Alex Ballard ’20

Senior Alex Ballard may just be the busiest student on campus. A political science, economics and history triple major, you may think he has just about everything on his plate. But in addition to his academic ambitions, Ballard also serves as the co-lead Student Scholar Ambassador for the Center for Undergraduate Excellence.

According to Ballard, the purpose of Student Scholar Ambassadors is to promote opportunities for research and creative activity, as well as scholarship and fellowship opportunities. In connecting with students, ambassadors hope to “inspire them” to realize their full academic potential.

Alex presenting research at The Western Regional Honors Conference

A day in the life of a Student Scholar Ambassador, as Ballard explained, consists of tabling in the Piazza, presenting in classrooms, and promoting the various events put on by the Center for Undergraduate Excellence. With a love for public speaking, Ballard’s favorite part of all of this is presenting to students and faculty about the Center. He especially loves getting the chance to inform students that research and creative activities exists in all fields of study, not just the sciences.

A student researcher himself, Ballard studies political science, history, and economics through a postcolonial framework. He is specifically interested in learning the ways in which “neo-colonial dynamics have changed between the African continent and the rest of the world since the 1960s.”

Alex presenting an academic poster at The National Collegiate Honors Conference.

Ballard has presented his original research at conferences The National Collegiate Honors Conference in Boston, Massachusetts and Western Regional Collegiate Honors Conference in  Bozeman, Montana, and has been accepted to The Ethics of Business, Trade, and Global Governance: An Interdisciplinary Conference in   Portsmouth, New Hampshire and 2nd World Congress on Undergraduate Research in Oldenburg, Germany.

“If you want to pursue research, but don’t know where to get started, just come to the Center for Undergraduate Excellence,” Ballard said. “Talk to an Ambassador or staff member and we will guide you in the right direction!” 

Are you interested in undergraduate research and creative activity or prestigious scholarships and fellowships here at Chapman University? Be sure to follow and like the Center for Undergraduate Excellence on Facebook and never miss an opportunity to take your education to the next level!  Or contact us at CUE@chapman.edu to schedule a peer advising appointment with a Student Scholar Ambassador.