sacramento state mcnair scholars newsletter - fall 2014
DESCRIPTION
Sacramento State McNair Scholars ProgramTRANSCRIPT
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FALL 2014 SUMMER RESEARCH
CONFERENCES IN ATLANTA
& BUFFALO ................... 7
MCNAIR SCHOLARS GOING
FOR THE GOLD ............. 5
MCNAIR FACULTY MENTORS
............................... 3
McNair Scholars CH ANG ING T H E F AC E OF L EAD ER SH I P
T HROU GH G RAD U AT E ED UC AT IO N
The California State University, Sacramento McNair Scholars Program (PY 2013-2014,
PR/Award # P217A120289) is partially funded by a US Department of Education Grant for
$208,000 and by In-Kind contributions from Sacramento State.
McNair Scholars Symposium 2015 The 2014 McNair Scholars Research
Symposium was a huge success! Current
and past scholars presented their individ-
ual research projects through poster and
oral presentations. The day was filled
with academic enrichment and scholarly
exchange, and we sincerely thank every-
one who was able to be present to sup-
port our scholars. A date has already
been set aside for next year, and we
would like to cordially invite you to
SAVE THE DATE for the 2015 McNair
Scholars Research Symposium to be held
in the University Union, Hinde Auditori-
um on Monday, April 27th, 2015.
Program Overview McNair requires an approximately two-year commitment and is designed to develop the
knowledge and skill set necessary for success at the post baccalaureate level. The program
collaborates with Sacramento State full-time faculty members to provide every scholar with the
experience of conducting mentored research and completing an article for academic publica-
tion. McNair serves low-income/first generation or underrepresented students. The program
offers among several other benefits:
Research methodologies, presentation skills, and GRE preparation
Opportunity to present at Research Conferences in and out of state
Collegial relationships who can provide strong references
Financial assistance to visit potential graduate schools
The McNair Scholars Program at Sacramento State encourages, assists, and prepares tal-
ented undergraduate students for admission and studies at the doctoral level. For those
students aiming to successfully pursue a Ph.D. and careers in university teaching and re-
search. McNair provides access to the tools and resources necessary to become a competi-
tive graduate applicant. For more information, stop by River Front Center 203, call us at (916)
278-5118 or email: [email protected].
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Meet the New Scholars
Cohort 2014-15 We are proud to introduce the new McNair
Scholars for the 2014-15 Cohort
Natalie Flores Discipline: Biological Sciences Danielle Lara Discipline: Mechanical Engineering Demilade Oloye Discipline: Biological Sciences Cristina Salazar Discipline: International Relations Eric Victory Discipline: Sociology Sammy Villa Discipline: Biological Sciences Daisy Aguilar Discipline: Sociology Didier Mponte Discipline: Electrical and Electronic Engi-neering
MCNAIR SCHOLARS Program Staff
DR. CHEVELLE NEWSOME
Program Director
CARLOTTA MOORE, M.S.
Program Coordinator
DR. MICHELE FOSS-SNOWDEN
Faculty Coordinator
DR. YVETTE FARMER
Faculty Coordinator
ERIKA MENDOZA
Administrative Coordinator
THEODORE HARRISON III
Web-Multimedia Developer
Graduate Assistant
SONYA STINSON
Writing tutor
Graduate Assistant
VICTORIA THOMAS
Research Tutor
Graduate Assistant
RACHEL HUIZAR
Newsletter Editor
Student Assistant
Shawndee Nielson Discipline: Geology Roula Omary Discipline: Dietetics / Biology Leo Alexander III Discipline: Psychology El-lza El Henson Discipline: Physics Glori Embrey Discipline: Psychology Margaret Johnson Discipline: Biochemistry Veronica Williams Discipline: Ethnic Studies
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McNair Faculty Mentors
Thank you 2013-2014 McNair Mentors!
We would like to express our deep appreciation for
your participation and support
Dr. Annette Reed
Dr. Manuel Barajas
Dr. Michelle Dang
Dr. Tom Landerholm
Dr. Gregory Kim-Ju
Dr. Phillip Akutsu
Dr. Jesse Gaston
Dr. David Toise
Dr. Jose Granda
Dr. Carmen Stitt
Dr. Robert Kraemer
Dr. Mical Shilts
Dr. Julie Figueroa
Dr. Ricky Green
Are you interested? Become a McNair Mentor!
Our faculty mentors are key members of our operation and provide our
scholars with invaluable assistance and resources.
As a McNair mentor you are a critical resource to those first generation and/or underrepre-sented students who otherwise would not have access to the information, guid-ance, and support network critical to successfully com-plete their research project, journal article, and grad-uate school application. Please forward this newsletter to any of your faculty colleagues interested in providing one-on-one research guidance and aca-
demic support to a first genera-tion/low-income or underrepre-sented student. The McNair
Scholars Program at Sacramento State provides preparation, guid-ance, and support for admission and studies at the doc-toral level. Please
also encourage undergraduate students interested in a career in academic research/college in-structions to stop by our office, visit our online site, or call us.
What makes a good mentor?
”Mentors help guide McNair
Scholars to reach their highest
potential by offering encourage-
ment and support.” – Dorian Love (McNair Scholar)
To become a McNair Faculty Mentor a faculty member:
Must be a Sacramento State faculty member
Must be a full-time and tenure-track professor
Must have attained a Ph.D.
Must commit to provide one-on-one regular assistance to
the scholar
GRADUATE DIVERSITY:
Financial Awards
The Office of Graduate Studies, through the Graduate Diversity Program, currently offers grants
and scholarships for qualified un-dergraduate and graduate stu-
dents. Please visit the website at www.csus.edu/graddiv
for more information on the grants and awards listed below:
Graduate Equity Fellowship
(Variable Amount)
Students must meet financial and academic requirements and be
classified or conditionally classified in a graduate program. The fellow-ship is for students who have expe-rienced economic and educational
disadvantages.
California Pre-Doctoral
Program ($3,000)
The program is designed to increase the pool of potential California State University faculty by supporting the doctoral aspirations of undergradu-ate who are upper division or grad-uate students in the CSU system.
Applicants must be economically or educationally disadvantaged, and U.S. citizens or permanent resi-
dents.
Chancellor’s Doctoral Incentive
Program (up to $30,000)
The purpose of the program is to in-crease the number of promising
doctoral students who are interest-ed in becoming faculty members
within the CSU system. Forgivable loans of up to $10,000 per year, up to a total of $30,000, are available.
Dr. Michelle Dang
Nursing Department
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Our program prepares students to enter top
graduate programs throughout the country. We
are proud to share some great news about our
scholars and their academic successes:
McNair Alumni: Newly Admitted
Graduate Students
SPRING 2014
Graduates
MASTERS DEGREE
Nia Ridgle
Social Work
Nazia Khan
Counselor Education
BACHELORS DEGREE
Tatiana Starr Daniels
Sociology
Rebecca Muradyan
Biology
Sesali Thrasher
Social Work
John Ramos
Dietetics/Biology
Jazzmine Parker
Social Work
Rodolfo Rodriguez
Sociology
Karina Hurtado
Ethnic Studies
Dominic Rivera
Psychology
Angelica Ward
Ethnic Studies
Nicole Garcia
Anthropology
Laureen Riddick
Nursing
Ariel Mosley
Psychology
Alexandra Boyd, Communication Studies
Master’s program at California State Universi-
ty, Sacramento.
Sesali Thrasher, Social Work Master ’s pro-
gram at California State University, Chico.
John Ramos, Medical Science in Physician
Assistant Studies program at Wake Forest
University School of Medicine.
D’Andre Walker, Ph.D. program at Ar izo-
na State University’s School of Criminology
and Criminal Justice.
Rodolfo Rodriguez, Sociology Master ’s pro-
gram at California State University,
Sacramento.
Ariel Mosley, Ph.D. program in Social Psy-
chology at The University of Kansas
Carina Vega, Linguistics Master ’s program
at University of Colorado Boulder
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Going for the
GOLD PH.D.
In Progress
Jessica (Gordley) Fifield
Communication Studies
Maura Dykstra
History
Rick Gutierrez
Education Culture & Society
Nancy Huante-Tzintzun
Education Culture & Society
Diana Barela
Sociology
Lok Chi Chan
Philosphyology
Chia Xiong
Sociology
Cheng Vang
Clinical Psychology
D’Andre Walker
Criminal Justice
Amber Bill
Native American Studies
Vanessa Esquivido
Native American Studies
Megan Mass
Human Development and Family
Ijeoma Ononuju
Education Culture & Society
Monique Bastidas
Chemistry
Dr. Makena Hightower, (Cohor t 2000-01) Ph.D. in Bioengineer-
ing from University of California, San Diego.
Dr. Andro Rios, (Cohor t 2002-03)
Ph.D. in Chemistry from University of California San Diego.
Dr. Jason Ybarra, (Cohor t 2002-03) Ph.D. in Astronomy from
University of Florida
Dr. Rebecca Romo, (Cohor t 2003-04) Ph.D. in Sociology from
UC Santa Barbara.
Dr. Armando Ramirez, (Cohor t 1999-2000) Ph.D. in Chemistry
from UC Irvine.
Dr. Muneera Beach, (Cohor t 2000-01) Ph.D. in Biochemistry &
Biophysics from UC San Diego.
Dr. Ameer Thompson, (Cohor t 2002-03) Ph.D. in Physiology
and Biophysics from Cornell University.
Dr. Martin Chamorro, (Cohor t 2002-03) Ph.D. in Philosophy
from University of Colorado Boulder.
Dr. Pang Moua, (Cohor t 2005-06) Ph.D. in Pharmacy from Uni-
versity of the Pacific.
Dr. Sylvester Caraway, (Cohor t 1999-2000) Ph.D. in Philosophy
from Griffith University
Dr. Crystal Martinez, (Cohor t 2004-05) Ed.D. in Educational
Leadership from California State University, Sacramento
Dr. Melissa Johnson, (Cohor t 2002-03) M.D. from Vanderbilt
University School of Medicine
We are proud to acknowledge and celebrate previ-
ous McNair Scholars from Sacramento State who
have successfully gone on to complete a Doctorate
Degree in their chosen filed of study.
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MCNAIR SCHOLARS
CLUB
The McNair Scholars Club is the winner of the "Best Decorated Bin" competition for the Community Engage-ment Center's last Sac Pack Drive! The competition sig-nifies the overall creativity, design, and presentation of their collection bin. The McNair Scholars Club has also won the “Most Supplies Collected” competition by collecting and donating more items than all other sponsors. Our club solely contributed in collecting 173 items of school and art sup-plies! Thanks to the efforts of Sac State individuals and on-campus organizations, 461 items of school and art supplies will be divided and donated to Sacramento Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), My Sis-ter's House, the Sacramen-to Food Bank & Family Ser-vices, and other local non-profits serving youth in need.
Erika Salinas admitted to USC GSPP (Grad Student Prepara-tion Program) Erika Salinas (2013-2014 cohort) was selected to participate in the Spring 2014 University of South-ern California Graduate Student Preparation Program. As a par-ticipant, Erika was awarded a scholarship from the USC Grad-uate School, Office of the Prov-ost, which was used to cover all travel and program-related ex-penses. The USC GSPP hosts over 40 high achieving under-graduate students from across the country to visit the campus and to prepare students to pur-
sue advanced degrees. On her experience, Erika said, “The big-gest thing I have learned is how to be assertive with my educa-tion. Dr. Jungmiwha (Jummy) Bullock inspired the group with her personal journey and [the success] that she has achieved as both a minority and a woman. She has done this through being assertive and as what she calls ‘being the CEO of your life.’ Her story is something that I could relate to and her successes are what motivate me to be able to achieve and make the same positive impact within my com-munity one day.”
Scholar Updates We love sharing the experiences of our
past and present scholars as they pursue
Academic Excellence!
2014 University of Southern California Graduate Student Preparation Program participants
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Rachel Huizar presenting at Ivy Plus Symposium Rachel Huizar, a member of the 2013-14 cohort, was one of 130 students invited to attend the 2014 Ivy Plus Symposium, co-hosted by Harvard Universi-ty and the Massachusetts Insti-tute of Technology, in Cam-bridge, MA. The Ivy Plus Sym-posium selects outstanding un-dergraduates from underrepre-sented groups in order to ad-vance diversity in higher edu-cation. At the symposium, Ra-chel attended panel discus-sions covering admissions, graduate student life, and ca-reer opportunities for Ph.D.'s, and also presented her own research in a poster session.
MCNAIR SCHOLARS
UPDATE
Jazzmine Parker wins award at na-
tional research competition
Summer Research
Conferences
This summer, scholars trav-eled to the 20th Annual SAEOPP McNair/SSS Scholars Research Confer-ence hosted in Atlanta, GA, and the 20th Annual McNair Research Conference held at the University at Buffalo in NY. The conferences provid-ed opportunities for our scholars to share their re-search, provided exposure to the key issues in research and higher education, facili-tated the interaction be-tween graduate school rep-resentatives, graduate facul-ty, McNair and SSS schol-ars, and provided forums for discussion of intellectual is-sues. The scholars made oral and poster presenta-tions on research they have spent the past two semes-ters shaping into scholarly articles that will be published in Fall 2014.
Jazzmine Parker, a member of the 2012-2013 McNair Scholars Co-hort was one undergraduate win-ner at the National Association Af-rican American Studies and Affili-ates conference in Baton Rouge, LA. Her research project, with fac-ulty mentor Dr. Kisun Nam from the division of social work, was awarded a cash prize of $200. Her research article: “I’m Not Obese I’m Thick: Obesity and Body Image Among African American Women” investigated factors associated with obesity and body perception; using African American female col-lege students for her sample. The methodology consisted of quantita-tive surveys analyzing access to grocery stores, fast food restau-rants, and body figure; which was analyzed using SPSS.
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CONTACT MCNAIR:
PHONE (916) 278-5118
MCNAIR WEBSITE:
WWW.CSUS.EDU/MCNAIR
MCNAIR SOCIAL MEDIA:
Facebook .......... SACSTATE MCNAIR SCHOLARS McNair
Scholars CH ANG ING T H E F AC E OF L EAD ER SH I P
T HROU GH G RAD U AT E ED UC AT IO N
Sacramento State Graduate and Profession-al School Information Day
Sacramento State Library Quad (University Union in case of rain)
October 30th, 2014 “What are my educational goals? Where will I go to graduate school? Master’s degree or doctorate? How do I apply? What do I do next? “ Find answers to your questions about graduate school at the Sac State Graduate and Professional School Information Day. Receive information about: Admissions Policies and Procedures
Availability of Financial Aid
Pertinent information about graduate programs
Contact the CSUS Graduate Diversity Program at 916-278–3834
or [email protected] for more information
csus.edu/graddiv
McNair Scholars Program River Front Center Room 203
6000 J Street
Sacramento, CA 95819-6114
Southern California Diversity Forum UC San Diego
November 8th, 2014
Graduate Resources Online
General info
www.gradschools.com
GRE online
www.gre.org/ttindex.html
Peterson’s: The Graduate School Guide
www.petersons.com/gradchannel/
U.S. News Best Graduate Schools
www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/grhome.htm
The California Forums for Diversity in Graduate Education, planned by a consortium of public and private col-leges and universities from throughout California, have been designed partic-ularly to meet the needs of advanced undergraduates and master's candi-
dates who belong to groups that are currently un-derrepresented in doctoral-level programs. The groups include low-income and first-generation college stu-dents and especially African Americans, American Indi-ans, Chicanos/Latinos, Filipinos, Pacific Islanders, Asian American women, and Asian American men in the arts, humanities, and social and behavioral scienc-es. This event targets students with sophomore, junior, senior, or graduate standing. Participants will have numerous opportunities to:
√ Meet with representatives from over 100 of the na-tion’s graduate schools;
√ Meet with representatives from doctoral-granting institutions;
√ Attend a variety of informative workshops; √ Receive a complimentary lunch.
www.caldiversityforum.org
FALL 2014