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TRIO Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program

Eastern Washington University

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Events

EWU McNair Scholar Christina Hudson: ASEWU Diversity Representative

04/07/2022 by Liina Koivula Leave a Comment

EWU McNair Scholar Christina Hudson: ASEWU Diversity Outreach RepresentativeEWU McNair Scholar Christina Hudson is serving as the Associated Students of EWU Diversity Outreach Representative for the 2021-2022 academic year. In this position, Christina helps to create a culture of inclusivity and community at EWU. Based on her work in this role, her outstanding academic record, and her regular contributions to organizations such as BlackPast.org, Christina was asked to participate in building a curriculum for next year’s required staff trainings in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Senate Bill 5227 aims to eliminate structural racism and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion by conducting training sessions and evaluations in Washington’s 40 public colleges and universities, beginning in the 2022-2023 school year.

In addition to this important work, Christina was invited to be a featured speaker at the EWU Diversity and Inclusion Week Event Speed Relating. At this event, fueled by free Thomas Hammer coffee, students, faculty, and staff can connect and have open conversations with a variety of individuals representing diverse identities, professions, and/or interests. Christina introduces herself in this statement from the Speed Relating Speakers Directory:

I am an AfroMexicana first-generation student and McNair scholar, double majoring in English studies and Africana studies, and minoring in religious studies. My academic journey has been very nontraditional. I grew up between Barrio Logan in San Diego, CA, and west side Long Beach, CA. I had my first job at fourteen years old and, because I had to live on my own and work support myself from fifteen years old, I dropped out of high school at the beginning of ninth grade. I began college many years later with neither a high school diploma nor a GED. After graduating with two bachelor’s degrees this spring, I will begin my PhD studies in Africology and African American studies at Temple University.

Christina completed her McNair Summer Research Internship project, The Characterization of African Religions, mentored by Dr. Okera Nsombi.

To hear more about Christina’s experiences in higher education, Africana studies, and the McNair Scholars Program, connect with her over free coffee at the Speed Relating event on Wednesday, April 20, 11am to 1pm, in the JFK Library Lobby.

Filed Under: 2020-2021 Cohort, 2021-22 Presentations, Africana Studies, Christina Hudson, English, Events, News, Scholars Tagged With: Africana Studies, ASEWU, Diversity Equity and Inclusion, Dr. Okera Nsombi, English, EWU McNair Program, EWU McNair Scholar, EWU Summer Research Internship, Mentor, Religious Studies, Temple University

EWU McNair Orientation: Honors Program

10/27/2021 by Liina Koivula Leave a Comment

McNair will be holding an orientation meeting for students in EWU's Honors Program on Wednesday November 3 at 3pm, in our offices at 107 Monroe Hall.

 

The EWU TRIO McNair Scholar Program is seeking students who would like to do a summer research internship guided by a Faculty Mentor and attend graduate school after graduation! The federally-funded TRIO Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program at EWU supports first-generation and low-income and/or racially under-represented students in higher education who want to go on to get their PhD. McNair provides coaching and academic support to prepare students for graduate school and to complete competitive grad school applications, including a paid summer research internship! Each fall McNair seeks sophomores and juniors (and maybe seniors - ask us!) to join the McNair family so we can help you achieve your dreams.

 

We'd love to offer specialized orientation sessions to other departments and campus organizations - please get in touch with questions or requests by emailing Bryn Tennyson at btennyson1@ewu.edu

 

Students who can't make this orientation session can schedule a one-on-one appointment, in person or on Zoom, or just stop by our offices at 107 Monroe Hall any time Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm. See you soon!

 

Ready to apply? Just click here to get started! > McNair Eligibility Questionnaire

McNair Orientation, Honors Edition, November 3 at 3pm, 107 Monroe Hall, EWU

Filed Under: Acceptances/Awards, Events, EWU McNair PhD's, Honors, News, Recruitment, Scholars Tagged With: EWU McNair Program, EWU McNair Scholar, Honors Program, Orientation, Recruitment

McNair Orientation! October 19th and 26th

10/18/2021 by Liina Koivula Leave a Comment

Interested in grad school? The EWU TRIO McNair Scholar Program is seeking students who would like to do a summer research internship guided by a Faculty Mentor and attend graduate school after graduation! The federally-funded TRIO Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program at EWU supports first-generation and low-income and/or racially under-represented students in higher education who want to go on to get their PhD. McNair provides coaching and academic support to prepare students for graduate school and to complete competitive grad school applications, including a paid summer research internship! Each fall McNair seeks sophomores and juniors (and maybe seniors - ask us!) to join the McNair family so we can help you achieve your dreams.

 

Join us at one of our orientation meetings: October 26th, 12 or 2pm, in Monroe Hall, 107. See you there! Or just stop by Monroe 107 any time to meet with us! We'll have a Zoom orientation option coming up soon too!

 

Ready to apply? Just click here! McNair Eligibility Questionnaire

 

Interested in grad school? McNair can help!

Filed Under: Acceptances/Awards, Events, News, Recruitment Tagged With: EWU McNair Program, EWU McNair Scholar, Orientation, Recruitment

EWU McNair Assistant Director Joins TRIO McNair Professionals from Across the Nation to Share Best Practices at the 6th Annual McNair Promising Practices Institute (MPPI)

04/06/2020 by Jaeger, Corinne Leave a Comment

At the beginning of February 2020, the EWU McNair program's Assistant Director, Cynthia Dukich, joined over 150 people representing 89 McNair Scholars programs from around the country as they came together at the 6th Annual McNair Promising Practices Institute (MPPI) at the University of Central Florida to learn and share about the most innovative practices taking place in the TRIO Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program community.

McNair Staff from around the country gather in Florida to talk about best practices - large group photo in front of statue and palm trees
McNair Staff from around the country gather in Florida to talk about best practices - large group photo in front of statue and palm trees

This interactive forum gave McNair professionals the opportunity to share best practices in providing research and other scholarly activities that prepare first-generation, low-income, and/or those from under-represented groups for a successful path to the PhD and beyond.

 

As one of the MPPI presenters, Cynthia Dukich, shared analytical writing workshop strategies she developed in her work with the EWU McNair program that have been shown to strengthen student analytical writing and improve GRE writing scores. Strategies included weekly writing practice with process-oriented individual feedback, group exercises, and peer review sessions. These sessions not only build academic writing skills, but also academic confidence and a support network. “Scholarly community and a sense of belonging really are key to the long-term success of our scholars,” Dukich states. “We strive to create a feeling of community through all of our program services, and in our writing workshops we want to focus on how we can provide writing feedback and develop skills that aren’t only to improve the clarity of a particular piece, but also that support the ongoing process of becoming an academic writer.”

The TRIO Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program was named after astronaut Ronald E. McNair, an accomplished saxophone player, 6th degree black belt in karate, with a PhD in laser physics from MIT, and the second African American to fly in space. His first space shuttle mission launched successfully from Kennedy Space Center on February 3, 1984. This brilliant scholar’s life was cut short on his second space flight where he was serving as the mission specialist on the space shuttle Challenger which exploded after launch instantly killing all aboard. His legacy lives, however, through the program that bears his name. The TRIO Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Program was funded through the US Department of Education TRIO Program in 1986 with the goal of increasing diversity in academia by providing opportunities for research and other scholarly activities to high potential students from first-generation, low-income and underrepresented backgrounds. MPPI participants had a chance to visit the Kennedy Space Center, and see the memorial to those lost on the Challenger, including the tribute to Dr. Ronald E McNair (pictured below), which includes in the lower right corner a picture of him playing his saxophone in space.

Museum exhibit from Kennedy Space Center memorial to those lost in te Challenger. A martial arts uniform is shown behind glass along with a sword, as well as two pictures of Ronald E. McNair. One of him in his NASA uniform, the other of him playing the saxaphone in space.
Museum exhibit from Kennedy Space Center memorial to those lost in te Challenger. A martial arts uniform is shown behind glass along with a sword, as well as two pictures of Ronald E. McNair. One of him in his NASA uniform, the other of him playing the saxaphone in space.

Eastern’s TRIO McNair program was first funded in 1995, and has successfully competed and been awarded funding in all successive TRIO Department of Education grant competitions since. With over 150 TRIO McNair programs currently funded nationwide, Eastern’s program participates in a nationwide network committed to nurturing academic excellence through supporting diverse perspectives. Each person who is the first person in their family to earn a bachelor’s degree begins to blaze a trail for everyone in their family. The PhD takes people farther down that trail to a destination many first-generation, low-income students didn’t ever realize was a possibility. With a graduate degree, McNair scholars are not only role models for their families and communities, but are also able to bring their perspective and experience into academia as they teach and mentor the next generation. Since 1995, 39 EWU McNair Scholars have completed their PhD’s and over 117 have earned Master’s degrees.

 

In a recent panel, EWU McNair scholars spoke about the benefits of this program: "It gave me a support system and provided mentorship to guide me in making decisions along the way to getting to grad school," said senior Lily Ann Long, who has been accepted to the Psy.D. program at Point Park University.

Senior Abdulrazik Mohamed shared, "Writing was an obstacle for me as a first-generation college student and someone learning English, but McNair's support helped me make huge improvements." Abdu has been accepted by three Masters programs, one with a generous scholarship. He also has been awarded the Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship which will give him full funding at any university of his choice!

 

“In presenting our success with analytical writing strategies,” Dukich states of her experience at MPPI, “I wanted to connect with other McNair professionals to build momentum around ways to enhance scholarly writing. When students learn that writing is a skill that continues to develop, and when they have strategies to demonstrate improvement and see their own growth, they begin to discover that writing is not a talent that some people inherit at birth and they gain confidence in their ability to define and describe their own diverse ideas in writing.”

 

At events like MPPI, McNair professionals continue to gather and share best practices, strengthen one another, and also set the example for institutions in higher education as to how best to serve first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students. The EWU McNair Scholar program is proud to be a part of this work!

 

EWU McNair Alumna Sandra Espinoza summed up the power of McNair programs in an interview when she exited the program: "The Ronald E. McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement Program at Eastern Washington University is an extraordinary, effective, and life changing program. As a first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented student, I had no resources, role models, or advisors my freshman and sophomore year in college. I was insecure about my future and was terrified to use my voice. It wasn't until I applied and got accepted to the McNair program where I finally felt secure, confident, and brave to explore and dismantle traditional cycles that fabricate our society. McNair provided me the opportunity to complete an internship in the summer where I was allowed to collaborate with a mental health psychologist in the Counseling and Psychological service department at EWU. My mentor helped me complete my research study by meeting with me weekly, revising my writing structure, and providing resources and tools to help me enhance my writing and speaking abilities. The McNair program also helped me prepare for the Graduate Record Examinations with workshops, online study guides, and writing seminars. Furthermore, I was able to attend regional conferences and network with faculty and graduate students during campus tours which was all covered financially by the McNair program. A feminist, activist, and a proud Mestiza, describes who I am today and the woman that I have always aspired to be when I was a child. I couldn't have done it without the support, guidance, and contribution of the McNair program." Sandra is currently pursuing her PhD in counseling psychology with full funding at Western Michigan University.

Filed Under: Events, News Tagged With: Cynthia Dukich, EWU McNair Program, McNair, McNair Promising Practices Institute, MPPI, Ronald E. Mcnair Postbaccalaureate Acheivement Program

Scholar Cafe October 10th – Histories of Immigration and Languages in Oaxaca, Mexico with Dr. Nydia Martinez

10/01/2019 by Patolo, Najeda Leave a Comment

Are you interested in studying abroad? Join Dr. Nydia Martinez of the EWU History Department at the McNair Scholars’ office to learn more about the partnership between EWU and the University of Oaxaca. This is an ideal program for majors in Spanish, Teaching English as a Second Language, History, and others! Classes in Oaxaca are taught at the University of Oaxaca (UABJO), which was established in 1827 as one of the first universities in Mexico. Spanish Language and Electives classes are taught at the Facultad de Idiomas, the prestigious language department of the university.

Program dates: August 17th through September 16th, 2020

Description: This four-week program will take 10 to 15 undergraduate students across EWU disciplines during the second summer session 2020 (August 17th to September 16th, 2020) to Oaxaca City, Mexico. The academic emphasis of this study abroad program is on the history of migratory and linguistic processes of people in the region of Oaxaca through the lenses of culture, society, politics, economics, art, and language. Students will engage in cross-cultural experiences in Oaxaca while carrying out service learning through the teaching of English as a second language.

Interested in learning more about the McNair Scholars' Program? Please Contact Us!

2019's McNair Flyer about the Oaxaca Study Abroad Opportunity

Oaxaca Program Coordinators

Nydia Martinez
Dr. Gina Mikel Petrie
Dr. Nydia Martinez,
Assistant Professor of History
Dr. Gina Mikel Petrie, Associate Professor of English as a Second Language

Coordinator of the English as a Second Language Program

Filed Under: Events, Scholar Cafe Tagged With: Gina Petrie, Nydia Martinez, Oaxaca Program, Study Abroad, TESOL

Scholar Cafe October 3rd – Distinguished Latino-Heritage Mathematics and Biological Sciences Professor, Dr. Carlos Castillo-Chavez

09/24/2019 by Patolo, Najeda Leave a Comment

Join the EWU McNair Scholars' Program for our first Scholar Cafe of the fall 2019 Quarter! We are honored to welcome Regents Professor & Executive Director of the Simon A. Levin Mathematical, Computational and Modeling Sciences Center, Dr. Carlos Castillo-Chavez.

(Institutions on his resume: UW-Madison, Cornell University, Arizona State University, Brown University, and Yachay University (Ecuador)).

Scholar Cafe date/time: October 3rd (Thursday) 12:00 pm -12:55pm

Location: MON 107 (McNair Scholars' Offices) EWU-Cheney Campus

Carlos Castillo-Chavez

Learn more about his incredible story....

  • Immigrated from Mexico to Wisconsin as a young man in search of an opportunity and education.
  • Founder of the Mathematical and Theoretical Biology Institute MTBI (Cornell University, Arizona State University)
  • Director of Institute for Strengthening and The Joaquin Bustoz Math-Science Honors Program (JBMSHP)
  • Co-author of over 250 publications
  • Regents Professor, a Joaquin Bustoz Jr. Professor of Mathematical Biology, and a Distinguished Sustainability Scientist at Arizona State University.
  • Former rector of Yachay University of Experimental Technical Research in Ecuador.
  • Founding Director of the Simon A. Levin Mathematical, Computational and Modeling Sciences Center.
  • Dedicated to supporting first-generation and minority students in graduate school.
  • A Latino-heritage mathematician and dedicated mentor.

Dr. Carlos Castillo-Chavez is the Emeritus and Founding Director of the Simon A. Levin Mathematical and Computational Modeling Sciences Center (SAL-MCMSC), a Regents Professor, a Joaquin Bustoz Jr. Professor of Mathematical Biology and a Distinguished Sustainability Scientist at Arizona State University (ASU).  Dr. Carlos Castillo-Chavez has been an active member on national committees for the National Science Foundation, National Academy of Sciences and National Institutes of Health. For example, NSF’s Advisory Committee’s included the Committee for Education, Human Resources (2016-2022) and the NSF’s Cyber Infrastructure Advisory Boards (2016-2019). Other past committees include, the National Research Council’s Board of Higher Education and Workforce (2009-2015), and President Barack Obama Committee on the National Medal of Science (2010-15). While at Cornell University, he became member and co-chair of the Faculty Council of Representatives standing committee in affirmative action (1990-1996), established as a result of Walter Cohen and Henry Louis Gates’ report, “The Crisis of Minority Faculty at Cornell.”

Dr. Carlos Castillo-Chavez’ recognitions to his work include: three White House Awards (1992,1997, and 2011), the 12th American Mathematical Society Distinguished Public Service Award in 2010, the 2007 AAAS Mentor award, the 17th recipient of the SIAM Prize for Distinguished Service to the Profession and Distinguished Alumni by UW Stevens Point. He is a fellow of the AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science); SIAM (Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics; Founding Fellow of the AMS (American Mathematical Society); and fellow of ACE (American College of Epidemiology).

Carlos Castillo-Chavez has given 518 invited presentations, in 35 countries and visited over 300 cities. He has 259 academic research articles, numerous non-research articles and technical reports, and 19 books or edited volumes. He has published in over 80 distinct journals. Over his 30 years in academia, 18 at Cornell University and 16 at Arizona State University, he has mentored 49 PhD students including 20 women, 28 from US underrepresented groups, 25 USA underrepresented minorities and 7 from Latin America placing him, according to the Math Genealogy Project among the top 200 mentors in the history of mathematics. He has also mentored 29 postdoctoral students and several young researchers.

Filed Under: Events, Scholar Cafe Tagged With: Carlos Castillo-Chavez, Events, Latino, Mathematics, Mentors, Scholar Cafe

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