Marixza Torres

EWU McNair Alumna Marixza Torres Awarded National Science Foundation Fellowship

04/08/2021 by Jaeger, Corinne Leave a Comment

Congratulations to EWU McNair Alumna Marixza Torres! Marixza has been awarded a highly competitive and prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF GRF). The NSF GRF program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported STEM disciplines pursuing research-based masters and doctoral degrees at accredited US institutions. The five-year fellowship includes three years of significant financial support. Each year EWU McNair educates students on various scholarship and research opportunities and how to apply for them, including the NSF GRF. While it is rare that an undergraduate will receive one of these fellowships, it prepares our students for future applications, and they are provided feedback from NSF on how to strengthen the application submitted. Last year, Marixza was accorded an Honorable Mention in the 2020 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program competition for her research proposal's intellectual merit and potential broader impacts.

Marixza graduated from Eastern Washington University with a degree in Applied Developmental Psychology and a minor in Chicano studies. She completed two research internships as a McNair Scholar. For her 2018 EWU McNair Summer Research Internship, guided by her mentor Dr. Christina Torres Garcia, Marixza conducted research on the cultural obstacles faced by families of Latinx young adults with autism. In 2019, she was awarded and completed the Summer Research Opportunities Program at the University of Notre Dame under the mentorship of Dr. Dawn M. Gondoli. Through this internship, she examined the relationship between adolescent adjustment, dimensions of parenting, and work orientation. Marixza presented on her research at several conferences. In addition, during the 2019-20 academic year, Marixza worked with Dr. Theresa Martin analyzing the relationship between family communication in college and prosocial values exploring the influence of these on academic achievement. For her strong academic record and demonstration of outstanding leadership qualities at Eastern and in the community the College of Social Sciences awarded Marixza a Frances B Huston Medallion in 2020.

Last year, Marixza was accepted by the Master's of Social Work program at the University of Texas, Austin, the PhD program in Human Development and Family Services at the University of Missouri, and the Psychology PhD program at the University of California, Irvine, where she began attending in the Fall 2020 with full funding. In talking with EWU McNair in the fall, Marixza noted the impact of the program:

The program’s ability to empower marginalized students gave me the confidence to address my imposter syndrome and continue to build my skills to succeed. After developing research proposals and presenting my work to others, I saw how valuable my perspectives were to making significant contributions to the academic field in Latinx Psychology. With the support of TRiO’s McNair, I developed the expertise I needed to become a doctoral student at the University of California Irvine in the Department of Education and Human Development. This opportunity transformed my life and will allow me to address concerns impacting the Latinx community."

We are so proud of Marixza and all of our EWU McNair Scholars. Since Eastern’s TRIO McNair program was first funded in 1995, 39 EWU McNair Scholars have completed their PhD’s and over 117 have earned Master’s degrees. These amazing individuals are making history and valuable impacts on their communities including teaching future teachers, bringing to light hidden histories, improving health in rural areas, increasing equity and diversity in academia, strengthening mental health care for underserved communities, and supporting McNair programs at other institutions.

Faculty and staff, if you have students in your class who are interested in conducting research and attending graduate school, please send them to our website! Students, if you want to make a difference in your communities or learn more about the EWU McNair program, check out our website or check out this eligibility questionnaire!

EWU College of Social Sciences Honors Six EWU McNair Scholars

05/20/2020 by Jaeger, Corinne Leave a Comment

Six fantastic EWU McNair Scholars receive highest awards from the College of Social Sciences at EWU.

This spring, the Eastern Washington University College of Social Sciences has selected six EWU McNair Scholars for some of their highest awards. The Frances B. Huston Medallion 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. EWU McNair Scholars Angélica García-Macías (Political Science), Miriam Carlson (Psychology), and Marixza Torres (Psychology) all received this award. The Dean Jeffers W. Chertok Honored Student Award for the College of Social Sciences is presented to exceptional students who have shown a commitment to their education by demonstrating outstanding academic achievement with a minimum of a 3.75 GPA in their previous four quarters and through leadership and service to the community. The College of Social Sciences selected EWU McNair Scholars Madelyn Brown (History), Lily Ann Long (Psychology) and Abdulrazik Mohamed (International Affairs) for this award.

Not only do these awards acknowledge the hard work of each of these students, they also exemplify the power of collaboration, mentorship, and student support by EWU faculty and staff. Each year the EWU McNair Program recruits promising scholars and engages them in year round learning on research, writing, and preparation for graduate school. Each EWU McNair Scholar is paired with a faculty mentor who guides them through the research process. EWU McNair Faculty Mentors meet as often as weekly with their mentees throughout spring and summer quarters culminating in a research paper. EWU McNair Scholars then present this research at the EWU Symposium as well as at academic conferences around the nation. For example, Miriam Carlson will present her research, completed under the mentorship of Dr. Aryn Zeihnert, at the upcoming Western Psychological Association conference in October 2020. Marixza Torres has presented her EWU research, under the mentorship of McNair Director Dr. Christina Torres García, at the Western Psychological Association conference and the National Latinx Psychological Association conference. Marixza has also been mentored year round by Dr. Theresa Martin. Other mentors for this group of scholars include: Dr. Dorothy Zeisler-Vralsted (Abdu), Dr. Aryn Zeihnert (Lily Ann), Dr. Martín Meráz García (Angélica), and Lecturer SimHayKin S. Jack along with Dr. Christina Torres García (Madelyn), and there are countless other College of Social Sciences faculty and staff that support McNair students at present and in past years. In addition to these formal faculty mentorships, many professors do additional year round support for students, by having them join their research labs, TA, and just everyday care, engagement, and guidance.

McNair also provides year round support for students including tutoring, linking students to services and resources, and regular one-on-one meetings for connection, encouragement, and advice. EWU McNair makes sure students have the tool they need to navigate higher education, successfully apply to graduate school and research internships, and negotiate funding and final decisions for which graduate schools they will attend.

McNair is a federally funded program that helps low-income first generation colleges students and those else wise underrepresented in higher education to earn PhD's and increase diversity in academia. EWU's McNair program started in 1995 and, to-date, 40 EWU McNair Scholars have gone on to earn their PhD and over 100 more have attained their Masters degree. This year, twelve graduating EWU McNair Scholars have been accepted to Masters and/or PhD programs, many with full funding. Miriam has been accepted Gonzaga University's Education Specialist in School Psychology program. Lily Ann has been accepted into Point Park University's PsyD Program. Angélica has been accepted at 3 PhD programs with full funding and one Masters program. Marixza has been accepted to 2 PhD programs with full funding and one Masters program. Abdu has been accepted by 3 Masters programs and 1 PhD program with full funding. And Madelyn has been accepted by 7 Masters programs, many of which offered full funding. All are planning to attend graduate school in the fall of 2020. This would not be possible without the incredible support of faculty mentors and partnership with the other colleges at EWU. Thank you to all of our incredible faculty and staff and congratulations to our phenomenal scholars!

EWU McNair Scholar Marixza Torres Awarded Frances B. Huston Medallion

04/28/2020 by Jaeger, Corinne Leave a Comment

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!

EWU McNair Scholar Marixza Torres Accorded Honorable Mention from NSF

04/02/2020 by Jaeger, Corinne Leave a Comment

Photo of Marixza Torres next to blue gliitter and green backdrop with text congratulating her and National Science Foundation logo (globe with NSF across front)

Congratulations EWU McNair Scholar Marixza Torres! Marixza applied with thousands of other students for a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to support her research. She has been accorded an Honorable Mention in the 2020 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program competition for her research proposal’s intellectual merit and potential broader impacts. In her 2018 summer research internship with the EWU McNair Scholars Program, with the mentorship of Dr. Christina Torres García, Marixza studied the cultural obstacles faced by families of Latinx young adults with autism. Last summer she did research at the University of Notre Dame with mentor Dr. Dawn M. Gondoli, examining the relationship between adolescent adjustment, dimensions of parenting, and work orientation. To learn more about Marixza and her research, visit her page on our website.

We’re so excited for Marixza, who has been accepted at both a Masters program at University of Texas Austin and a PhD program at the University of Missouri. We know she’ll continue to do great research and contribute to the field of Psychology and beyond!