MSU PLS graduate student wins College research award

May 8, 2025

MSU PLS graduate student So Yeon Park has been awarded the Graduate Student Research Award from the College of Social Science.  
 
“This award means a great deal to me, as it reflects the long and often challenging journey I've had with this paper. I began working on it in Fall 2021, during my first semester as a PhD student—three and a half years ago,” Park said. 
 
“While the theoretical part of the paper was relatively straightforward, as the idea originated during my MA studies in South Korea where I developed an interest in human rights literature, I faced significant struggles in the research design. There were times when it felt like the paper would never come to fruition. However, thanks to the invaluable feedback from the PLS IR (International Relations) and CP (Comparative Politics) workshops, and especially from my advisor, Cristina Bodea, and my committee members, I was able to revise and refine the paper, pushing through those difficult moments. 
 
“It was while waiting from a journal review that I received the news about the award. This award feels like a special recognition of my perseverance and determination. It reminds me that the hard work, even in the face of difficulties, has its rewards,” Park said. 
 
The award, announced by Dr. Carole Gibbs, Interim Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, College of Social Science, is worth $500. 
 
Before joining MSU in 2021, she received an M.A. in Political Science from Korea University and a B.A., summa cum laude, in Global Korean Studies and Political Science from Sogang University. Park's research interests include human rights, international law, transnational advocacy networks, and social movements. She is especially interested in domestic and international factors and mechanisms that promote human rights of people in the context of migration.