Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Marixza Torres! Marixza has been selected to receive a 2019-2020 Frances B. Huston Medallion Award for the College of Social Sciences. This award is presented to only 20 graduating students each year who have a strong academic record and have demonstrated outstanding leadership qualities at Eastern and in the community. Marixza is a Research Assitant working under the mentorship of Dr. Theresa Martin in the Psychology department. She is also the secretary for Scholars in Action, where she mentors peers, including creating and leading workshops on how to prepare for graduate school. In addition, Marixza acts as the Public Relations Chair for POWERS to support undocumented students and their allies. In the past, Marixza has been a Student Consultant at the EWU Multicultural Center where she helped assess student need as well as planned and promoted events. When there were issues around solidarity on campus, Marixza coordinated a Unity Rally to promote inclusion and followed up on feedback after the rally to coordinate support services for students.
In addition to her work in the community, Marixza is an exceptional and dedicated scholar. She is a senior at EWU majoring in Applied Psychology with a minor in Chicano Studies. As a McNair Scholar Marixza has committed to attain her PhD. To prepare for this Marixza completed two summer research internships, one at EWU under the mentorship of McNair Director Dr. Christina Torres García, and another at the University of Notre Dame under the mentorship of Dr. Dawn M. Gondoli. To read more about Marixa and her research check out her webpage on the McNair site. She also has participated in research with Dr. Theresa Martin and Dr. Martín Meráz García. Marixa has presented her research at symposiums at both Notre Dame and EWU, the Western Psychological Association, and the National Latinx Pyschological Association. She has been recognized throughout her academic career with multiple scholarships including the Jeffers Chertok Scholarship for outstanding acheivement in the EWU College of Social Sicences, the Wittenbach Trust Scholarship, and the Chicano Studies Program scholarship for Multicultural Acheivement. Marixza was also recently accorded an Honorable Mention for her grant application to the National Science Foundation.
Marixa has been accepted by the PhD program in Human Development and Family Services at the University of Missouri, the Masters of Social Work program at the University of Texas, Austin, and most recently a Psychology PhD program at the University of California, Irvine. The McNair family is so proud of Marixza and all of her hard work. We know Marixza will continue to have a huge impact on her communities as she attains her PhD and beyond!
