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TRIO Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program

Eastern Washington University

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Alexandria Coronado

Dr. Lindsey Upton: A Thoughtful, Engaged Mentor Makes a Difference in the Lives of First Generation Scholars

11/05/2021 by Jaeger, Corinne Leave a Comment

EWU McNair Faculty Mentor, Dr. Lindsey Upton, “It was a really rewarding experience to talk through scholars’ ideas and facilitate their first foray into research.” Mentees include Alexandria Coronado and Theresa Lee

EWU McNair Faculty Mentor Spotlight: Dr. Lindsey Upton

 

by Cori Jaeger, EWU McNair Program Academic Advisor

 

When I spoke with Dr. Lindsey Upton about being a McNair faculty mentor, it was no surprise to me that she’d been in touch with EWU McNair alumna Theresa Lee recently. Dr. Upton mentored Theresa for two summers as she researched Prisoner Reentry: College Perceptions of Reentry Barriers in a Northwest Community. As I worked with Theresa over the last two years it was clear that she felt supported by her mentor and saw Dr. Upton as someone she could reach out to anytime.

Dr. Upton is a wonderful McNair mentor. She is very hands on with mentees, as well as supportive, open-minded and dependable. I would have had a much harder time with my McNair research project as well as graduate admission if I didn’t have her. I am grateful to have found such an outstanding mentor and friend.”                                                   – Theresa Lee, EWU McNair Alumna

Theresa was accepted to 5 graduate programs and is currently attending the Bowling Green State University Sociology PhD Program with full funding. She relayed to Dr. Upton that grad school was hard but going well and she was deeply grateful for the preparation she had at EWU, especially through the McNair program and Dr. Upton’s mentorship. In fact, one of her professors at BGSU told her that they were impressed with her level of preparedness.

 

Dr. Upton also mentored Alexandria Coronado who was accepted to three graduate programs and is currently attending the University of Alabama’s Political Science PhD Program with full funding. Clearly Dr. Upton’s mentorship has had a powerful impact on both of these students and made a significant contribution to their competitiveness as PhD applicants. She is passionate about teaching research and service. When asked about what her experience as a mentor was like, she said,

It was a really rewarding experience to talk through scholar’s ideas once a week and facilitate their first foray into research.” - Dr. Lindsey Upton

McNair faculty mentors formally take on their mentorship in the spring supporting students as they hone in on their research topic and methodology. Then, they meet regularly with them throughout the summer as the students conduct this research and work on a high-level research paper they can submit as an example of writing for graduate school applications. The depth and rigor of this research is what helped Theresa be so well prepared.

EWU McNair Scholar Theresa Lee presents her research poster with Mentor Dr. Lindsey Upton at the American Society for Criminology Conference in 2019.
EWU McNair Scholar Theresa Lee presents her research poster with Mentor Dr. Lindsey Upton at the American Society for Criminology Conference in 2019.

Dr. Upton’s favorite memory of mentoring was going to the American Society of Criminology Conference with Theresa. She remembered her own first experience at a conference and how she caught the bug for research there. It was incredibly rewarding to see her scholar have that same experience and excitement as a first-generation college student. While McNair encourages and pays for students to attend conferences, not all students and mentors take up this opportunity. Fortunately, Dr. Upton helped Theresa know about and participate in this conference.

EWU McNair Scholar Theresa Lee and her mentor Dr. Lindsey Upton take a walking tour of San Francisco on their trip to the American Society of Criminology Conference.
EWU McNair Scholar Theresa Lee and her mentor Dr. Lindsey Upton take a walking tour of San Francisco on their trip to the American Society of Criminology Conference.

Theresa agreed that it was momentous:

The time I spent at the American Society of Criminology (ASC) conference was incredible! I attended multiple university socials and was able to converse with professors and graduate students about life at their university and research opportunities. It was interesting and helpful for me to see how professionals in the field conduct, investigate, and present their research. All in all, this experience was life changing and unbelievably enjoyable.”                    – EWU McNair Alumna Theresa Lee

Dr. Upton recognizes that mentoring is a commitment, but she said it was a reasonable one and the benefits are high. She indicated your main role as a mentor is to facilitate the experience. You spend about one hour a week with scholars most weeks and then a few times more than that, such as to help with a particular part of data analysis that an undergrad might not know how to do yet. Further, she noted that McNair really works to prepare students for research, academic writing, and graduate level engagement and skills. Students came to her with questions and information and took an active role in their research. McNair also provides funds for students to travel to conferences and to purchase research supplies.

McNair does a really excellent job on guiding the students through research. Students would bring such amazing questions to their meetings, questions that got deeper and deeper, and this really prepares them for the research and for graduate school. It really is a great partnership between faculty and McNair. Students would constantly reflect back and what a positive experience they were having with McNair.”                                   – Dr. Lindsey Upton

Theresa Lee Graduate School Acceptances 2021 SC
Alexandria Coronado Graduate School Acceptances 2021 TX
Theresa Lee Graduate School Acceptances 2021 01 (1)
Alexandria Coronado Graduate School Acceptances 2021 AL

McNair is grateful to Dr. Upton and all of our McNair faculty mentors. Without them, the program couldn’t run. They provide critical support and guidance for students as they grow their research skills. Moreover, it’s this research experience that allows many of our McNair Scholars to go straight from their undergraduate degree to a PhD program. In addition, McNair mentors often are able to find the perfect students for the program. As soon as I reached out to Dr. Upton about recruiting a new cohort of scholars she immediately said she had a few students she would encourage to participate as well as invited us to provide a promotional video and flyer she could share in her current online course. This kind of engagement is why the EWU McNair program remains strong regardless of the pandemic. This last year, even with scholars being 100% virtual for their McNair experience, we had 13 scholars apply to graduate school who collectively received 36 acceptances, many of which included funding.

 

This year, EWU McNair is recruiting for as many as 19 new scholars. If you are a student and you’re interested in graduate school, please complete our eligibility questionnaire or just stop in Monroe 107 and say hello! If you are faculty and would like to get involved, please nominate a student and send them our way, or email us. The success of McNair, reflected by our 41 (and growing!) scholars who’ve already attained their PhD’s, really does take a partnership between faculty, McNair, and the scholars themselves.

Filed Under: 2018-2019 Cohort, 2019-2020 Cohort, 2020 Summer McNair Research Internships, 2020-21 Grad School Acceptances, Acceptances/Awards, Alexandria Coronado, Alumni, Political Science, Sociology, Sociology and Criminal Justice, Theresa Lee Tagged With: Alexandria Coronado, Criminology, Dr. Lindsey Upton, EWU Alum, EWU McNair Faculty Mentor, EWU McNair Program, EWU McNair Scholar, EWU Summer Research Internship, Political Science, Sociology, Theresa Lee

12 EWU McNair Scholars Present at EWU Virtual Symposium

10/27/2021 by Liina Koivula Leave a Comment

12 McNair Scholars Present at  EWU’s 2021 CSTEM and McNair Spring Research SymposiumIn June 2021, EWU held the CSTEM and McNair Spring Research Symposium. This online event offered a chance for McNair scholars to present their research, as well as attend the Social Justice in Research Panel of EWU McNair alumni now working in academics and education. 

The mission of the federally-funded TRiO Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program at EWU is to increase diversity in academia by supporting first-generation and low-income and/or racially under-represented students in higher education who want to go on to earn a PhD. 

When scholars from diverse backgrounds become leaders in their fields, they bring forth exciting and relevant research questions. They grow to be role-models, increasing both representation and opportunities for future students. The 12 McNair current and former scholars who presented at the symposium reflect the many different areas of study where our scholars are gaining expertise. Breakout rooms focused on topics including Prairie Restoration, Social Sciences and Humanities, Fisheries and Water Science, Material Science, Regional Ecology, Microbiome, Disease Ecology and COVID, and Computation and Modeling. Presenters included:

Seth McCullough Effect of Biochar Additions in Palouse Prairie Restoration on Several Soil Perimeters 

Rachael Pentico Plant Soil Feedbacks Vary with Aspect in Palouse Prairie Remnants 

Alexis Lisandro Guizar-Diaz Indentured Servitude in the 21st Century? A Case Study on Agricultural Labor Employment 

Theresa Lee Prisoner Reentry: College Perceptions of Reentry Barriers in a Northwest Community 

Alexandria Coronado Impacts of COVID-19 on Food and Housing Student Resources at Universities in State of Washington 

Lizeth Bañuelos Latinx First-Generation Students’ Academic Experience: The Role of Institutional Supports During a Pandemic 

Christina Hudson The Characterization of African Religions 

Mori Williams Nutrient Concentration for Cyanotoxins at Turnbull  & Henry’s Law Constant for Chloroform and Deuterated Chloroform 

Lucy Roussa Freshwater Algae of Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge 

Ashley Destin Size Scaling in the Skull of North American Felids as Adaptations for Prey Acquisition 

Nyibol Thareek Mitochondrial excitability and its ability to support waves of calcium 

Aulane Mpouli Molecular Dynamic Simulation Study of ITPA-ITP Protein-Ligand Complex 

We are consistently impressed with EWU’s McNair scholars and we look forward to experiencing the impact of their work!

Filed Under: 2018-2019 Cohort, 2019-2020 Cohort, 2020-2021 Cohort, 2020-21 Presentations, 2021-22 Presentations, Africana Studies, Alexandria Coronado, Alexis Guizar-Diaz, Alumni, Ashley Destin, Aulane Mpouli, Biology, Chemistry, Christina Hudson, Environmental Science, Lizeth Banuelos, Lucia Roussa, Mori Williams, News, Nyibol Thareek, Rachael Pentico, Research, Scholars, Seth McCullough, Sociology and Criminal Justice, Theresa Lee

EWU McNair Alumna Dra. Christina Torres García Invited to Write for Oxford Research Encyclopedias

06/18/2021 by Jaeger, Corinne Leave a Comment

Congratulations to EWU McNair Alumna and EWU McNair Director Dra. Christina Torres García who was invited to write an article about Chicana feminist epistemology in higher education for Oxford Research Encyclopedias to be included in their Race and Education issue. In addition, Dra. Torres García has been hard at work at research and writing in multiple other areas, including: DACAmented students’ Testimonios about their Educational Journey Against the Backdrop of Racist Nativist Discourse in Washington State, submitted to the Journal Race, Ethnicity, and Education; Being Brown in the time of Trump: The Tactics of Dehumanizing (Im)migrants which is now undergoing peer-review at the University of Arizona press; ongoing co-research with EWU McNair Alumna Dr. Laura Zamudio-Orozco examining how race, gender, and class shape STEM research mentor-mentee relationships; and in coordination with the Pell Institute and the Council for Opportunity in Education, is researching first-generation, low-income students' challenges and obstacles during the COVID-19 and how this affects their college aspirations.

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Chicana feminist epistemology in higher education is an extensive manuscript that suggests democratizing and diversifying the Western Canon of thought in higher education research. Using the work of decolonial philosophers, Dra. Torres García illustrates how Westernized Universities’ epistemological foundations present a form of Eurocentric fundamentalism. She presents an evolution of the contributions of Chicanas from the 19th to the present and describes how their work has been excluded from the Western canon of thought in higher education. She shows how Chicana feminists have constructed their own epistemic foundations, methodologies, and how they are disrupting the boundaries of how knowledge is created. Because the Latinx population is increasing rapidly, giving rise to more Hispanic Serving Institutions around the nation, her research is critical. It ultimately recommends incorporating Chicana feminist epistemologies into educational research.

 

Dra. Torres García's current research with Dr. Zamudio-Orozco examining mentor-mentee relationships stems from gaps in the field.

Mentoring is a widely studied concept presented as a vital component for undergraduate students’ research and their graduate school journeys.  However, little research examines the effectiveness of mentoring experiences from the perspective of first-generation, low-income students.”

They aim to bring students’ testimonios to the forefront to illustrate how they struggle to navigate the intersections of race, class, and gender and how this shapes the power dynamics within the mentor-mentee relationships.

 

Dra. Torres García's research with the Pell Institute and Council for Opportunity in Education to find out the short-term and potential future impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the decisions and life experiences of low-income and first-generation college students uses mixed methods involving national surveys to increase our empathetic understanding of student actions, and outcomes for this student population and higher education. Two of our graduating McNair Scholars, Alexandria Coronado and Lizeth Bañuelos, have also supported this research. Both completed their own McNair research projects during their EWU McNair Summer Research Internship and into the 2020-2021 school year on related topics. Alexandria, with the mentorship of Dr. Lindsey Upton, completed the research paper: Impacts of COVID-19 on Food and Housing Student Resources at Universities in the State of Washington. Lizeth, with the mentorship of Dr. Aryn Ziehnert, completed the research paper: First-Generation Students' Academic Experience: The Role of Institutional Supports during a Pandemic. Both students have been accepted to multiple graduate programs and will attend graduate school starting the fall of 2021!

 

EWU McNair is incredibly proud of all of Dra. Torres García's work. She not only exemplifies outstanding research, but also incorporates a social justice lens in all of her work with an eye to improve higher education and better meet the needs of all students. Like so many of our EWU McNair alumni, Dra. Torres García gives back to her community both in her everyday work and in her research. Recently EWU McNair had the chance to showcase similar approaches by other McNair alumni in our Social Justice in Research Panel. Click here to learn more about EWU McNair’s other alumni accomplishments! Our EWU McNair Scholars continue to show the power of McNair on students, higher education, and changing the world!

 

Congratulations again to Dra. Christina Torres García!

Filed Under: 2019-2020 Cohort, 2020 Summer McNair Research Internships, 2020-21 Publications, Alexandria Coronado, Alumni, Alumni Spotlight, Chicano Studies, EWU McNair PhD's, Lizeth Banuelos, News, Women's and Gender Studies Tagged With: Chicana feminism, Chicana feminist epistemology, Dr. Christina García Torres, Dra. Christina Torres García, epistemology, EWU Alum, EWU McNair Program, EWU McNair Scholar, EWU Summer Research Internship, Oxford Research Encyclopedias

EWU McNair Scholar Alexandria Coronado Awarded Capstone McNair Graduate Council Fellowship

05/11/2021 by Jaeger, Corinne Leave a Comment

Alexandria Coronado McNair Fellowship Award 2021

Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Alexandria Coronado! Alexandria has been selected as a Capstone McNair Graduate Council Fellow in the Graduate School of the University of Alabama, where Alexandria was accepted by the Political Science PhD Program. This prestigious fellowship provides a stipend for Alexandria's 1st, 3rd, and 5th year of graduate school, with her department providing fellowships for the 2nd and 4th year. Alexandria was also accepted by the Political Science Masters Program at Saint Louis University with full funding and Texas A&M's Bush School Masters of Public Service and Administration program. Alexandria has already found a place to stay in Alabama and is excited to start her path towards her doctorate.

 

Alexandria is majoring in Political Science with an emphasis in Pre-Law and minoring in Anthropology. At Eastern, she is involved in the Honors Program as well as the International Affairs Community. Her research interests revolve around the ever-growing economic inequalities in the United States. For her EWU McNair Summer Research Internship, Alexandria did research on the food and housing insecurity of undergraduate college students under the mentorship of Dr. Lindsey Upton. She presented her research proposal for this project at the EWU 2020 Virtual Research Symposium.

The EWU McNair staff are so excited for Alexandria and we know she'll do amazing things at whichever program she decides to attend! Click here to read more about Alexandria or her research.

Filed Under: 2020-21 Awards, 2021-22 Awards, Acceptances/Awards, Alexandria Coronado, Political Science, Research, Scholars Tagged With: Alexandria Coronado, Capstone McNair Graduate Council Fellowship, Dr. Lindsey Upton, EWU McNair Program, EWU McNair Scholar, Fellowship, Political Science, University of Alabama

7 EWU McNair Scholars Participate in Gabriel E. Gallardo Research, Student Leadership, and Advocacy Symposium

04/29/2021 by Jaeger, Corinne Leave a Comment

UW Gabriel E. Gallardo Conference 2021

EWU McNair Scholars Rachael Pentico, Lizeth Bañuelos, and Malachi Chukwu presented last week at the virtual Gabriel E. Gallardo Research, Student Leadership & Advocacy Symposium hosted by the University of Washington. Four other EWU McNair Scholars attended: Alexandria Coronado, Wendolyn Martinez, Christina Hudson, and Aulane Mpouli. This was the first annual Gabriel E. Gallardo Research, Student Leadership & Advocacy Symposium (GEG Symposium) hosted by the University of Washington’s Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity (UW OMA&D). This builds on UW McNair’s 28-year legacy of hosting a Pacific Northwest Undergraduate Research Conference and is intended to honor the legacy of Dr. Gabriel E. Gallardo who passed away last year after a lifetime of service to educational equity, particularly on behalf on TRIO McNair, TRIO-SSS, and CAMP students. This symposium provides an amazing opportunity for undergraduate researchers to meet other scholars and to share their research in a unique, exciting and supportive environment. A huge thank you to EWU McNair Faculty Mentors for encouraging and supporting scholars with their research and presentations! Below are some quotes from our scholars about the value of the experience.

On Attending the Conference:

Attending the conference was such an enriching experience for me. I had the opportunity to meet professors doing work in my area of interest at UW and to make important connections. I would recommend attending conferences to other students because it is an invaluable opportunity to ask questions and do some important networking."

- Christina Hudson, 2021 EWU McNair Scholar

Attending the conference was an insightful and meaningful. I attended: Finding Your Community, Imposter Syndrome, the Student Leadership Panel, Meditation and Stretching, Mental Health in Graduate School, Building Positive Mentoring Relationships, Self-Advocacy and Speaking Up for Yourself, and the Networking Fireside chat with Graduate Students from social sciences. These provided such honesty and great advice to successfully building relationships, your community, and taking care of your mental health."

- Lizeth Bañuelos, 2020 EWU McNair Scholar

On Presenting:

This was the first time that I pre-recorded a poster experience and it was such a great experience. It calmed the nerves I would have had if I presented live. I enjoyed familiarizing myself with this process. Take advantage of these opportunities, they are worth it. The nerves are worth it."

- Lizeth Bañuelos, 2020 EWU McNair Scholar

Check out Our Scholar's Presentations!

EWU McNair Scholar Presentations at the UW Conference:

To watch Lizeth's presentation" First-Generation Latinx Students' Academic Experience: The Role of Institutional Supports During the Pandemic, click here!

 

Click here to see Malachi's poster: Projects of Economic and Social Development in the Global South: The 20th and 21st Century Trends and their Effects.

 

Click here to see Rachael's poster: A Review of Plant Soil Feedbacks and their Importance for Palouse Prairie Restoration and Management.

 

EWU McNair Encourages Scholar Presentations at Conferences

 

EWU McNair encourages all of its scholars to present at conferences such as NCUR to network with those in their field and to build confidence, gain experience, and to strengthen Curriculum Vitae's (CV) for applying to graduate school. In addition to the UW conference, this school year scholars have presented at the Baylor McNair Research Conference, the Murdock College Science Research Conference, and the National Council on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) Conference. Typically most EWU McNair Scholars also present at the EWU Symposium. Last year we may have set a record with 18 scholars presenting last spring!

 

This year, to ensure our scholars have this opportunity, EWU McNair is partnering with CSTEM at EWU to host a symposium on June 2nd. The symposium will begin with a Social Justice in Research Panel with EWU McNair Alumni at 9 am. Click here to register for the event for free!

Green back drop (lime to jade), with title of article, names of scholars and an image of each

EWU McNair Scholars Lucia Roussa and Mori Williams Present at NCUR

By Jaeger, Corinne | 04/27/2021
Murdock College Science Research Conference 2020

EWU McNair Scholars Present at Murdock College Science Research Conference 2020

By Jaeger, Corinne | 01/27/2021
Nine EWU McNair Scholars Present at Baylor McNair Research Conference

Nine EWU McNair Scholars Present at Baylor McNair Research Conference

By Jaeger, Corinne | 10/09/2020
18 Scholars Present at 2020 Symposium

18 EWU McNair Scholars Present at EWU Virtual Symposium

By Jaeger, Corinne | 06/10/2020
Darlene Gilroy Murdock 2.jpeg

Darlene Gilroy, EWU McNair Scholar and Environmental Geology major, attends prestigious Murdock College Science Research Conference in Vancouver, WA

By Patolo, Najeda | 11/14/2019
Rosa_Baylor

McNair Scholar, Rosa Espinosa Zuniga, presents at Baylor University in Texas

By Patolo, Najeda | 10/09/2019
Abdu Mohammed Visiting Congressional Reps

Abdulrazik Mohammed Travels to DC to Attend the 7th Annual International Symposium on Women and Genocide in the 21st Century: The Case of Darfur

By jlittleton1 | 12/04/2018

 

The EWU McNair staff are proud of all of our scholars for the hard work they've put into their research and sharing that research with the broader community.

Filed Under: 2018-2019 Cohort, 2019-2020 Cohort, 2020-2021 Cohort, 2020-21 Presentations, Africana Studies, Alexandria Coronado, Aulane Mpouli, Biology, Chemistry, Christina Hudson, English, Environmental Science, International Affairs, Lizeth Banuelos, Malachi Chukwu, Political Science, Psychology, Rachael Pentico, Research, Scholars, Wendolyn Martinez Tagged With: Africana Studies, Biology, Chemistry, Conference Presentation, Dr. Aryn Ziehnert, Dr. Dorothy Zeisler-Vralsted, Dr. Lindsey Upton, Dr. Majid Sharifi, Dr. Okera Nsombi, Dr. Rebecca Brown, Dr. Yao Houndonougbo, English, Environmental Science, EWU McNair Program, EWU McNair Scholar, International Affairs, Palouse Prairie, Political Science, Presentations, Psychology, Research, Summer Research Internships, Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge

EWU McNair Scholar Alexandria Coronado Accepted by Fourth Graduate Program

04/09/2021 by Jaeger, Corinne Leave a Comment

Alexandria Coronado Graduate School Acceptances 2021 CL

Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Alexandria Coronado! Alexandria has been accepted by the the Masters in Public Policy program at Claremont Graduate University. Alexandria has also been accepted by the Political Science Masters Program at Saint Louis University with full funding, the Political Science PhD program at the University of Alabama with full funding, and by Texas A&M Bush School Masters of Public Service and Administration Program. Alexandria is majoring in Political Science with an emphasis in Pre-Law and minoring in Anthropology. At Eastern, she is involved in the Honors Program as well as the International Affairs Community.

Alexandria's research interests revolve around the ever-growing economic inequalities in the United States. For her EWU McNair Summer Research Internship, Alexandria did research on the food and housing insecurity of undergraduate college students under the mentorship of Dr. Lindsey Upton. She presented her research proposal for this project at the EWU 2020 Virtual Research Symposium.

The EWU McNair staff are so excited for Alexandria and we know she'll do amazing things at whichever program she decides to attend! Click here to read more about Alexandria or her research.

Filed Under: 2020-21 Grad School Acceptances, Acceptances/Awards, Alexandria Coronado, Political Science, Research, Scholars Tagged With: Acceptances, Alexandria Coronado, Claremont Graduate University, Dr. Lindsey Upton, EWU McNair Program, EWU McNair Scholar, Political Science

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