Emilio Rodriguez, a third year International Studies student, is one of six people selected from across Canada and the United States for the 2018-2019 Values and Capitalism Award, a project by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) in Washington, DC. The award recognizes students who demonstrate significant promise in their field of research and a commitment to expanding liberty, increasing individual opportunity, and strengthening free enterprise.
“It is truly an honour to be recognized as a young scholar with potential in my field, at such an early stage in my career. I want to believe throughout the research that my end product can have a real impact,” says Rodriguez.
Rodriguez’s research will examine whether current refugee and asylum systems in Mexico and the United States sufficiently identify and protect Central American migrants fleeing violence. Drawing on data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and exploring developments in refugee law, he hopes his research can identify pathways to reform for North American refugee status determination regimes in light of state breakdown and violence in Central America.
“Growing up in El Salvador and seeing the prevailing violence that affects thousands made me feel deeply for those forcibly displaced in the region. Fortunately, I have had opportunities to learn more about global migration through personal, professional and academic involvement over the past three years. This research feels like another stepping stone in a path of growth that will hopefully lead me to instigate change,” says Rodriguez.
The Values & Capitalism Young Scholar Award program supports high-quality academic research and writing for undergraduate students studying public policy or economics. The award offers a $5,000 scholarship, attendance at the 2018 Values & Capitalism Fall Summit, and opportunities to write for the Values & Capitalism project website and the Values & Capitalism blog.
"I'm proud of Emilio's achievement with this award. I was happy to nominate him for this honour based on his stellar work in my political economy classes. He has already distinguished himself through his research in class and I look forward to seeing him move on to new successes. I am sure that this opportunity is merely a stepping stone to a future career where he applies his analytical skills," says Dr. Paul Rowe, professor of Political Science at TWU.
Rodriguez looks forward to working closely with TWU Professor Dr. Leanne Smythe as he develops and writes his research project. He hopes to be enriched by valuable contributions from peers, faculty and staff, and to see his research spark conversations about global migration on campus.