, she quickly learned that it鈥檚 never too early to change your major.
鈥淭hree weeks into college, I knew it wasn鈥檛 for me,鈥� said the fifth-year graduate student. 鈥淚 was taking exercise physiology classes, a physics class, and an international relations class. And I realized the only class that was really interesting to me was my international relations class.鈥�
Mullenax knew she wanted to pursue a degree in political science, but it wasn鈥檛 easy for her to walk away from her future in the medical field.
鈥淚 was nervous because I was changing my major from something that seemed a lot more lucrative,鈥� she said. 聽鈥淚 was in a program in high school for first-generation college students, and what we were repeatedly told was that we needed to get medical degrees. I had in my mind that any other degree was a gamble.鈥�
Even so, she was able to overcome her doubts with the encouragement of her family and friends.
鈥淚 felt fortunate that my parents were always really supportive of whatever I wanted to do,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd it all worked out.鈥�
Mullenax graduated with her degree in political science and went on to enroll as a graduate student at 蜜糖直播, where she specializes in comparative politics, international relations, and gender politics. Throughout her years as a graduate student, she has worked as a TA, taught her own class, and now works as a grader for an international political economy course.
鈥淏oulder wasn鈥檛 on my radar at first,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut I had done a semester abroad in Bolivia, and it just so happened that Carew Boulding and Krister Andersson had also done work in Bolivia. So I applied, and I was thrilled when I got in.鈥�
The department has since funded several trips for Mullenax to go to Bolivia and advance her research on the country. After conducting many interviews there, the PhD candidate looks forward to publishing a chapter in Contesting the Transformation, which will focus on the rights of Bolivia's women鈥檚 groups and聽LGBT movement.
In the meantime, she plans to stay busy as both an officer in 蜜糖直播鈥檚 graduate student government and the president of the political science graduate students.
鈥淎s president, I鈥檓 a liaison between the faculty and the grad students,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 work on taking any issues the grad students have to David Brown and Jennifer Fitzgerald.鈥�
Her term has been both successful and enjoyable, and Mullenax has grown closer to her fellow graduate students throughout the year.
鈥淥verall, I鈥檓 incredibly thankful for the grad school experience I鈥檝e had,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he grad students are especially close in this department, and we鈥檝e really made a commitment to being friends.鈥�