Hellwege Named National Organizations Latino Caucus Emerging Scholar Co-edits New Book
The Emerging Scholar Award is given to an academic who is within six years of earning their doctorate degree and has shown a strong trajectory of innovative scholarship and demonstrates strong teaching and service, said Ivy Cargile, Ph.D., associate professor of political science at California State University, Bakersfield. Cargile notified Hellwege of her award and serves as secretary of the APSA Latino Caucus, which represents all Latina/o persons connected with the discipline of political science.
Hellwege joined the faculty of the USD Department of Political Science in 2016 after earning her Ph.D. in political science from the University of New Mexico. Born and raised in Sweden to Colombian and Swedish parents, she teaches numerous courses on American government and publishes research on the role of identity in legislative bodies and institutions, political science pedagogy and student engagement. Her recent co-edited book, “The Palgrave Handbook of Political Research Pedagogy,” addresses why political science programs teach the research process and how instructors develop their pedagogy. Hellwege also has another co-authored book, “Working Parents Represent: How Parenthood Influences the Legislative Agenda of Members of Congress,” currently under contract with NYU Press.
Cargile mentioned Hellwege’s books, her published research and her two major USD teaching awards as a few of the reasons she received the honor. “When it comes to service, she’s all around invincible,” Cargile added. “Aside from amazing publications and innovative teaching, she’s also a city council member. There’s no more service to one’s community than public service. She is the true epitome of selfless with all the work she does and all the effort she puts into it.”
Recognizing emerging scholars in the sub-discipline of Latina/o politics signals that the awardee’s peers see their work and value it, Cargile said. “It is an important recognition for a group of scholars who have historically been under-represented and marginalized within political science,” she said.
Hellwege said she was especially honored to receive this award from the Latino Caucus. “Academia and conferencing can be isolating experiences, and I’m lucky to have found my community in the discipline,” she said. “While Latino/a/x scholars are severely underrepresented in our discipline, our numbers have been growing, and so I am humbled to win this award knowing there are so many others who are equally deserving of this award.”
