Hey! I’m Grace, and I’m a contributor to Novel Hand!
I graduated in May 2020 from Vanderbilt University, where I majored in political science and Asian studies. My special topic areas of interest are international relations, conflict studies, China, and Latin America. In the fall, I will pursue my MA in Political Science at Vanderbilt as an international relations and conflict scholar. Outside of Novel Hand and my classes, I am a passionate researcher, volunteer, advocate, writer, and plant enthusiast!
Throughout my time at Vanderbilt, I have worked alongside brilliant colleagues (including Alexa!) at the Latin American Public Opinion Project, and I helped establish the Research on Conflict and Collective Action Lab at Vanderbilt. I am incredibly passionate about social science research because I think it is a vital conduit for developing public policy based on strong data and built on a framework of human rights.
My research interests center around patterns of human migration, as informed by experiences of gendered and ethnic violence, as well as climate change. Throughout periods of civil war, repressive regimes, and cataclysmic climate change, I ask how everyday people make the difficult decision to leave home for an unknown destination, in the hope of a better future.
As a contributor for Novel Hand, I hope to provide more information on many of the issue areas I work on through my research and advocacy efforts. In particular, my migration research agenda is something I hope to discuss throughout this project. I hope to break down the barriers standing between academia and a wider audience of students and everyday folks who want to learn more about their communities and the ways they can make a difference on pressing humanitarian issues in our world today.
Outside of the global scope of migration, I am really passionate about issues which affect my immediate community. As a Nashville native, my experiences volunteering in high school and college made me more closely examine issues facing the Middle Tennessee region. Gentrification and the rise of food deserts, the pervasiveness of inequality, and an underfunded education system all make me want to work harder to make a difference in my community through expanding knowledge — and that’s where Novel Hand comes in!
Through Novel Hand, I want to explore these and other topics, writing about them and consulting nonprofits and community groups that attempt to mitigate these issues. In short, my role as a contributor for Novel Hand enables me to use this project as a platform to share information and solutions to these challenging questions.
I am so excited to share what I learn with you! If you want to chat, collaborate, or learn more about my passions and projects, you can contact me at grace.adcox@gmail.com.
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