Papers for the 2023 competition are due Monday, December 4, 2023.

Please send your paper via email to Patti Goerman past.president.dcaapor@gmail.com.

American Association of Public Opinion Research DC Chapter

a) Criteria
DC-AAPOR welcomes papers in any field related to the study of public opinion, broadly defined, including research on (a) theoretical issues in the formation and change of public opinion, (b) the theory and methods of survey or market research, and (c) the use of statistical techniques in the design, adjustment, or analysis of survey data. Papers are expected to the length of typical journal manuscripts (i.e., approximately 4,000 to 6,500 words), and will be judged based on the quality of research design, originality, significance, organization, and presentation. To see a list of past winners please visit: Student Paper Competition results page.

b) Eligibility
The competition is open to all current graduate and undergraduate students, and to those who have received their degree within the last calendar year. Faculty co-authors are acceptable, with the stipulation that an eligible student must be first author. Eligibility is limited to students attending or graduated from an accredited college or university in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, or Washington, DC, or to students whose primary residence is in one of those areas. Previous membership in DC-AAPOR is not required, but non-members must become members in order to be eligible. Students can join DC-AAPOR for $6 (membership is from October 2022 - December 2023). Submitted papers may not have been published or presented elsewhere.

c) Award
The author(s) of the winning paper will be awarded a cash prize of $1,000. For multiple student authors on a winning paper, the award will be divided among the eligible student authors. Additionally, the author(s) of the winning paper will be awarded a guaranteed spot on the Conference Program to present their paper at the 2024 Annual AAPOR Conference in Atlanta, GA.

d) Review Committee
The winning paper and honorable mentions will be selected by a review committee composed of this year and next year's DC-AAPOR executive council members.

Joining a new community can be tough sometimes, especially post-pandemic. And with new Retrievers coming from every background imaginable, it’s important to make sure everyone feels welcome when they get here. 

That’s where “Your Story Belongs Here” comes in. Now in its second year, this video storytelling collaboration between Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion, and Belonging (i3b) and the Department of Theatre brings students together to learn how to share—and celebrate—their own stories of belonging. 

“I think it’s pretty common to enter college and be worried that you’re not going to find your people. It’s very different from high school,” said Adam Bayoumi, a public health major, who spoke about the worries he faced about keeping up with school after his father passed away. “I personally thought the transition would kind of knock me out…and it wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t quick, but I did find my people eventually.” 

Guiding students’ steps

The resulting film, which was shown at Welcome Week to incoming students, showcases the experiences of 10 students from a variety of backgrounds. Some explore identity or overcoming imposter syndrome. Others speak from the perspectives of adult learners reentering college or international students settling into a new culture. Some felt comfortable in front of a camera while others had to overcome that fear over time. Thankfully, in this second iteration of the project, students took advantage of a four-week workshop-style internship to perfect their performances with help from their cohort and guidance from faculty and staff co-creators.

“We got to have much, much more time with students this year to develop their storylines and infuse some social justice education around identity…storytelling and monologuing, all that good stuff,” said Ciara Christian, acting director of i3b, and a co-founder of the project. “We also had a really cool opportunity to take students to see some live theatre performances…there was a storytelling event in Washington, D.C., that we took the students to, to help inspire them, and it was a beautiful process.”

Project co-founder Eve Muson, associate professor of theatre, called the workshop experiences “magical.” She also brought in alumna Kiirstn Pagan ’11 to film and edit the work. “Because we had more time, the stories were more complex and students were really talking honestly about the identity that they bring with them when they come to UMBC—their doubts, their fears, their trepidations, all of that,” said Muson. “And then there’s the moment when they discover themselves at UMBC. So, that’s the shape of every story.” 

Finding your “second family”

When Jaya Marshall, a transfer student focusing on cinematic arts, first arrived at UMBC, she, too, worried she wouldn’t fit in, that she might be the lone theatre person in a sea of STEM students—something she realizes now was a misperception. But seeing the inaugural “Your Story Belongs Here” video at her own Welcome Week in 2022 helped change her mind—and also inspired her to take part in the project the following summer.

“When I saw that video I was like, oh, thank you,” said Marshall, who quickly found several clubs to join after arriving at UMBC. “Thank God, I am not the only one. I hope people who are arts and humanities will see that and be like, okay, I’m not alone.” 

Public health major Mashaal Awan chose to share her story of going to UMBC’s STRiVE leadership retreat, which she says had “a huge impact on me in terms of realizing my values” and also helped her make friends she now considers her “second family.” In her video, Awan recalled the first evening of STRiVE, walking outside with friends beneath a beautiful night sky.

“I remember feeling a sense of freedom I had been craving my whole life with these people I instantly felt such a strong connection with,” she recalled in the video.

Bayoumi hopes that the vulnerability students show through their storytelling helps incoming students feel more comfortable and welcome at UMBC.

“Fast forward to the end of the school year, and I had done stuff that I never thought I would have achieved in college,” he said. “So to me at 17 years old, I would just like to say, ‘Hang in there. Life dealt you some hard cards, and it’s going to be okay.’”

Joining a new community can be tough sometimes, especially post-pandemic. And with new Retrievers coming from every background imaginable, it’s important to make sure everyone feels welcome when they get here. 

That’s where “Your Story Belongs Here” comes in. Now in its second year, this video storytelling collaboration between Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion, and Belonging (i3b) and the Department of Theatre brings students together to learn how to share—and celebrate—their own stories of belonging. 

“I think it’s pretty common to enter college and be worried that you’re not going to find your people. It’s very different from high school,” said Adam Bayoumi, a public health major, who spoke about the worries he faced about keeping up with school after his father passed away. “I personally thought the transition would kind of knock me out…and it wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t quick, but I did find my people eventually.” 

Guiding students’ steps

The resulting film, which was shown at Welcome Week to incoming students, showcases the experiences of 10 students from a variety of backgrounds. Some explore identity or overcoming imposter syndrome. Others speak from the perspectives of adult learners reentering college or international students settling into a new culture. Some felt comfortable in front of a camera while others had to overcome that fear over time. Thankfully, in this second iteration of the project, students took advantage of a four-week workshop-style internship to perfect their performances with help from their cohort and guidance from faculty and staff co-creators.

“We got to have much, much more time with students this year to develop their storylines and infuse some social justice education around identity…storytelling and monologuing, all that good stuff,” said Ciara Christian, acting director of i3b, and a co-founder of the project. “We also had a really cool opportunity to take students to see some live theatre performances…there was a storytelling event in Washington, D.C., that we took the students to, to help inspire them, and it was a beautiful process.”

Project co-founder Eve Muson, associate professor of theatre, called the workshop experiences “magical.” She also brought in alumna Kiirstn Pagan ’11 to film and edit the work. “Because we had more time, the stories were more complex and students were really talking honestly about the identity that they bring with them when they come to UMBC—their doubts, their fears, their trepidations, all of that,” said Muson. “And then there’s the moment when they discover themselves at UMBC. So, that’s the shape of every story.” 

Finding your “second family”

When Jaya Marshall, a transfer student focusing on cinematic arts, first arrived at UMBC, she, too, worried she wouldn’t fit in, that she might be the lone theatre person in a sea of STEM students—something she realizes now was a misperception. But seeing the inaugural “Your Story Belongs Here” video at her own Welcome Week in 2022 helped change her mind—and also inspired her to take part in the project the following summer.

“When I saw that video I was like, oh, thank you,” said Marshall, who quickly found several clubs to join after arriving at UMBC. “Thank God, I am not the only one. I hope people who are arts and humanities will see that and be like, okay, I’m not alone.” 

Public health major Mashaal Awan chose to share her story of going to UMBC’s STRiVE leadership retreat, which she says had “a huge impact on me in terms of realizing my values” and also helped her make friends she now considers her “second family.” In her video, Awan recalled the first evening of STRiVE, walking outside with friends beneath a beautiful night sky.

“I remember feeling a sense of freedom I had been craving my whole life with these people I instantly felt such a strong connection with,” she recalled in the video.

Bayoumi hopes that the vulnerability students show through their storytelling helps incoming students feel more comfortable and welcome at UMBC.

“Fast forward to the end of the school year, and I had done stuff that I never thought I would have achieved in college,” he said. “So to me at 17 years old, I would just like to say, ‘Hang in there. Life dealt you some hard cards, and it’s going to be okay.’”

Joining a new community can be tough sometimes, especially post-pandemic. And with new Retrievers coming from every background imaginable, it’s important to make sure everyone feels welcome when they get here. 

That’s where “Your Story Belongs Here” comes in. Now in its second year, this video storytelling collaboration between Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion, and Belonging (i3b) and the Department of Theatre brings students together to learn how to share—and celebrate—their own stories of belonging. 

“I think it’s pretty common to enter college and be worried that you’re not going to find your people. It’s very different from high school,” said Adam Bayoumi, a public health major, who spoke about the worries he faced about keeping up with school after his father passed away. “I personally thought the transition would kind of knock me out…and it wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t quick, but I did find my people eventually.” 

Guiding students’ steps

The resulting film, which was shown at Welcome Week to incoming students, showcases the experiences of 10 students from a variety of backgrounds. Some explore identity or overcoming imposter syndrome. Others speak from the perspectives of adult learners reentering college or international students settling into a new culture. Some felt comfortable in front of a camera while others had to overcome that fear over time. Thankfully, in this second iteration of the project, students took advantage of a four-week workshop-style internship to perfect their performances with help from their cohort and guidance from faculty and staff co-creators.

“We got to have much, much more time with students this year to develop their storylines and infuse some social justice education around identity…storytelling and monologuing, all that good stuff,” said Ciara Christian, acting director of i3b, and a co-founder of the project. “We also had a really cool opportunity to take students to see some live theatre performances…there was a storytelling event in Washington, D.C., that we took the students to, to help inspire them, and it was a beautiful process.”

Project co-founder Eve Muson, associate professor of theatre, called the workshop experiences “magical.” She also brought in alumna Kiirstn Pagan ’11 to film and edit the work. “Because we had more time, the stories were more complex and students were really talking honestly about the identity that they bring with them when they come to UMBC—their doubts, their fears, their trepidations, all of that,” said Muson. “And then there’s the moment when they discover themselves at UMBC. So, that’s the shape of every story.” 

Finding your “second family”

When Jaya Marshall, a transfer student focusing on cinematic arts, first arrived at UMBC, she, too, worried she wouldn’t fit in, that she might be the lone theatre person in a sea of STEM students—something she realizes now was a misperception. But seeing the inaugural “Your Story Belongs Here” video at her own Welcome Week in 2022 helped change her mind—and also inspired her to take part in the project the following summer.

“When I saw that video I was like, oh, thank you,” said Marshall, who quickly found several clubs to join after arriving at UMBC. “Thank God, I am not the only one. I hope people who are arts and humanities will see that and be like, okay, I’m not alone.” 

Public health major Mashaal Awan chose to share her story of going to UMBC’s STRiVE leadership retreat, which she says had “a huge impact on me in terms of realizing my values” and also helped her make friends she now considers her “second family.” In her video, Awan recalled the first evening of STRiVE, walking outside with friends beneath a beautiful night sky.

“I remember feeling a sense of freedom I had been craving my whole life with these people I instantly felt such a strong connection with,” she recalled in the video.

Bayoumi hopes that the vulnerability students show through their storytelling helps incoming students feel more comfortable and welcome at UMBC.

“Fast forward to the end of the school year, and I had done stuff that I never thought I would have achieved in college,” he said. “So to me at 17 years old, I would just like to say, ‘Hang in there. Life dealt you some hard cards, and it’s going to be okay.’”

Apply Here 

The Phi Beta Kappa Society is a leading national advocate for the value of arts and sciences education. Key into Public Service highlights the wide range of career opportunities for liberal arts and sciences majors in local, state, or federal government. A cohort of 20 Service Scholars majoring in liberal arts and sciences disciplines will each receive a $5,000 undergraduate scholarship.

Selected students are required to participate in an educational conference taking place in Washington, D.C. in late June 2024. It will highlight pathways into a variety of public service careers, provide a mentoring conversation matched to recipient interest, and offer other networking opportunities.

• Applicants should expect to graduate between 10/1/2024 and 8/1/2026. First-year students and seniors who will graduate in Spring 2024 are NOT eligible. 
• Successful applicants will demonstrate in their essays, activities, and letter of recommendation, 1) an interest in working in local, state, or federal government service; and 2) breadth and depth across the arts, humanities, mathematics, natural sciences, and social sciences.
• Applicants must have a minimum grade point average of 3.5 while demonstrating academic excellence in your arts, humanities, mathematics, natural science, or social science major.
• Applicants will also need to provide the name of a professor, faculty member, or academic advisor who can attest to your academic achievements and/or interest in public service.
• Applicants must also commit to attend the conference for all award recipients taking place June 19-23, 2024 in Washington, D.C. This mandatory conference will provide training and mentoring opportunities and showcase pathways from liberal arts and sciences education into active citizenship and public service. The Society will provide transportation, lodging, and meal per diems. The Society may switch the format to a virtual event if needed to ensure the safety and health of all participants.

Hello Gathering Space Community Members,

Happy Indigenous Heritage Month! As we wind down for the upcoming extended holiday weekend, we wanted to share the hours of our spaces for Thanksgiving (11/23) and Native American Heritage Day (11/24).

Wednesday, November 22, 2023

The Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being: Closing early at 8:00 p.m.

The Mosaic Center for Cultural Diversity: Closed

The Pride Center for LGBTQIA2+ Diversity: Closed 

Prayer Spaces: Please locate ITE and AOK Library pages for their respective hours of operation. 

Thursday, November 23, 2023 - Sunday, November 26, 2023

All Spaces: Closed

Monday, November 27, 2023

All Spaces:Hours return to normal hours of operation*

As a reminder regular Fall hours will end on the final day of exams, Wednesday, 12/20 at 8:00pm. Regular hours will continue for the duration of the exam period.

*Please note that space hours might shift based on staff availability, reservations, and event times. For more information, check out our myUMBC pages for each space below:

• Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion, & Belonging (i3b) 

• The Pride Center for LGBTQIA2+ Diversity (i3b) 

• The Mosaic Center for Culture Diversity (i3b)

Each week during her student-facing office hours, UMBC President Valerie Sheares Ashby meets with students to chat about their lives and experiences at UMBC. Today, she’s speaking with Okechukwu Tabugbo ’25, computer engineering, president of UMBC’s Black Men’s Society, a group that provides mentorship, skills training, and community to students while trying to eliminate negative narratives and stigma around what it means to be a Black man in America.

Okechukwu Tabugbo: I found out about UMBC’s Black Men’s Society when I was in my first year. I knew Marvin Onwukwe, the club secretary at the time. He was always walking around campus smiling, and I would ask him, “Why are you smiling so much, Marvin?” He would say, “It’s because I have my life together. I have everything going for me. So what reason do I have to frown?” I would say, “Why do you have everything going for you?” He said, “Because I’m on top of my work. I can help you out, too. You should come to Black Men’s Society so that we can all be on top of our work.”

President Sheares Ashby: Oh, that is so good.

Tabugbo: But, in all honesty, I did not go to the first one. Then Amery Thompson…the current advisor, told me that I should come out, and I have to be honest, I did not go at that time either. [Laughs.] Then, finally, our current vice president, Israel Funmilayo…invited me, and he said, “It’s about financial literacy…I just need you to come out.” I looked at my bank account, and I said, “Okay.” 

After getting there, I sat down. Amery was giving the introduction on financial literacy and telling us everything that we need to know. It honestly just made me feel at home and appreciated, the fact that someone took the time out of their day to teach me something that I constantly left on the back burner. I took that for what the club is.

I take it especially as a safe space for Black men on campus—to make them feel appreciated, to give them the time they need to grow in a world that rushes them so often. I appreciate the overall aspect of giving Black people on campus a space for professional development that they may not have had before and giving us a space to talk about issues surrounding the community. The Society allows everyone, despite their views, to be understood and to have time to understand others.

Sheares Ashby: That is amazing. And what is so interesting to me is the mentorship of the more senior students to the younger students because I see it all the time. I see the senior students saying, “Hey, come on over here. This is where we are. This is what we’re doing. This is how we can support you.” They’re really living out the mentorship in ways that are so important. And it is so wonderful to see the younger students come in and then become those mentors to other people. I can see that growth even in a year.

Tabugbo: Exactly. And on that note of mentorship, that’s why we wanted to start moving toward outreach programs, especially to local high schools and middle schools. This effort is spearheaded by our secretary, Daniel Bajulaiye. If we can get to these students early and make them know that they’re appreciated, make them know that they can be heard, that will be important in fostering a good relationship, especially as they come into UMBC. Just letting people know that you’re there for them is so important because a lot of people, especially on this campus, don’t know their potential.

Sheares Ashby: I one hundred percent agree. One of the things I’m really excited about for UMBC is the work that we continue to do in Baltimore. We’re right here, and we know that there are a lot of Black men, young men, in Baltimore who would benefit. I don’t think too many Black men in Baltimore walk around feeling appreciated.

Tabugbo: Even when I did get the role [as president of Black Men’s Society], I still had imposter syndrome. I didn’t truly feel I belonged until actually stepping into the shoes and having to take over. Talking to my brother all summer, the amount of encouragement he had to give me to say just, “You can do this. You are here for a reason.” Hearing it from Amery, hearing it from Israel, it took a lot to be able to have the confidence to come and do this again and again every day.

Sheares Ashby: Mentorship has always been important. Sometimes it just takes somebody to look at you and tell you, “I see you, and I think you’re pretty special,” or, “I see this gift or talent that you have,” and it can change somebody’s life just like that. I don’t know anybody who doesn’t need encouragement.

Each week during her student-facing office hours, UMBC President Valerie Sheares Ashby meets with students to chat about their lives and experiences at UMBC. Today, she’s speaking with Okechukwu Tabugbo ’25, computer engineering, president of UMBC’s Black Men’s Society, a group that provides mentorship, skills training, and community to students while trying to eliminate negative narratives and stigma around what it means to be a Black man in America.

Okechukwu Tabugbo: I found out about UMBC’s Black Men’s Society when I was in my first year. I knew Marvin Onwukwe, the club secretary at the time. He was always walking around campus smiling, and I would ask him, “Why are you smiling so much, Marvin?” He would say, “It’s because I have my life together. I have everything going for me. So what reason do I have to frown?” I would say, “Why do you have everything going for you?” He said, “Because I’m on top of my work. I can help you out, too. You should come to Black Men’s Society so that we can all be on top of our work.”

President Sheares Ashby: Oh, that is so good.

Tabugbo: But, in all honesty, I did not go to the first one. Then Amery Thompson…the current advisor, told me that I should come out, and I have to be honest, I did not go at that time either. [Laughs.] Then, finally, our current vice president, Israel Funmilayo…invited me, and he said, “It’s about financial literacy…I just need you to come out.” I looked at my bank account, and I said, “Okay.” 

After getting there, I sat down. Amery was giving the introduction on financial literacy and telling us everything that we need to know. It honestly just made me feel at home and appreciated, the fact that someone took the time out of their day to teach me something that I constantly left on the back burner. I took that for what the club is.

I take it especially as a safe space for Black men on campus—to make them feel appreciated, to give them the time they need to grow in a world that rushes them so often. I appreciate the overall aspect of giving Black people on campus a space for professional development that they may not have had before and giving us a space to talk about issues surrounding the community. The Society allows everyone, despite their views, to be understood and to have time to understand others.

Sheares Ashby: That is amazing. And what is so interesting to me is the mentorship of the more senior students to the younger students because I see it all the time. I see the senior students saying, “Hey, come on over here. This is where we are. This is what we’re doing. This is how we can support you.” They’re really living out the mentorship in ways that are so important. And it is so wonderful to see the younger students come in and then become those mentors to other people. I can see that growth even in a year.

Tabugbo: Exactly. And on that note of mentorship, that’s why we wanted to start moving toward outreach programs, especially to local high schools and middle schools. This effort is spearheaded by our secretary, Daniel Bajulaiye. If we can get to these students early and make them know that they’re appreciated, make them know that they can be heard, that will be important in fostering a good relationship, especially as they come into UMBC. Just letting people know that you’re there for them is so important because a lot of people, especially on this campus, don’t know their potential.

Sheares Ashby: I one hundred percent agree. One of the things I’m really excited about for UMBC is the work that we continue to do in Baltimore. We’re right here, and we know that there are a lot of Black men, young men, in Baltimore who would benefit. I don’t think too many Black men in Baltimore walk around feeling appreciated.

Tabugbo: Even when I did get the role [as president of Black Men’s Society], I still had imposter syndrome. I didn’t truly feel I belonged until actually stepping into the shoes and having to take over. Talking to my brother all summer, the amount of encouragement he had to give me to say just, “You can do this. You are here for a reason.” Hearing it from Amery, hearing it from Israel, it took a lot to be able to have the confidence to come and do this again and again every day.

Sheares Ashby: Mentorship has always been important. Sometimes it just takes somebody to look at you and tell you, “I see you, and I think you’re pretty special,” or, “I see this gift or talent that you have,” and it can change somebody’s life just like that. I don’t know anybody who doesn’t need encouragement.