IUP Senior Completes Second Year of USOAR Program, Selected to Present at National Conference

The Force is definitely with Indiana University of Pennsylvania's Thomas Oraskovich, a senior sociology and political science major from Homer City.

Oraskovich completed his second year in IUP's Undergraduate Summer Opportunities for Applying Research (USOAR) program with his research project, "Rebels vs. Terrorists: Star Wars Rebels and Political Implications."

Oraskovich's proposal for his research secured an additional $1,000 in funding from the IUP Libraries offered to students in the USOAR program-and the quality of his written research and application for participation earned him a spot as a presenter for a panel at the International Studies Association Northeast regional conference, planned for in Baltimore in November.

His faculty advisor, Terilyn Huntington, assistant professor of political science in the Department of History, Political Science, Philosophy, and Religious Studies, encouraged Oraskovich's application and will accompany him to the conference to present her own research. This regional conference annually draws world-renowned international relations scholars as presenters and participants.

"It's a little intimidating to be invited to this conference," Oraskovich said. "But IUP has prepared me well. I feel very fortunate to have outstanding faculty mentors, including Dr. Huntington, who encouraged and supported me through the process. Conferences like this are very important to academic growth and success-I am so excited to have my name on this original research and have it be part of the conference proceedings, which are usually published online and referenced by scholars. This kind of accomplishment is key to getting your name out there, which is very important to your future career," he said.

Oraskovich explains that his recent research has implications in a number of disciplines.

"Star Wars is an inherently political franchise. Built upon foundations from George Lucas' political activism regarding the Vietnam War, Star Wars is and will always be political," he said.

"My research looks at where we are today: how political is Star Wars? Specifically, how does the franchise showcase terrorism versus rebellion? Looking at Star Wars Rebels, a television show marketed toward a kid and tween audience, my project examines each episode in the show and marks where various grounding and emergent themes are present, defining how Star Wars Rebels use or do not use terrorism.

"Pop culture is highly relevant to the world around us all," he said. "How Star Wars Rebels present its terrorism and or rebellion is contextual to the world. As millions of people tune into the show, then the possible reach that Star Wars Rebels has on its audience and how it influences them regarding terrorism vs. rebellion is widespread," he said.

"Doing this research took hours and hours of very careful analysis, so the additional funding from the IUP Libraries permitted me to focus on my research and not have the need for an off-campus job," he said. "It also helps fund my conference and conference travel costs."

He's learned to really enjoy research as a student at IUP, and each project has allowed him to practice and increase his research skills. He participated in the 2023 USOAR program with a research project on transgender athletes, an extension of a class project with faculty mentor and associate professor of political science Gwen Torges. The Scholars Forum, part of IUP's annual Research Appreciation Week, invites students to present original research through a poster, oral presentation, or creative work.

Oraskovich was one of three IUP students selected through a competitive application process for IUP's second student cohort of Justice Research Fellows at the Administration and Leadership Studies Research and Training Center at IUP.

The Justice Research Fellowship offered Oraskovich the chance to participate in "real life," practical mini-research projects with IUP faculty at the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency in Harrisburg during the winter and spring 2024 semesters. As a Justice Research Fellow, he also attended training and experiential learning opportunities.

"The Justice Research Fellowship really prepared me and taught me a great deal about research. I worked closely with Dr. Christian Vaccaro, Dr. Robert Orth, and Professor Lindsay Vaughan from the ALS-RTC, and I really learned about the quantitative side of research. So, through my experiences from USOAR, the Scholars Forums, and the Justice Research Fellow program, I feel like I've really grown as a researcher," he said.

At the 2024 IUP Scholar's Forum, Oraskovich's "Gender and Racial Dynamics in Indiana Indigent Defense Representations" won the College of Health and Human Services Dean's Award and the IUP Jones White Writing Center Undergraduate Award. Vaccaro was his faculty mentor for both projects.

An active member of the IUP community, Oraskovich is a member of the IUP Cook Honors College and was honored in 2022 by the Northeast Regional Honors Council with a minority scholarship for his work on LGBTQ issues.

He is a dean's list student and provost scholar and served as vice president of the IUP Student Government Association and vice chairperson of the IUP University Senate for the fall 2023 semester. He has been selected for early admission to IUP's master's program in public affairs and is already taking classes as an undergraduate that are part of the master's program.

He is the son of Thomas Oraskovich and is a 2021 graduate of Apollo-Ridge High School.

"I have many people to thank for getting me to this point: Dr. Huntingdon, Dr. Vaccaro and Dr. Orth, Dr. Torges, Professor Vaughan-they really helped me to become more confident in my skills. Both my departments-political science and sociology-have been so supportive and so encouraging to students interested in doing research. The Cook Honors College allowed me to find my community right away when I came to IUP, and overall, my experiences have just been amazing," Oraskovich said.

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