One Year Later: Alums Reflect on Doors Opened through Summer Research

Summer research at Emmanuel College provides unique opportunities for learning and growth. It also helps many students gain perspective on their goals and lay the groundwork for reaching them.  

This was the case for Megan Novak ’25, an International Studies major who explored the human impacts of the Syrian refugee crisis through a research project with Professor of Political Science Dr. Lenore Martin last summer. 

Going in, Novak expected to simply present her work for the Emmanuel community that fall. She never imagined it would lead to her speaking at a national conference or getting published in a national honors society journal.

“It’s been great,” said Novak. “I certainly didn’t expect my research to go as far as it did—when I started, I was just proud to work under a professor I have so much respect for.”

“The process has definitely given me more confidence in my writing and research abilities,” she added.

Research was also deeply impactful for Abigail Mullins ’25. Encouraged to pursue a summer research fellowship by Associate Professor of History Dr. Violetta Ravagnoli, Mullins was excited about dedicating undivided attention to one of her favorite topics, Eastern European history. That happened, but she also discovered a new interest that helped her plan for her future.

“I had so much freedom to do what I wanted to do; it helped me realize that I love research,” said Mullins. “I wanted more opportunities to do that, and that kind of led me to apply to graduate school.”

Connecting with Research at Emmanuel 

Emmanuel is a tight-knit learning community, where students are encouraged to meet with faculty outside of class to discuss their goals and interests. Mullins and Novak both connected with summer research by embracing those opportunities. 

“My number-one tip is to spend some time with the department you’d like to research with, to meet with people and learn about what’s out there,” said Mullins. “The hardest step is just putting yourself out there, but at Emmanuel the professors want to know you, they want to give you these opportunities.” 

For Mullins, the best fit was a Logan Fellowship; which provided a stipend and a great deal of flexibility to pursue an independent study project. Dr. Ravagnoli provided some guidance, but the focus was on Mullins pursuing her interest and drawing her own conclusions.  

“A research project, whether personal or for a professor, is an incredible opportunity to understand what you want to do and test your abilities,” said Dr. Ravagnoli. “I can attest to great growth and great work done by students engaged in research.”

Novak’s research experience grew out of a natural curiosity and shared interests. Always the type who enjoys learning how things work—and ways to make things better- she quickly found common ground with Dr. Martin during a second-year International Studies class 

“I was excited to do the readings,” said Novak. “I wanted to learn more; she put so much thought into her course material and I eventually started meeting with her during office hours…I wanted to learn from her personally as well as professionally.”

Novak came to know Dr. Martin as a trusted mentor, with a shared interest in human rights and finding ways to promote good policy. For her own part, Dr. Martin appreciates Novak’s desire to do good, and credited her with taking the right steps to pursue that path.  

“I think the most important move for a student is to prepare,” said Dr. Martin. “Do the work in class and meet with faculty you are interested in doing research with, so that when a research opportunity arises you are ready to apply for the position.”

Research as a Unique Learning Project 

A history buff with a deep interest in Russia and World War II, Mullins chose to compare narratives around wartime atrocities committed by the Soviets against Polish soldiers in Katyń Forest and Ukrainian civilians in Vinnytsia.

Both were eventually the subject of congressional investigations, but the Polish massacre gained much more notoriety in the west, for a variety of factors. There were distinctly less English materials to draw on for the Ukrainian massacre, but Mullins tracked down enough primary sources for her report, which she later converted into a presentation for the New England Historical Association Conference. 

Converting a long-form paper into a substantive presentation that audiences could follow was another challenge, but Mullins said Dr. Ravagnoli provided some key guidance. 

“She coached me a bit on that,” said Mullins. “She was great about that and it was a really awesome experience.”

Dr. Ravagnoli credited Mullins with demonstrating independence, problem solving and critical thinking through the project. It also provided real-world application of vital historian skills: navigating archives, sifting through a wide range of information, and discerning that which is important and necessary toward their goal. 

“All this is on top of being on deadline, having to organize material, and deliver a well-thought-out argument and information relevant to a very specific topic,” said Dr. Ravagnoli. “Often sources are not easy to come by, so students learn how to think creatively about searching for and finding primary sources.”

Outcomes from Research 

Novak was part of a research team that delved into the circumstances underlying four major refugee crises worldwide. Her focus was on Syria, which was long wracked by internal conflict and had the world’s largest forcibly displaced population at the time. 

More than 5.5 million Syrian refugees have fled to the neighboring countries of Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey. Novak’s research delineated the challenges faced by refugees in each of those countries—which included barriers to employment, lack of basic services, and avoiding forced repatriation to a hostile homeland. 

The team met weekly with Dr. Martin to compare notes and report progress, and that group approach was a great fit for Novak, who appreciated being part of the tight-knit International Studies community. 

For Novak, the culmination of that project was applying to present her work at the Northeast Political Science Association conference in Boston last fall. Speaking at a regional conference was a bit outside her comfort zone, but it was a shared experience with other student researchers and that was helpful. 

 “We all knew each other and ended up getting pretty close,” said Novak. “They were very supportive and it was great to have them there.”

With that experience under her belt, Novak applied to present at the national Pi Sigma Alpha Student Research conference in Washington D.C. She was accepted, and her work resonated with the honors society; that connection led to Novak being published in the Spring 2025 issue of the Pi Sigma Alpha Undergraduate Journal of Politics.

The published essay built on Novak’s previous work. She evaluated refugee programs worldwide and drew policy recommendations from success stories in countries such as Germany and Columbia. Specific policies included measures to help refugees enter the workforce faster, remove language barriers, and have better access to education. 

Having learned a great deal about the refugee crisis last summer, Novak appreciates that she’s now in a position to help inform discourse about specific policies that can help.   

“I’m not expecting that it will get sent to the relevant governments, but I hope it contributes to the conversation in international development and humanitarian-policy making,” said Novak. “I think it's one thing to say ‘refugee inclusion is important’ and then it's another to map that out in policy terms.”

Dr. Martin encourages students to pursue such opportunities, saying there’s great potential for personal and professional development there.

“It’s important because it brings students outside of their comfort zone,” said Dr. Martin. “I’ve always said that it's really important for our students to trust their own minds. They learn that by doing their own research, building their own critical thinking, and seeing the importance of it.” 

Taking the Next Step 

Novak was recently accepted into the graduate-level International Affairs program at Boston University. Her long-term goal is to pursue opportunities at the intersection of human rights and protecting the environment—she appreciates how research helped prepare her for that path.

“This experience absolutely helped prepare me,” said Novak. “It taught me valuable skills in research, writing, and policy analysis, and it gave me a huge confidence boost going into interviews and other application materials.”

Mullins graduated from Emmanuel in three years and is now enrolled in the Masters of History program at Brandeis. She’s interested in possibly entering academia someday, but this summer she’s reading up on October Revolution and brainstorming her master’s thesis.

The value of summer research is a lesson Mullins learned at Emmanuel, and she appreciates how it   gave her a head start when she started applying for graduate school. Most programs wanted a writing sample of at least 12 pages that drew on primary sources, and Mullins fulfilled that obligation by condensing the in-depth report she developed as part of her research last summer.

“Having that on-hand made it much easier,” said Mullins. “Without that research project, I would have been miles behind and maybe less inclined to apply for graduate school, because I didn’t have that experience.”