My Mentor and I at the State and National Awards Reception
Author: Isabella Thompson | Major: Political Science, International Studies| Semester: Spring 2025
My name is Isabella Thompson, and I am a rising senior at the University of Arkansas. I am a member of the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, majoring in Political Science and International Studies with a minor in Italian. My mentor is A. Burcu Bayram, a professor for the Political Science Department. I have spent the Spring 2025 semester researching for my thesis and I plan to defend it in Spring of 2026. My future plans include getting my master’s in international relations and hopefully continuing to research feminist foreign policy and international law at a think tank or NGO one day.
My research was inspired by my desire to enter the foreign service myself. One of my dream careers for the longest time was to be a diplomat, and that still is a dream of mine, but I noticed how many barriers there are on that career path, especially for women. I wanted to know if the lack of female representation in the US Department of State was coincidental or if there really were systems in place that prevented more women from joining. I found my mentor, Dr. Bayram, through a previous professor of mine, Dr. Parry. She taught my Gender and Politics class, which really opened my eyes to the gender disparities in the United States. I asked her who a good thesis mentor would be if I wanted to continue researching the topic, and she recommended Dr. Bayram. It took some convincing because Dr. Bayram is selective on taking honors students because she has high standards, but once I explained my topic, she was intrigued and decided to take a chance on me!
Over the past semester, I have learned a lot about my research topic, and it has opened my eyes to how the research world works. I have written research papers before, but this experience is an entirely different level. I have thoroughly enjoyed taking a deep dive into citation after citation to try and find the most niche and relevant article possible. I have learned that the same few scholars have written a lot of research on feminism in diplomacy, but very few researchers have touched on why there aren’t as many female diplomats. While that makes the literature review difficult, it is also important because it means that my research is covering a topic that has not yet been touched on before. One challenge I did face over the past semester has been balancing research with school work, but I have learned how to set time aside and dedicate myself to researching for a couple of hours a week.
Dr. Bayram has been extremely helpful throughout the entire process of starting my research. She has helped by giving me a timeline and outline of what my thesis should look like, by teaching me how to use Qualtrics and helping me get IRB approval, and she has been readily available for any questions I have about what to do. She also gives me lots of room to work on this project and make it my own while also being very supportive. I appreciate her help so much. I also appreciate the help of my friends who helped me test my survey questions, and for the help of my classmates who have given me new ideas to think about. I have not traveled yet for my research, but I plan to attend a conference in the fall and present my research next spring.
Next up, I need to finish my literature review and methodology and then start to collect my original data through my survey. I plan to survey University of Arkansas students and ask them about careers in the foreign service. I am trying to gather information on the attitude around a career in the foreign service and how difficult it is perceived to be to obtain. Then, I will analyze my data and put it all together and wrap up my research. Thankfully, I have time to dedicate to that this summer. I am looking forward to seeing where my research leads me.