Meet Centennial Center Scholar, Carolina Ferrerosa Young

Carolina Ferrerosa Young is a PhD candidate in political science at Columbia University, currently serving as a visiting scholar at the APSA Centennial Center for Political Science and Public Affairs in Washington, DC. She studies congressional responsiveness to interest group advocacy. Using both observational and experimental methods, she analyzes the circumstances under which members of the US Congress respond to advocacy organizations, focusing primarily on those that represent marginalized communities. Her research is supported by the APSA Minority Fellowship program and the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.

Ferrerosa Young knows firsthand how difficult it can sometimes be for researchers to understand the inner workings of institutions from the outside looking in. The visiting scholar position at the Centennial Center has allowed her to partner with a Washington-based Latino political advocacy organization that has generously invited her to observe their lobbying days on Capitol Hill. She has been able to observe lobbying strategies up close during closed meetings with members of Congress and their staff—a helpful opportunity to witness persuasion tactics and legislators’ responses.

This coming fall, Carolina will get a chance to see Congress from a different perspective: she will serve as a 2017–2018 APSA Congressional Fellow. She believes serving in Congress this coming year will provide invaluable insights and make her a more incisive scholar as well as an effective educator in the years to come.

View in PS: Political Science