Beinecke Scholarship

Alexandra Hevko ’24, a double major in psychology and political science with a concentration in comparative politics, received a highly competitive Beinecke Scholarship in spring 2023, giving her $35,000 toward graduate school. She is the fifth Trinity student to be named a Beinecke Scholar and the first since 2007.

The Beinecke Scholarship Program invites approximately 135 U.S. colleges and universities to nominate academically high-achieving juniors. Trinity nominated Hevko, of Vernon Hills, Illinois, based on her graduate plans to research authoritarianism through the lens of group psychology. Her research topic ties directly to her academic goals at Trinity. “I happened to be taking courses in social psychology and authoritarianism at the same time, which is probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” Hevko said. “Going from one class to the other, I could see social psychological phenomena being explored through a political lens within authoritarianism.”

Hevko’s family heritage also resonates with her intended research. “My family is from Ukraine,” she noted, “and that’s specifically why my study of authoritarianism centers on Eastern Europe.”

During the spring, Hevko studied abroad at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. With the support of the scholarship, Hevko plans to continue her studies at Trinity in her senior year while exploring opportunities for her graduate education and her career.

“My ultimate goal,” Hevko said, “would be a career in international relations or diplomatic engagement that will help me either consult policies or do more research on how we best foster democratic governments abroad.”

For more about the Beinecke Scholarship, please visit https://beineckescholarship.org/.