Alumni Spotlight

EWU McNair Scholar Rachel Silverthorn Published in American Journal of Criminal Justice

04/07/2022 by Liina Koivula Leave a Comment

EWU McNair Scholar Rachel Silverthorn graduated from Eastern Washington University in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She went on to attend Florida International University’s PhD program in Criminal Justice, with full funding. This spring, she will complete her Masters degree in Criminal Justice, and continue through the program for her PhD. She is on schedule to begin writing her dissertation in summer 2023.

In March 2022, a paper Rachel co-wrote with her faculty, Revisiting the Association Between Attachment to Parents and Adolescent Substance Use: Conditional Effects of Parental Disapproval, was published by the American Journal of Criminal Justice. Additionally, in her position as a research assistant, she is currently involved in 4 ongoing projects, 3 of which will be submitted for publication in the next year.

During her time as a McNair Scholar, Rachel was mentored by Dr. Kayleen Islam-Zwart on her Summer Research project The Effects of Pregnancy on Jury Perceptions. Rachel also presented research at EWU’s 2020 Virtual Symposium on Gender differences in confidence in jury decision making. Her goal is to become a professor and continue research within the criminal justice system so she can impact policy in order to reduce bias and increase equitable treatment.

Congratulations, Rachel, on your academic achievements and publication!

EWU McNair Alumna Lizeth Bañuelos Presents to Scholars

10/26/2021 by Liina Koivula Leave a Comment

EWU McNair Alumna Lizeth Bañuelos presented her research and experience in the McNair program at McNair’s Graduate Application Process Course via Zoom. Lizeth is currently attending Arizona State University’s Master of Counseling (MC) program. Lizeth generously shared her experiences applying to grad school and offered advice to our scholars.

Lizeth was able to take advantage of opportunities to attend conferences as a part of the McNair program. She said that knowing that her McNair cohort, and the wider McNair community, were in the “room” (during online/virtual presentations) gave her a confidence boost during her presentation. Lizeth has shared her research and her experiences in the EWU CSTEM & McNair Spring Research Symposium , The Gabriel E. Gallardo Research, Student Leadership & Advocacy Symposium , The Council for Opportunity in Education Annual Conference , A Spotlight on Students Who Remain Eagle Strong , and conducted a Virtual Visit for Columbia Basin College’s Upward Bound featuring EWU’s Chicana/o/x Studies department. Lizeth found conferences, even online/virtual ones, to be a valuable way to present the research she was passionate about while networking with other academics who share her interests.

Lizeth encouraged the current McNair cohort to take good care of themselves during the graduate school application process. Prioritizing health and rest make a big impact on how successfully your mind functions and allows you to present your best self in writing, paperwork, and in interviews. She also offered the gentle reminder to put yourself first during this phase of your academic life. This is a crucial time to prepare for your future!

When choosing schools to apply to, Lizeth recommended beginning by reflecting on your most meaningful life experiences. These can serve as the basis for the personal statement you will write for your applications. She suggested looking for schools with faculty whose studies and research specialties relate to your own goals, rather than selecting schools for their rankings or status. She reminded scholars to watch carefully for each school’s deadlines and prepare applications accordingly, by making a plan for what areas to tackle week by week.

After your applications are in and you’re anxiously waiting a response, remember to be proud of what you have accomplished! Be patient and stay occupied. Take the time to research funding and apply for scholarships and assistantship positions for each program. Without the added stress of wondering how your funding is going to work out, you can just celebrate your acceptances when they start flowing in!

For programs with acceptance contingent on an interview, Lizeth offered advice. She let the class know that interviews might last a whole day, with both group and individual sessions. She recommended studying the program in depth prior to the interview, in order to have background on the faculty you’ll be meeting, and to be certain that the school’s and program’s values align with your own. During your interview, make yourself memorable! Ask questions about specific faculty research, ask about support systems, funding opportunities, upcoming research projects and conferences. Show faculty how invested you are by making it clear that you want to know as much as you can. Show up well-rested and looking professional. If your interview is via Zoom, use a neutral background. Make sure your mind is in it and you’re showing up like you want to be there!

Lizeth added an anecdote about her first day of class. A professor asked the students how many of them were first generation graduate students, but only a few raised their hands. Lizeth was struck by this class divide, as opposed to her experience in McNair where almost everyone in her cohort was the first in their family to work towards a degree. This made Lizeth even more proud that she made it this far! She always keeps in mind that she is working towards a future where she can provide the resources she wishes she had growing up, becoming the difference in her community.

Thank you Lizeth for coming back and offering your perspective to this year’s McNair Scholars cohort! We’re so impressed by your achievements!

The Ongoing Legacy of EWU McNair Director Doctora Christina Torres García

08/12/2021 by Jaeger, Corinne Leave a Comment

After 12 years of dedicated service as EWU’s McNair Director Doctora (Dra.) Christina Torres García has been selected by Central Washington University (CWU) through a national search process to be the Assistant Professor in the Communications Department and Director of their Latino & Latin American Studies Program (LLAS) called El Centro Latinx. Dra. Torres García has been a leader at EWU, regionally, and nationally serving low-income first-generation and underrepresented students. Her dedication went beyond just McNair Scholars to strengthening support across the university for all students at EWU, so it’s no surprise to anyone who has worked with her that Central chose her to join their faculty and staff.

Dra. Torres García spent her childhood in Mexico and migrated to the US as a teen, following her farm-working parents to Washington State. In 1999, she became an EWU McNair Scholar herself. Named for Dr. Ronald E. McNair, the second African American to fly in space and who passed in the ill-fated U.S. Challenger space shuttle, the TRIO McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program selects first-generation and low-income college students, and/or those from groups underrepresented at the doctoral level, to introduce them to academic research and provide them with effective strategies for getting into and graduating from PhD programs.

EWU McNair Alumna Dra. Christina Torres Garcia was the Clear Choice for McNair Director

Dr. Margaret O’Connell, Biology Professor and McNair board committee member since the first EWU McNair grant was funded in 1996, remembers, “I first ‘met’ Christina when I read her application to a very early EWU McNair cohort, and I remember the committee’s immediate vote to accept her. Our assessment was confirmed as she delved into her McNair undergraduate research and went on to earn her PhD.” Dra. Torres García first earned her MBA and then a PhD in Cultural Studies and Social Thought in Education at WSU, making her uniquely qualified to lead Eastern’s McNair program. Dr. O’Connell confirmed this as she reflected on her experience with the McNair program:

It has been a profound honor and a tremendous delight to have been associated with EWU’s McNair Scholars Program since its inception. I serve on the program’s selection committee and have read the application of every McNair Scholar. I have mentored McNair Scholars, I served on the search committee for Program Director when the former director retired, and I have been a steadfast cheerleader for the program – recruiting students, writing letters of support for grant applications, and celebrating the perfect scores received on those grant applications. In all these activities, I have worked closely with Dr. Christina Torres García. Christina’s strong sense of giving back to community led her to apply to be the Director of the McNair Program and, again, her selection was a clear choice" - Dr. Margaret O'Connell

Dr. Margaret O'Connell

Dra. Torres García has not only recruited and supported well over 100 EWU McNair Scholars, including nearly half of the 41 EWU McNair Scholars who have attained their PhD so far, but she’s always going above and beyond for students within and outside of the program. At the beginning of COVID, she provided potatoes and onions to students in need. As the pandemic continued, she saw the structural obstacles that students from underserved populations had to navigate during their graduate application process and the inequities in taking the GRE at home, such as students having little to no access to quiet and private space for testing. In response, she assisted in securing the temporary waiver of standardized graduate testing requirements at Eastern. And these are just a few recent examples!

Left to Right: McNair alum Isaura Gallegos: MS in Genetics and Cell Biology at WSU, current PhD student in Education and Human Learning and Development at Harvard; McNair alum Deseure Deberry: MA in Justice Studies, Arizona State University; McNair alum Dr. Charise Deberry, MA in Sociology at WSU, PhD in Cultural Studies and Social Thought in Education, WSU, currently University of Minnesota Morris McNair Assistant Director; McNair alum Dr. Maria Morales: PhD in Cultural Studies and Social Thought in Education from WSU, current faculty at the Evergreen State College; Dra. Christina Torres García; Maria Reyna, TRIO Student Support Services alum, Master’s in Social Work from EWU, currently Director New Student Transitions & Family Programs at EWU.

A Powerful Collaborator and Student Advocate

Throughout her time at EWU, Dra. Torres García built strong relationships with faculty research mentors from all colleges and collaborated in enacting the best mentoring approaches. She worked with Deans, the Provost, and the President to arrange McNair faculty mentor’s summer compensation, summer credits for McNair Scholars, and free transcripts. She has also worked closely with the Writer’s Center, Plus, the Library, the Digital Commons, Records and Registration and a multitude of other student support programs on campus. Additionally, she’s provided resources and helped create community with students in the Multicultural Center and the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP).

During her tenure as McNair Director, Dra. Torres García wrote two competitive federally funded grants in collaboration with Cynthia Dukich, which received maximum scores in both competitions (2012, 2017). This was especially notable given that in 2012 nearly 25% of McNair programs lost funding. Dra. Torres García credits her success with grant writing and program development to, “the healthy partnerships and mentoring I have cultivated with McNair and TRIO directors across the nation including the Washington State TRIO Association (WSTA), the Northwest Association of Educational Opportunity Programs (NAEOP), and the Council for Opportunity in Education’s (COE).” All of this has culminated in Dra. Torres García leading one of the most successful McNair programs in the region.

My leadership style is influenced by Indigenous philosophy; I consider myself a servant leader grounded in a holistic and humanistic approach. I focus on supporting and collaborating with others, contributing in insightful ways for the betterment of students and colleagues in my unit, university, and beyond.” - Dra. Torres García

Doctora Christina Torres García with families of EWU McNair Scholars at the 2019 Spring Gathering.

Following this philosophy, Dra. Torres García has contributed to Eastern in a multitude of other ways. While teaching Chicana/o Studies in 2011, she modernized a minor that had not been revised since the 2000s by cross-listing courses with Communication and Gender, Women’s & Sexuality Studies. In 2018, she co-chair and organized an all-day event featuring panel and round table discussions focused on best practices in serving students of color by faculty, community leaders, administrators, and other professionals across the state. This event, EWU Inaugural Cinco de Mayo Latino Forum, was a great success and led her to pursue research and writing on how we can restructure the educational system to become more just, equitable, and inclusive as colleges and universities move towards becoming Hispanic Serving Institutions. In addition, she collaborated with the Honors Program to assess and restructure their course curricula to incorporate civic responsibility and social justice elements and developed a Research Methods course centered on Social Justice. Dr. O’Connell brilliantly summarized Dra. Torres García’s success and powerful impact at Eastern:

As Director of the McNair Scholars Program, Christina has skillfully balanced the individual needs of each student with the overarching goals and requirements of the McNair Program. She can challenge students out of their comfort zone but is always there to support. One important component of that support is communication. Christina has been conscientious about fostering clear communication between the McNair Scholars, their mentors, and the McNair Office. She celebrates the success of current and former McNair Scholars with sincere joy and communicates this joy to the university community. A Ronald E. McNair quote is ‘before you can make a dream come true, you must first have one.’ Christina had a dream for herself and has helped so many EWU students find theirs.” - Dr. Margaret O'Connell

Dra Torres Garcia celebrating the 2018 EWU graduation of McNair scholar Felix Beltran, who is currently completing his dissertation for his PhD in Political Science from Purdue.

Dra. Torres García celebrating the 2018 EWU graduation of McNair scholar Felix Beltran, who is currently completing his dissertation for his PhD in Political Science from Purdue.

A Respected Leader, Locally, Regionally, and Nationally

Outside Eastern, Dra Torres García has also contributed to regional and national work for low-income, first-generation and underrepresented students. As a TRIO peer-reviewer for the (NAEOP), an organization that trains members to simulate a U.S. Department of Education audit for federal funding programs, Dra. Torres García evaluated the student learning objectives, identified areas of improvement, and documented evidence of project services on TRIO Educational Opportunity Center (EOC), Student Support Services (SSS), SSS-STEM, and McNair. Through this position, she has created strong relations among TRIO directors across Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska.

Furthermore, she served a three-year term as the WSTA president and had the opportunity to work with approximately 200 outstanding TRIO directors and staff across the state. She has also worked closely with the COE while advocating for Veteran, Undocumented, DACAmented, and TRIO students by educating Senators, State representatives, and other members of Congress on nationwide initiatives for more than ten years.

Ongoing Academic Research in Equity, Chicana Feminist Epistemology, and Higher Education

As if all of this wasn’t enough, Dra. Torres García has also continued research and writing throughout her work. Recently, the Oxford Research Encyclopedias invited her to write an article about “Chicana Feminist Epistemology in Higher Education” to be included in their Race and Education issue. She has also written “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, and “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.

She is also conducting ongoing research with EWU McNair Alumna, Assistant Professor of Mathematics and McNair coordinator at Heritage University, Dr. Laura Zamudio-Orozco, examining how race, gender, and class shape STEM research mentor-mentee relationships. Moreover, in coordination with the Pell Institute and the Council for Opportunity in Education, Dra. Torres García is guiding a state-wide research study on first-generation, low-income students' challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic and how this affects their college aspirations.

A Force for Positive Change Who Will Be Greatly Missed

Needless to say, losing Dra. Torres García from the Eastern community will be significant. She will be particularly missed by EWU McNair students and staff. Maria Reyna, current Director of New Student Transitions and Family Programming at Eastern remembers how proud she felt to see Christina dancing and teaching ballet folklorico to EWU students. Seeing traditional Mexican folk dancing showcased on a college campus made Maria feel like she belonged. About this first connection, Maria states, “Meeting Christina as a fellow student formed the basis of a friendship and professional relationship that has lasted to this day. I know the dedication she has given to our students will continue at Central, and she will be greatly missed.” Central students, faculty, and the institution itself will be incredibly lucky to have her join them.

The McNair Program will stay in good hands with Cynthia Dukich becoming the Interim Director as of September 1st. Cynthia, current Assistant Director of McNair, says of her work with Dra. Torres Garcia over the last 12 years:

Maria Reyna, Director of New Student Transitions & Family Programs

Maria Reyna, TRIO Student Support Services alum, Master’s in Social Work from EWU, currently Director New Student Transitions & Family Programs at EWU.

McNair Assistant Director Cynthia Dukich and Outgoing McNair Director Dra. Christina Torres García

Good friends Cynthia Dukich, McNair Assistant Director and incoming Interim Director of McNair; and Dra. Christina Torres Garcia, Outgoing McNair Director

It is one of the great privileges in my life to have worked with Christina as a colleague and a friend for all these years. I have learned so much from her, as I have watched her determined pursuit of excellence, commitment to growth, and collaborative approach to everything she does. Although I am very excited for her opportunity to apply her talents, knowledge and compassion to supporting student success as faculty and LLAS program director at Central, I know I speak for many at EWU when I say I am very sad she is leaving and that I will miss her very much.” - Cynthia Dukich, McNair Assistant Director

Even though it is hard to see her go, as always, Dra. Torres García can be counted on to be supportive to any who reach out to her, even from afar. And, there is no doubt she will continue to be a force for positive change in the region and beyond.

Dra. Christina Torres Garcia with McNair Certificates for McNair Scholars and Graduates at the 2019 Spring Gathering.

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.

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!

Join us for the EWU McNair Alumni Social Justice in Research Panel

05/28/2021 by Jaeger, Corinne Leave a Comment

Social Justice in Research with EWU McNair Alumni. Join us to hear these panelists June 2nd, 9 am.

McNair is a federally funded TRIO program intended to diversify academia by providing support to low income and first-generation students and/or students racially underrepresented in higher education on their path towards attaining a PhD. To date 41 EWU McNair alumni have gone on to earn their PhD and many are currently in graduate school getting closer to that goal. Our scholars are doing incredible work in their communities, both in school and once they've earned their degree. They are also making powerful change in academia. One piece of this is rethinking and implementing research practices that are more liberatory and whose aim is to create a more just world.

We are honored to have EWU McNair Alumni Dr. Laura Zamudio-Orozco, Dr. Frank C. King Jr., Dr. Yvonne Sherwood, and Dr. S. Omar Jobe join us for a panel on "Social Justice in Research" facilitated by EWU McNair Directora Dra. Christina Torres Garcia. This year EWU McNair and CSTEM collaborated to host a research symposium to ensure undergraduate students had the opportunity to present their research. This panel will be the plenary session kicking off the symposium at 9 am on June 2nd.

Click here to register for the free "Social Justice in Research" panel on June 2nd at 9 am!

The panelists have a wide range of research, including Afrocentric philosophy, Indigenous Feminism, Mathematics education, and medical devices. We were fortunate enough to talk with panelists in advance of the session where they shared some of their insights on the topic. EWU McNair Alumna Dr. Zamudio-Orozco, who earned her PhD in Mathematics Education and is now an Assistant Professor and the McNair Program Director at Heritage University, says, "I see research as a tool to work with our multiple communities to highlight social injustices and issues that we are facing and also to highlight the strength and knowledge in our communities."

Dr. Jobe, Senior Manager in Medical Science Liaison at Edwards Lifesciences, relates what social justice looks like in his field of medical research. "Far too often, gross inequities mean that some groups succumb to disease and death disproportionately, while others’ advantages protect them, due to disparities in health care provision, political persecution, social strife, racial discrimination, and a plethora of other factors. My company makes medical devices for structural heart diseases and social justice in that sense means I have to do everything in my power to make sure our research and clinical trials represent the make up of the country and our devices are accessible and affordable to all."

In addition, panelists were asked about how to be a good mentor and how to take the most advantage of research as a student. Dr. King, Executive Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and a Program Coordinator for Ethnic Studies, advises "Remember that it is the student's project. We have to find a way to help the student find their voice. We can challenge them. We can maybe even say how difficult or impossible the topic will be. But we have to let them find their way."

Dr. Sherwood, Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, Mississauga, shares this insight for students involved in research: "Read: Critical Mentoring: A Practical Guide by Torie Weiston-Serdan. Find strength in knowing you (and your community) are not the deficit despite that much of the dominant narrative places us (marginalized and racialized communities) as needing to be "saved" by schooling and mentorship. You are our strength. Trust yourself and trust your network."

To hear more from these outstanding and insightful panelists, join us for the panel and click on their name above to read the full pre-panel interview with each candidate. You can register for free to attend this amazing discussion.

Click here to register for the free "Social Justice in Research" panel on June 2nd at 9 am!

Meet Social Justice in Research Panelist – EWU McNair Alumna Dr. Laura Zamudio-Orozco

05/14/2021 by Jaeger, Corinne Leave a Comment

Dr. Laura Zumidio-Orozco Social Justice Panel 2021

We are honored to have EWU McNair Alumna Dr. Laura Zamudio-Orozco, PhD, Assistant Professor of Mathematics and McNair Program Coordinator at Heritage University, joining us for our "Social Justice in Research" Plenary Session on June 2, at 9 am (register for free here). Dr. Zamudio-Orozco will join 3 other EWU McNair alumni in this panel preceding the EWU Online Symposium, a collaboration between McNair and CSTEM. She earned her PhD in Mathematics Education from Florida International University in the fall of 2019 and worked as an student advisor for EWU McNair in Winter and Spring 2020. Below is an interview with Dr. Zamudio-Orozco about what she's doing now and some of her thoughts on social justice and research.

Our Interview with Dr. Laura Zamudio-Orozco:

What does “Social Justice in Research” mean to you?

For me, social justice in research means that I can bring my experiences as a first-generation Latina and those of my community to investigate unjust issues we have faced and continue to face in education. For so long, I questioned the tracking of students in K-12 education and why so many of my friends were placed in different tracks, which led them to believe they could not succeed in certain classes and often limited their choices after high school. I also questioned why so many students felt disconnected from certain disciplines, especially mathematics, and how that disconnect was part of the teaching and learning practices employed by teachers. My research now is centered on bringing answers to these questions by creating and adopting new pedagogy in the field of mathematics; a pedagogy that attends to student access, achievement, identity, and issues of power that are necessary to empower students to use mathematics as a tool to investigate, understand, and respond to social justice issues in our communities.

What do you see as the purpose of academic research in this current moment?

This is a hard question because I think back to my understanding of academic research before graduate school, and it was difficult for me to connect theory to my lived experiences. With that being said, in this current moment, I see research as a tool to work with our multiple communities to highlight social injustices and issues that we are facing and also to highlight the strength and knowledge in our communities. This can take many forms; I think back to a recent conversation with a Heritage University McNair Scholar as we questioned the chemical makeup of pesticides invading our communities and how it affects the lives of farmworkers who spend innumerable hours working in the orchards. Now the question becomes, how do we take action as academic researchers to share this information with our communities and to work together to bring solutions to such problems? First, we must do our part to be in proximity to our communities to inform the research questions we ask, the methodologies we utilize, how we analyze data, and most importantly (I think) how we communicate the results to our communities as a means of developing solutions together.

How did your undergraduate research experience prepare you for the next steps you have taken?

Sometimes I sit in disbelief when I reflect on my graduate school experience and see my diploma because I did not fully understand what graduate school was until I became a McNair Scholar at the end of my sophomore year. I remember sitting in the car with one of my closest friends, Jereny, and talking about wanting to implement pedagogy that reflected students’ lived experiences in the field of mathematics because I was not seeing it my classes at the time. She asked, “Have you ever considered doing a small research study on this pedagogy you talk about and going to graduate school?” The next day I was in a meeting with Dr. Christina Torres García, McNair Director at EWU, and I walked out ready to apply to the McNair Scholars Program. The following summer, I led my own research with the support of mathematics faculty and my McNair family. Working with students at the Martin Luther King Jr. Outreach Center and creating and solving fractions problems was such a beautiful experience. We all felt connected to the teaching and we were having long mathematical discussions about sharing items equally and how that would look based on our individual experiences. Through this experience, I was able to think back to my own K-12 education and reflected on how much more engaged I would have been if I had teachers who used my experiences and identities to enrich the field of mathematics. My reflection then led into my journey as a full-time graduate student; it shaped the research questions I was posing, the methods for my data collection, analysis, and it made my think creatively about how I was going to distribute the knowledge I was gaining in my communities.

What advice would you give to an undergraduate researcher?

Let your experiences and those of your communities drive your questions, methods, and how you distribute your findings.

Talk to others about your experiences with your research mentors. This can be a great strategy to break down what you enjoy about the mentoring relationship and to get support from outside mentors if you are experiencing an unhealthy mentoring relationship. Always advocate for yourself and find mentors who will join you in that journey because it is something that we can always improve as we navigate new spaces.

Take advantage of the opportunities presented by mentors at EWU. This is something I wish I would have taken more advantage of as an undergraduate. This does not mean that you have to take all the opportunities because I want you to take care of your overall health, but I do think it is important to listen to those who are advocating for you and listen to their advice when they present you with new opportunities that support your goals.

What advice would you give to an undergraduate faculty research mentor?

Give students the freedom to share their experiences to enrich the research questions, methods, analyses, and findings when they join a research team and/or when they conduct independent research projects.

Provide students with opportunities to ask about your experiences in academia and be open to sharing your journey knowing that everyone has a unique journey.

Support students by sharing opportunities, cheering for them during their research presentations, asking about their personal health, and by always advocating for them.

Consistently work to understand the power dynamics that exist in your mentor-mentee relationships and strive to reshape that relationship by envisioning students as leaders and knowledgeable research partners. By reshaping our relationships, it allows students to feel more comfortable asking questions and sharing concerns, taking initiative in research projects and conversations, and contributing their experiential knowledge.