Kristina Bray
2013 Graduate Working as Customs Compliance Officer
Alumni
Welcome Alumni!
Welcome to all alumni!
International relations majors are accomplishing incredible things in Michigan and all around the world. We love to hear from you! If you'd be interested in being featured in one of our spotlights, send an email to [email protected] with a picture and some or all of the following:
- Name, major(s), minor(s) (optional), and year of graduation from GVSU:
- Describe your accomplishment (education, work, voluntarism, etc.), and optionally, anything you did previously (just a couple of sentences or as much as a page):
- Anything you’d like to mention about how your classes, professors or activities at GVSU prepared you for your current path (optional):
If you are looking to make contact with fellow alumni, check out the GVSU PLS and IR alumni Facebook group.
If you need a letter of recommendation, you'll find our letter of recommendation guidelines here, and faculty contact information here.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Spotlights
Marie Edouard
Graduate of Harvard Law School, Attorney at Goodwin Proctor LLP in Washington, DC
Courtney Johnston
Entrepreneur Founds Copywriting Business
Shingi Mavima
Ph.D. in African and African American Studies, Assistant Professor of African and African American Studies, Michigan State University
Matthew Brainovich
Program Analyst, National Preparedness Assessment Division, FEMA
Distinguished Alumni
Periodically, the Political Science Department is asked by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to invite a Political Science or International Relations alumnus to campus for the Distinguished Alumni-in-Residence program. The program provides a venue for departments to invite outstanding alumni back to campus to share their post-graduation experiences with the GVSU community. Through the program, our distinguished alumni have the opportunity to share their insights about what constitutes strong academic preparation for students.
Political Science and International Relations Distinguished Alumni-in-Residence:
James Spaanstra 2005
Edward Cardenas 2006
Bob Monaghan 2007
James Meernik 2010
Nerina Cevra 2012
Richard Damstra 2015
Tim Zeeb 2017
Alan Dunklow 2019
Distinguished Alumni
Tim Zeeb
Managing Director in Finance
James Meernik
Political Science Professor
James Spaanstra
Energy and Natural Resources Attorney
Richard Damstra
Foreign Service Office, U.S. Department of State
Edward Cardenas
Media and Communications Expert
News
Diven Honored with Award
Professor Polly Diven received the 2025 Hillman-Orr Award from the World Affairs Council of West Michigan.
Jun 23, 2025
Avabella Madison awarded the Batchelder Political Science Scholarship
The Political Science Department is pleased to recognize Avabella Madison as our Batchelder Scholar for the 2025-2026 academic year.
May 13, 2025
Noah Boggs Awarded the Paul B. Henry Congressional Internship
Noah Boggs, who has a double major in Political Science and International Relations, was awarded this years Paul B. Henry Congressional Internship and will be working in Representative John Moolenaars office in Washington, DC this summer.
May 6, 2025
PLS Major wins the Thomas M. Seykora Award
Political Science major, Nancy Boyd, won the Thomas M. Seykora Award for Outstanding Contribution for 2024-25. The Seykora Award recognizes seniors who, through their involvement, have made significant contributions to the GVSU campus community.
May 6, 2025
Retirement of Professor John Constantelos
The Department of Political Science announces the retirement of Professor John Constantelos, who taught European and EU politics, international political economy and a variety of world politics and research methods courses for thirty years at GVSU.
Apr 22, 2025