The ASEP PhD Program is delighted to announce the successful dissertation defenses of its 38th-cycle doctoral candidates. This milestone represents the culmination of years of intensive empirical research, with each scholar providing fresh perspectives on core issues defining our modern world.

• Silvia Mazzaglia defended her dissertation, Behind the Scenes. Unveiling Service Work in the Events Industry: A Qualitative Study in Milan, which pulls back the curtain on the labor dynamics and personal experiences of those working in the precarious yet vital sector of urban event production.

• Francesca Megna presented Second-Generation Youth in Southern European Labour Markets: A Comparative Study of Italy and Spain, a comparative analysis that highlights how national contexts shape the professional trajectories and integration of children of immigrants.

• Alessandra Pernetti explored the "frontline" of social policy in Working in the Margins: Discretion and Professional Practices in Minimum Income Schemes. The Case of Milan and Strasbourg, offering a cross-border look at how welfare is delivered and negotiated in Milan and Strasbourg.

• Gaetano Scaduto investigated the cognitive side of civic life in Thinking About Politics: An Experimental Inquiry into the Mental Associations between Political and Apolitical Traits and Their Social Consequences in Italy, using experimental methods to map how we categorize political identity.

• Francesca Tampone concluded with Situating Local Journalism: A Mixed Research on Gendered Journalism in News-Production Processes, providing a deep dive into how gender roles and local newsroom cultures interact to shape the information we consume.

These defenses go beyond academic achievement; they reflect the core mission of the ASEP program to produce high-level scholarship that addresses the "ground floor" of social inequality, labor, and political behavior. We congratulate our new doctors on their contribution to the international sociological community.