2021 – 2022 Research Fellows

Mahmood Almadeh ’24Democratic Backsliding in Tunisia

Mahmood is a sophomore at CMC from Manama, Bahrain. He is majoring in PPA and IR. He currently writes for The Golden Antlers and holds a few positions at ASCMC. As a student from the Middle East, he is interested in democratic transitions in the Middle East, US foreign policy in the MENA region, and the politics of post-Arab spring countries. In his free time, he enjoys reading, playing video games, and hanging out with his friends in nature.

Andrew “AJ” Holzer ’24A Disjointed Consciousness: a case study on human rights education among Jewish Americans

AJ is a Sophomore from Chicago, Illinois studying Neuroscience and Philosophy. On campus, he is involved in SOURCE and research labs. His past summer working and living in Tel Aviv sparked interest in the ways Jewish Americans are taught about human rights in the state of Israel. In his research project, “A Disjointed Consciousness: A Case Study on Human Rights Education among Jewish Americans,” he plans to explore this topic through conversation with members of different Jewish groups in the Los Angeles area. Interested in documentary films and the stories that they are able to tell, he is excited to present his findings in this medium.

Eduardo Jacinto ’25 and Joshua Morganstein ’25A Comparative Perspective: Human Rights Abuses During Guatemala’s Civil War and Argentina’s Dirty War

Eduardo is a freshman from Los Angeles and is hoping to major in Economics & Computer Science. He is interested in learning more about the Latin America region. He is of Guatemalan descent and  wants to learn more about the region where his ancestors lived and what they endured there. Specifically, Eduardo seeks to understand the long-term effects of political instability in Latin American countries on their citizens and political culture. Eduardo is also Associate Consultant for SOURCE Nonprofit Consulting and a member of Pomona Ventures’ logistics team. He is excited to do this research fellowship with his roommate Josh!

Josh is a first-year at CMC from the San Francisco Bay Area, majoring in International Relations. He has an interest in diplomacy and human rights studies, specifically in Latin America. He hopes to understand the short-term, intermediate, and lasting effects of political repression across a range of Latin American countries in the second half of the 20th century, and hopes that a comparative perspective will offer insights. On campus, Josh also does research for the Keck Center for International and Strategic Studies and is a part of the Model United Nations team. He is very excited to be tackling the Mgrublian Center fellowship with his roommate Eduardo! 

Adam Terenyi ’25Hungary’s Democratic Backsliding: Domestic and International Implications for Human Rights

Adam is a freshman from San Antonio, Texas, majoring in International Relations and Economics. He works as a Program Assistant for the Keck Center for International and Strategic Studies and serves on the Advisory Board of the European Union Center of California at Scripps College. As a Hungarian citizen, he is alarmed by several anti-democratic developments under the Fidesz government, namely breaches of the rule of law and minority securitization. These developments serve as inspiration for his research project this year at the Center, which focuses on examining the effects of Fidesz’s use of the Roma and queer people to further anti-democratic policies. Apart from his passion for studying democratic decline, Adam is also interested in urban planning and examining organisms like cities at the macro level, how to remove the primacy of the car in American cities, and building a more livable future. These interests combine into his worldview that power structures like oppressive governments and rigid city planning should be dissolved, making way instead for political cultures based on mutual respect and freedom.