Michael Bellis

University of Strathclyde Postgraduate Award, University of Strathclyde - Political Science

I am a native Chicagoan and graduate of the University of Michigan, where I received a BA in Political Science and English Language & Literature in 2012. As an undergraduate, I spent a semester and a summer in Washington, D.C., where I worked as a press and communications intern for the U.S. Department of Education and as an editorial intern for the Washington City Paper covering music and nightlife. Following graduation, I toured extensively throughout the U.S., Canada, and Brazil as the primary songwriter, singer, and guitarist for an independent rock band. I was inspired to pursue a Fulbright because I am deeply interested in exploring the complex social and political dynamics underpinning our current moment of upheaval in the West, and particularly in the U.K. My studies at Strathclyde will focus on the evolving Brexit negotiations and their implications for the newly invigorated push for Scottish independence, with the goal of learning how similarly transformational movements might evolve in the U.S. in the future. When I'm not obsessing too much over politics, I enjoy collecting and listening to records, going to shows, running, and otherwise savouring any opportunity to unplug. I plan to attend law school in the U.S. following my studies in Glasgow to pursue a legal career centred on voting rights, elections.