Rose Molloy ’26 has been selected to receive a Beinecke Scholarship, which will support her continuing study of political science in graduate school.
A political science major and philosophy minor from Seattle, Washington, Molloy said that she is honored to receive the competitive scholarship. “I feel encouraged to continue pursuing my education after I graduate from Trinity,” she said. “This scholarship will provide me with the support to do that.”
The Beinecke Scholarship Program was established in 1971 to provide substantial scholarships for graduate students of exceptional promise studying the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Participating universities and colleges may nominate one candidate per cycle. Molloy is one of this year’s 20 scholarship recipients selected from 93 nominations. With this newest cohort, 759 students have been named Beinecke Scholars since the first awards were given out in 1975. According to Beinecke, Molloy is the sixth Beinecke Scholar from Trinity and Trinity’s first since 2023.
Molloy said that she became interested in political science after taking a first-year seminar with Professor of Political Science Isaac A. Kamola. “Political science pulls from so many disciplines. It’s anthropological, philosophical, sociological. . . . Its multidisciplinary and intersectional aspects excited me early on in my undergraduate career,” she said. “Political science classes challenged and complicated my worldview and helped me develop a more nuanced understanding of the world around me. This generated an intellectual curiosity that I have been able to pursue at Trinity.”
While political science is largely quantitative, Molloy said, philosophy is more qualitative and abstract, which provides balance as her minor. “Philosophy has allowed me to incorporate more theoretical aspects into my work while still grounding it empirically,” she said. “My concentration is in comparative politics, but political theory has played an integral part in how I approach politics and has given me a unique perspective.”
At Trinity, Molloy works as a tutor at the Writing Center and has been involved with the Office of Community Service and Civic Engagement and The Vernacular student literary magazine. This summer, she is on campus conducting research with Associate Professor of Political Science Reo Matsuzaki and beginning work on her senior thesis, with Matsuzaki as her adviser.
“I’ve had a desire to pursue a Ph.D. for quite a while now,” Molloy said. “Professor Matsuzaki nominated me to apply for the Beinecke Scholarship, and it ended up being a really good fit.” Her personal statement in the application described her interest in what she calls “the behavioral side of politics, moving beyond structural and institutionalist explanations for political phenomena.” Molloy said that she wants to investigate why people engage in seemingly paradoxical or contradictory behaviors, especially in the contexts of populism, extremism, and political performance.
Matsuzaki said that Molloy is one of the most intellectually gifted students he has taught in his 12 years at Trinity. “Rose displays the same exceptional qualities that have characterized my students who went on to graduate with distinction and pursue Ph.D. degrees at prestigious institutions,” he said. “She reads and writes with tremendous care and critical insight and demonstrates unwavering commitment to academic excellence through her diligent work ethic. I have no doubt that she will be accepted into a top Ph.D. program and make important contributions to the field.”
Molloy said that she can see herself pursuing a career in academia as a researcher or professor. “I love being in the classroom—writing, reading, and discussing with my peers is so exciting to me,” she said.
“I came into Trinity feeling really unsure of myself,” Molloy added. “Through pursuing my interests with curiosity and vigor and developing relationships with professors, I built a lot of much-needed confidence. I don’t think I would have applied to this scholarship without the unwavering support and encouragement I’ve received from my professors since I came to Trinity.”
