SUMMER 2016 VOLUME 17, ISSUE 1 McNair Honors 2015/2016 ...€¦ · McNair Scholars Newsletter...
Transcript of SUMMER 2016 VOLUME 17, ISSUE 1 McNair Honors 2015/2016 ...€¦ · McNair Scholars Newsletter...
May 2016 graduates (L to R): Kevin Acquah, Brandy Ledesma, Catherine Hefner, Ellen Aguilera, Kelsey McCoy, Nicole Young, Ryan North, Collin Hinton, Roger Jennette. Not pictured: Jamea Kidrick and Joi Newberne.
Congratulations to all McNair graduates! At the May graduation dinner, Dr. Katrina McCoy, an alumna from 2004 shared her experience and en-couraged students to pursue their dreams and be truthful to themselves. Dr. Daniel McNeil, Profes-sor of psychology at WVU, advised students to ex-plore the world and make the best of the keys to success provided to them by the McNair Scholars Program.
West Virginia University
McNair Scholars Newsletter
SUMMER 2016 VOLUME 17, ISSUE 1
McNair Honors 2015/2016 Graduates
December 2015 graduates (L to R): Regan
Summers, Candice McLaughlin, Jordan
Drew, Kelsey Flinn, Rebecca Hagedorn.
Graduate school, here we come! Our graduates will begin fall enrollment in these programs:
Scholar Graduate Program
Kevin Acquah Master’s in Industrial Engineering at WVU
Ellen Aguilera Ph.D. in Chemistry at University of Michigan
Rebecca Hagedorn Ph.D. in Animal & Nutritional Sciences at WVU
Catherine Hefner Master’s in Terrorism & Homeland Security Policy at America University
Brandy Ledesma Master’s of Social Work at University of Denver
Roger Jennette Master’s in Geography at WVU
Jamea Kidrick Ph.D. in Animal & Poultry Sciences at Virginia Polytechnic Institute
Kelsey McCoy Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Joi Newberne Master’s in Counseling at WVU
Ryan North Ph.D. in Bioengineering at George Mason University
Regan Summers Master’s in Child Psychology at Duquesne University
Nicole Young Will teach English in Malaysia on the 2016 Fulbright Scholarship
Scholarships and Awards
McNair Commemorates 30th Anniversary of the Challenger To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Challenger tragedy, which occurred on January 28th, 1986, our
McNair Scholars held activities in the student union to honor the seven astronauts who gave the ultimate sac-
rifice for science and education. In attendance was Hampton Cokeley, WV Senator Shelley Moore Capito’s
field office representative, who shed light on the bravery of all seven astronauts and the state’s commitment
to supporting the legacy of Dr. Ronald E. McNair through the McNair Scholars Program.
WVU TRiO Directors and McNair Scholars pictured with
Mr. Hampton Cokeley after the commemorative event
“When I look back, I can say the sacrifice of
these astronauts have paved the way for first
generation and minority students like us to go to
college and not only get an undergraduate de-
gree, but Ph.D. eventually.’’
Kevin Acquah, 2015 Scholar
Seven Challenger astronauts remembered
Courtney McDonald was a 2016 WV
TRiO Scholarship recipient. (upper R)
Brandy Ledesma received a
MEAEOPP Scholarship award. (lower R)
Dr. Cheryl McNeil was presented an Out-
standing Service Award at the May graduation
dinner for her exceptional efforts in mentoring
McNair Scholars since 2007. Her first McNair
mentee, Chelsea Derlan, received her Ph.D. in
Clinical Psychology from Arizona State Uni-
versity in May, 2016.
Dr. Heather Washington,
2005 scholar, was recognized as
an Outstanding alumna at the
WVU Eberly College of Arts
and Sciences Recognition Din-
ner on April 15, 2016.
Proud to announce that two McNair alumnae completed their doctorates in 2015-2016:
L: Jackie Bass (2000) received a Ph.D. in Po-
litical Science from UC Berkeley in Dec.,
2015.
R: Chelsea Der lan (2007) received her Ph.D.
in Clinical Psychology from Arizona State Uni-
versity in May, 2016.
Alumni News
McNair Scholars, Rebecca Hagedorn and Regan Summers, who graduated
in December, 2015, presented their McNair Research at the University of
Delaware McNair Conference in October, 2015. All seven May 2016 grad-
uates also presented at the University of Maryland (UMD) McNair Confer-
ence in March, 2016.
2015-2016 Conferences
The following McNair alumni completed their master’s degrees in the spring semester of 2016:
Solomon Adu (2013) — Mathematics from WVU
Adam Betman (2013) — Public Policy from American University
Brittany Bailey (2013) — Clinical and Health Psychology from University of Florida
Sharrell Barnes (2013) — Communication Science and Disorders from University of Kentucky
Chloe Brown (2012) — Sociology from American University
Jasmine Koech (2012) — Will receive Master’s in Psychology from College of William and Mary in August
Roger Jefferys (2012) — Will receive Master’s in Forensic and Investigative Science from WVU in August
Jessica Latham (2012) — International Services from American University
Milda Mullins (2012) — Journalism from WVU
Michael Powell (2012) — Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University
Sherain Thomas (2012) — Occupational Therapy from WVU
Michelle Watson (2012) — Educational Psychology from WVU
Scholars Elizabeth Janeiro (above) and Kevin
Acquah (below) presenting research
at the UMD conference
McNair Scholar Jamea Kidrick (R)
receiving a certificate upon presenting
her research at the UMD Conference
Rebecca Hagedorn won second
place in the Oral Presentation Compe-
tition at the University of Delaware
McNair Research Conference.
Cultural Activities
Who Qualifies to Become a WVU McNair Scholar?
Highly motivated, disciplined and hard working students who are first-generation college students with demonstrat-
ed financial need OR members of groups that are underrepresented in graduate education as defined by the U.S. De-
partment of Education (African-American, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Pacific Islander, and Native
Hawaiian) and also
Are enrolled in WVU full-time as undergraduate students
Are U.S. citizens or permanent residents
Have cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
When to apply: Eligible students may apply during the fall semester of their sophomore or junior year.
Download application form from http://mcnair.wvu.edu, and submit before January 15.
The WVU McNair Scholars Program coordinates cultural, social and community service events aimed to promote
learning outside of the classroom. In February, McNair staff and scholars joined WVU TRiO Student Support Ser-
vices staff and students on the National Trio Day of Service to create Valentine’s Day cards (See picture below - Cen-
ter) to be distributed to local nursing homes. For cultural activities, scholars tried a variety of food from different cul-
tures at local restaurants, while learning the history and significance of these cultures in our modern society.
WVU McNair Scholars Program 600013100006
305 Student Services Center
PO Box 6212
Morgantown, WV 26506-6212
Dr. Betty Mei, Program Director ([email protected]), Hellen Nditsi, Program Coordinator ([email protected]), Charles
Mawusi, Graduate Assistant ([email protected]). Office Address: WVU McNair Scholars Program, 305 Student Services Center ,
PO Box 6212, Morgantown, WV 26506-6212 Phone: (304) 293-4316 Fax: (304) 293-4365 Website: http://mcnair .wvu.edu