About

The Undergraduate Journal of Contemporary Affairs (UJCA) is a student-run academic journal publishing undergraduate work in the social sciences and humanities based out of Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. The Journal sheds light on contemporary global issues and give undergraduate students a platform to voice their perspective. UJCA is interested in work that analyzes rising issues in the fields of political science, international relations, economics, history, religion, psychology, sociology, philosophy, and more.

The Journal is rooted in the belief that pursuing research as an undergraduate student provides incomparable experience for future endeavors such as attending graduate school. Because of this, the Editorial Board hopes that UJCA can meaningfully contribute to undergraduate students achieving their future goals.

The Journal publishes one autumn and one spring issue per year. We only accept submissions from undergraduate students attending college in Texas. All publications selected from our submission pool will have demonstrated intellectual competence and insightful content. Opinions expressed in the selected publications reflect the views of the author in question, and do not reflect the views of the Editorial or Advisory Board.

As the Journal is still new and evolving, we welcome any constructive feedback you may have for us. Please send any comments or suggestions to ujca@trinity.edu.

• Macey Chandler, Editor-in-Chief

Macey is a senior from Austin, Texas and Gilbert, Arizona studying Sociology and Political Science. Her academic work focuses on firearm violence, public policy, and the intersection of religious and political identity formation. Macey serves as the Vice President of Arizonans for Gun Safety and is a former GIFFORDS Courage Fellow. She currently conducts research on LGBTQ+ youth as an undergraduate researcher on the Family, Housing, and Me (FHAM) Project.

• Monzerrat Muñoz, Managing Editor

I am a senior majoring in English and Philosophy with a minor in Spanish. Alongside being the managing editor of the UJCA, I am also co-president of Philosophy Club and a Swashbuckler captain, meaning that I am a community leader for our substance-free housing. My fields of study center around racial injustices, disability rights, and community development. I am primarily interested in semiotics and the relationship between physical spaces and power.

• Caia Marcee, Editor

Caia is a senior from El Paso, Texas studying Political Science, Mathematics, Data Science, and Sociology. Her academic work focuses on the Supreme Court, American elections, voting behavior, and quantitative analysis of politics. Caia is the captain of Trinity’s Women’s Club Soccer team and the president of Pi Sigma Alpha. She has been published on the Supreme Court and redistricting and her upcoming work focuses on inter-generational voting patterns of Latino populations.

• JC Canlas, Editor

JC is a senior from Alexandria, Virginia, studying Political Science and International Studies, with a concentration in Diplomacy, Security, and War and Peace Studies. Her academic interests include human rights, public policy, and racial and ethnic politics. She has studied abroad in Nepal, Jordan, and Chile through the School for International Training’s International Honors Program for Human Rights. JC currently serves as president of the Filipino Student Association at Trinity.

External Reviewers

• Beyza Yildirim, Founder & Former Editor-in-Chief

Beyza graduated in May 2026 with a degree in Political Science. Her research interests include international relations, migration, and human rights with a regional focus on the Middle East and North Africa. Beyza has worked at the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University, the Department of Political Science at Trinity, and the Institute for Migration Studies at Lebanese American University. She is currently an immigration law intern with American Gateways, and will be matriculating at the University of Oxford for an MSc in Migration Studies this coming October.

• Jay Salter, Former Editor-in-Chief

Jay graduated in May 2026 with a degree in Political Science. He specializes in international relations with a focus on genocide memorialization and legal exceptionalism. Jay was a student presenter at the 2024 and 2025 Pi Sigma Alpha Student Research Conferences, and served as a Presidential Fellow for the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress during the 2024-25 academic year. He is currently working on research into denial of the Bosnian Genocide with Dr. Rosa Aloisi for the University of Sarajevo.

• C. Judith Fuentes, Former Editor

Judith graduated in December 2025 with a degree in Psychology. She is currently working at Baylor College of Medicine as a research assistant under Dr. Eric Storch, focusing on depression and trauma. She aims to obtain a doctorate in clinical psychology.

• Dylan Wilford, Former Editor

Dylan graduated in May 2026 with a degree in History, and is currently pursuing a MA in History at the University of Missouri. He wrote and edited for the Trinitonian, worked at the Sharpsteen Museum, and presented at the 2025 ASIANetwork Conference and the 2026 Pi Sigma Alpha National Student Research Conference. Dylan received Trinity’s 2026 Everett Award for the Most Outstanding History Student and the 2026 Frances Kellen Hendricks Prize. He intends to pursue a PhD in history.

• Julia Williams, Former Editor

Julia will graduate in December 2026 with a degree in International Studies, concentrating in Diplomacy, War, Peace, and Security. Her research interests include AI governance, data governance, and human rights with a focus on protecting vulnerable populations from unchecked military and commercial AI deployment. Julia worked as a Digital Watch Knowledge Fellow with the DiploFoundation, and is currently and Internet Governance intern with the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland, supporting conference preparation for IGF 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya.

Sponsorship

The Journal is primarily sponsored by the School of Social Science and Civic Engagement at Trinity University.

Additionally, it is sponsored by Academic Affairs of Trinity University, the Dean of the Library at Trinity University, the Departments of History, Economics, Philosophy, Political Science, Sociology/Anthropology, Modern Languages and Literatures, Communication, Religion, and the International Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies, Global Latinx Studies, and Mexico, the Americas, and Spain (MAS) programs at Trinity University.

We would like to thank our sponsors for their generous contributions.