Zabdi Rafael Velásquez

Zabdi is a recent graduate of Political Science & International Affairs from the University of California, Riverside. As a Research Assistant in Dr. Kim Yi Dionne's Publicly Engaged Research Lab, Zabdi co-authored a submission to PS: Political Science & Politics journal. The article, for which Zabdi is the main author, is titled: "Undergraduates and Political Science Research: Insights from Research Assistants in a Minority-Serving Institution Lab" and was published on 29 March of 2023.

Zabdi is thrilled to share that he'll be joining UCLA's prestigious Political Science Ph.D. program in the Fall of 2024 as Eugene V. Cota-Robles and Competitive Edge Summer Bridge Fellow. Zabdi's research interests in Race, Ethnicity, and Politics (REP) & Comparative Politics stem from his undergraduate work with Dr. Kim Yi Dionne at UC Riverside.

Credit: Stan Lim, UCR photographer.

Involvement

The DPERL team in their end-of-the-quarter social (Left to right: Alex Kozak, Justin Cheng, Kimberly Aguilar, Zabdi Velasquez, Little A., Fulya Felicity Turkmen, Jasmine Esmail, Harry Stoltz, Jhon Luna, and Kim Yi Dionne). Spring 2022.

The DPERL team, after culminating their quarter-long Undergraduate Research Training (Left to right: Harry Stoltz, Fulya Felicity Turkmen, Jhon Luna, Jasmine Esmail, Zabdi Velasquez, Kimberly Aguilar, Kim Yi Dionne). Winter 2023.

National Model United Nations Conference, New York 2022

Zabdi, alongside the Model United Nations at UC Riverside club at the annual National Model United Nations Conference in New York City. UC Riverside Delegation representing Member State Belize.

Zabdi, alongside the Model United Nations at UC Riverside Club at the entrance to the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.

Zabdi, alongside one of his working groups at the annual National Model United Nations Conference in New York City (NMUN-NY). Committee General Assembly Third (GA-3) for Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Issues.

Zabdi, alongside the UC Riverside delegation, were awarded, "Outstanding Delegation", the conference's most prestigious award.