What we offer:
- Paid research internship opportunities
- Assistance securing financial aid
- Grad school preparation seminars
- Research mentoring
- Academic counseling
- GRE tutoring
- Conference travel funding opportunities
- Feedback on graduate applications and research internship applications
Who we serve:
- We're happy to meet with any student who is interested in or has questions about going to graduate school
- To be eligible to be a scholar, you must be:
- a sophomore, junior, or senior with at least one future summer and fall before graduation; and
- interested going to graduate school and attaining a PhD; and
- first generation and low-income college student; and/or
- from racial background(s) underrepresented at the doctoral level
To get started, fill out the
The federally-funded TRIO Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program at EWU selects motivated and talented sophomores and juniors who are first-generation and low-income college students, and/or from racial groups underrepresented at the doctoral level (African American/Black, Latinx, Native American, and/or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander) to introduce them to academic research and provide them with effective strategies for getting into and graduating from PhD programs. Operating on a cohort model, the program prepares undergraduates for success as graduate students, professors, and professional researchers.
EWU TRIO McNair Program is seeking first-generation, low-income, and racially underrepresented students who would like to do a summer research internship guided by a faculty mentor and apply for graduate school. If you would like to know more, please look over the rest of our website (especially Applying to EWU McNair) and/or send an email to EWU McNair Program Academic Advisor Cori Jaeger cjaeger3@ewu.edu.
Learn about what our current scholars and alumni are up to!
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EWU McNair Scholar Sylvia Kennerly Accepted to University of Oregon PhD
Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Sylvia Kennerly! Sylvia has been accepted to University of Oregon’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry PhD program, with funding. From the Chemistry PhD at University of Oregon’s Website: “[…] we take a cross-disciplinary, interdepartmental approach to research and graduate training. Institutes and centers facilitate scientific investigation at the boundaries of traditional … Read more
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EWU McNair Scholar Irie Browning Accepted to University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Masters in Philosophy
Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Irie Browning! Irie has been accepted to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Masters in Philosophy with funding. UWM has a demonstrated track record for graduating scholars from their Philosophy MA towards doctoral and continuing studies. Their overview states: The general purpose of this program is to provide students with the background and … Read more
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Scholar Claudio Escalante Attends 2023 BMES Annual Meeting
McNair Scholar Claudio Escalante attended the 2023 BMES Annual Meeting this October 11-14 in Seattle, WA. Biomedical Engineering Society is the lead professional society for bioengineers and biomedical engineers housing four professional journals. BMES’s President, Cynthia Reinhart-King, states “the BMES Annual Meeting is the Society’s premier event centered around our mission of promoting a collaborative … Read more
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McNair Scholar Devin Mumey Attends One World Botany Conference
McNair Scholar Devin Mumey and Faculty Mentor Dr. Jessica Allen attended the 2023 One World Botany Conference in Boise, ID this July. They presented their research, “Do bryophyte and lichen conservation rankings and efforts mirror each other in North America?” as part of the symposium One World Many Kingdoms: Conservation of Bryophyte and Lichen Biodiversity. … Read more
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McNair Scholar Tiago Correia and Claudio Escalante Attend 2023 SACNAS The National Diversity in Stem Conference
McNair Scholar Tiago Correia attended the 2023 SACNAS The National Diversity in Stem Conference October 26-28 in Portland, OR. A national program, SACNAS was founded in 1973, a group meeting organized by Dr. Alonzo Atencio “that would address the paucity of Chicano and Native Americans in academia and government agencies. […]to set up the mechanism … Read more
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McNair Scholar Sylvia Kennerly Attends Society for Glycobiology (SFG) 2023 Annual Meeting
McNair Scholar Sylvia Kennerly Attended the Society for Glycobiology (SFG) 2023 Annual Meeting on Big Island, Hawaii with Mentor Dr. Ashley. Running from November 5-8, the 50th anniversary of this SFG event brought together “leading glycobiologists from around the world to discuss fundamental mechanisms by which glycans and glycan-binding proteins regulate cell and organismal physiology … Read more
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Graduating McNair Scholars Irie Browning, Alexander Dodson, and Richard Murphy Invited for Campus Visits
This Fall, McNair Scholars Irie Browning, Alexander Dodson, and Richard Murphy were honored with invitations to visit potential Graduate programs. Irie visited Yale University and Northwestern University, Irie and Alexander visited Ohio State’s Department of Philosophy and Department of Psychology, and Richard was invited to a small open house with UC Berkeley Irie noted excitement … Read more
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McNair Scholar Devin Mumey Honored with CSTEM Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Fund Award
McNair Scholar Devin Mumey has been selected to receive a CSTEM Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Fund award. This award is provided through the Eastern Washington University Department of Biology with donor funding, supplying resources that expand the scope of research study available to undergraduates. Devin submitted a proposal for a new research project, continuing … Read more
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McNair Scholars Makenna Tabino & Claudio Escalante Attend the 32nd Annual Murdock Conference
Scholars Makenna Tabino and Claudio Escalante attended the invite-only 32nd Annual Murdock Conference, designed to advance “new knowledge in the natural sciences”. This year’s theme was One Brain: Neuroscience and Window into Mental Health, Co-hosted by Pacific University on November 10-11, 2023. Makenna Presented her Cattail Research Project, Determining the Long-Term Effectiveness of Seeding Post-Dam … Read more
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EWU McNair Scholar Mai Peregrina Honored with EWU Board of Trustees Scholarship
Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Mai Peregrina! Mai has been awarded the EWU Board of Trustees Scholarship. Mai is majoring in Psychology at Eastern Washington University. She is a member of the Alpha Phi sorority and has been actively involved in the Panhellenic Council at EWU. For her McNair Summer Research Internship she worked with Dr. Kayleen Islam-Zwart as her … Read more
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EWU McNair Scholar Devin Mummy Completes Summer Research Internship
Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Devin Mumey for completing his McNair Summer Research Internship! He worked with mentor Dr. Jessica Allen on his summer 2023 research, “Lichens of Iller Creek: A preliminary checklist for the Iller Creek Unit, a division of Dishman Hills Conservation Area, Spokane Valley, WA“. Devin’s research was presented August 16, 2023 at the … Read more
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EWU McNair Scholar Makenna Tabino Completes Summer Research Internship
Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Makenna Tabino for completing her McNair Summer Research Internship! She worked with mentor & department chair Dr. Rebecca Brown on Makenna’s summer 2023 research, “Determining the Long-Term Effectiveness of Seeding Post-Dam Removal in the Elwha River, WA, Through Soil Seed Bank Analysis“. Her research project is a collaboration with the nonprofit … Read more
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EWU McNair Scholar Alexander Dodson Completes Summer Research Internship
Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Alexander Dodson for completing his McNair Summer Research Internship! Alexander worked with mentor Dr. Amani El-Alayli on his summer 2023 research, “Political Orientation Moderates Pride and American Flag Effects on Person Perception“. His research was presented August 16, 2023 at the McNair Summer Research Symposium. Alexander expanded his 2022 research, hypothesizing “an … Read more
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EWU McNair Scholar Kelly Parke Completes McNair Summer Research Internship
Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Kelly Parke for completing her McNair Summer Research Internship! She worked with mentor Dr. Ryan Parrey on her summer 2023 research, “Atmospheres of Ableism: A Phenomenological Exploration of Everyday Encounters”. Her research was presented August 16, 2023 at the McNair Summer Research Symposium. Kelly utilized an online qualitative survey … Read more
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EWU McNair Scholar Irie Browning Completes Summer Research Internship
Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Irie Browning for completing her McNair Summer Research Internship! She worked with mentor Dr. Christopher C. Kirby on her summer 2023 research,”Friendships and Virtue Ethics“. Irie’s research was presented August 16, 2023 at the McNair Summer Research Symposium. Irie’s summer research investigated virtue ethics as it applies to friendship. … Read more
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EWU McNair Scholar Alejandro Torres-Gonzalez Completes Summer Research Internship
Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Alejandro Torres-Gonzalez for completing his McNair Summer Research Internship! He worked with mentor Dr. Justin Bastow on his summer 2023 research with the EWU Restoration Project. His research was presented August 16, 2023 at the McNair Summer Research Symposium. Alejandro observed pollinator activity at the restoration site to explore … Read more
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EWU McNair Scholar Sylvia Kennerly Completes McNair Summer Research Internship
Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Sylvia Kennerly for completing her McNair Summer Research Internship! She worked with mentor Dr. Jason Ashley on her summer 2023 research, “Overexpression of Fringe syltransferase in osteoclastogenesis”. Sylvia’s research was presented August 16, 2023 at the McNair Summer Research Symposium. Sylvia’s research looked deeper into the overexpression of Fringe enzymes, … Read more
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EWU McNair Scholar Tiago Correia Completes Summer Research Internship
Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Tiago Correia for completing his McNair Summer Research Internship! Tiago was selected for a full-time eight-and-a-half-week summer position in the Central Convergence Research Experiences for Undergraduates (CC-REU) at Central Washington University. Tiago worked with mentor Dr. Brandy Wiegers on summer 2023 research, “An Androgen-Dependent Mathematical Model of the Menstrual Cycle“. … Read more
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EWU McNair Scholar Claudio Escalante Completes Summer Research Internship
Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Claudio Escalante for completing his Summer Research Internship! Claudio worked with mentor Dr. Tamara Kinzer-Ursem on his summer 2023 research,”Particle Separation: Harnessing Inertial Microfluids for Precise Particle Sorting”. His research was presented August 16, 2023 at the McNair Summer Research Symposium. In Summer 2023, Claudio attended Purdue University‘s Tier … Read more
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EWU McNair Scholar Saul Bautista Completes Summer Research
Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Saul Bautista for completing his Summer Research with Dr. Ann C. Le Bar! Saul was one of six students selected for a research position through Hanford National Park spanning from June-August 2023. Having supplied plutonium for the Manhattan project, the Tri-Cities, WA site investigated the community impacts. Saul focused on … Read more
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EWU McNair Scholar Richard Murphy Completes Summer Research Internship
Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Richard Murphy for completing his McNair Summer Research Internship! He worked with mentor Professor Tom Hawley, PhD on his summer 2023 research, “Economics Over All: How Neoliberalism Creates Exclusivist Moralities in an Age of Responsibilization”. Richard’s research was presented August 16, 2023 at the McNair Summer Research Symposium. Pulling … Read more
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EWU McNair Scholar Terreca DeFehr Completes Summer Research Internship
Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Terreca DeFehr for completing her McNair Summer Research Internship! She worked with Dr. Jill Seiver on her summer 2023 research, “Worklife Balance.” Her research was presented on August 16, 2023, at the McNair Summer Research Symposium. Terreca’s research expanded the findings of an existing dataset (N= 508) from Seiver and … Read more
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EWU McNair Scholar Brendan Roof Completes Summer Research Internship
Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Brendan Roof for completing his McNair Summer Research Internship! He worked with mentor Dr. Paul Linholdt on his summer 2023 research, “The Other: Truth, Morality, and Bulosan’s Heart“. His research was presented August 16, 2023 at the McNair Summer Research Symposium. Brendan explored how Carlos Bulosan, and his seminal work, … Read more
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McNair Alum Illuminate the Graduate School Experience
What a joy to see the faces of 6 former EWU McNair Scholars all on the same screen this summer! As a part of the culminating weeks of our intensive McNair Summer Research Internship that includes daily graduate school application and preparation seminars, these brilliant alumni joined us to share their insights and experiences as … Read more
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EWU McNair Scholar Brendan Roof Honored with Nick Begich Scholarship
Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Brendan Roof! Brendan has been awarded the Nick Begich Scholarship. This scholarship was created to carry on the ideals of the late Congressman Nicholas J. Begich from Alaska, who came to the state in 1956 as a teacher and believed that education was both a right and a privilege, one that must … Read more
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EWU McNair Scholar Brendan Roof Honored with Carol Kabat Baumann Scholarship
Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Brendan Roof! Brendan has been awarded the Carol Kabat Baumann Scholarship. This scholarship is for juniors or seniors majoring in education, with a public school emphasis and GPA’s at or above a 3.0. Brendan is a first-generation student majoring in Secondary English Education. He was raised in Ketchikan, Alaska and Memphis, Tennessee. … Read more
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EWU McNair Scholar Kelly Parke Honored with Robert & Joan Audree Morgan Nelson Scholarship
Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Kelly Parke! Kelly has been selected for the Robert & Joan Audree Morgan Nelson Scholarship for humanities majors. Kelly is currently in the midst of her EWU McNair Summer Research Internship exploring the impact of daily ableism on those with physical disabilities. She will submit her Institutional Review Board proposal … Read more
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EWU McNair Scholar Mary Belton Honored with Soaring Eagles Scholarship
Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Mary Belton! Mary has been selected for the Soaring Eagles Scholarship. The award is for juniors and seniors who have demonstrated grit towards attaining their degree. Mary is currently in the midst of her EWU McNair Summer Research Internship exploring Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway. On top of her classes, extra … Read more
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EWU McNair Scholar Devin Mumey Honored with Soaring Eagles Scholarship
Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Devin Mumey! Devin has been selected for the Soaring Eagles Scholarship. The award is for juniors and seniors who have demonstrated grit towards attaining their degree. Devin is currently in the midst of his second EWU McNair Summer Research Internship, while working part time, and preparing for an upcoming conference. He … Read more
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EWU McNair Scholars Receive Grants, Awards, Honors
Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholars Kelly Parke, tommyboiZ, and Richard Murphy! All three have been awarded grants, scholarships, and other honors. Kelly Parke received the Jeffers Chertok Memorial Scholarship for academic year 2023-2024 from the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. Kelly was nominated by Dr. Michael Zukosky in Anthropology. The Jeffers Chertok Memorial … Read more
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McNair Scholars Present Research to EWU Board of Trustees
Recently, McNair scholars Arcelia Madrigal and Sylvia Kennerly had the opportunity to present their research to the EWU Board of Trustees, to offer examples of the breadth and depth of undergraduate research being done at Eastern Washington University. Arcelia, a first-generation college student, will graduate from Eastern Washington University in Spring 2023 with a BA … Read more
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EWU McNair Scholar Tiago Correia Selected for REU at CWU
Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Tiago Correia! Tiago has been selected for a position in the Central Convergence Research Experiences for Undergraduates (CC-REU) at Central Washington University this summer. The program is a full-time eight-and-a-half-week summer research program. From the CC-REU website, this internship offers: …research across a broad range of mathematical topics including topology, number theory, … Read more
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EWU McNair Scholar Bakima Ssebanakitta Attends Rocky Mountain Psychological Association’s Conference
On April 13-15, EWU McNair Scholar (and future GSA!) Bakima Ssebanakitta attended the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association‘s 2023 conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Bakima presented in a group symposium with professor Dr. Jillene Seiver and fellow McNair Scholar Ian Campuzano on Executive Function, Emotional Regulation, and Coping with Traumatic Events. Bakima was most impressed by the … Read more
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McNair Scholars Connect with Research Librarians
Dr. Liya Deng recently visited our classroom to inform McNair Scholars of all the research resources available at the EWU Library. Dr. Deng discussed using Research Guides, Databases A-Z, Academic Search Ultimate, and JSTOR, and best practices for key words and filters. Dr. Deng has always provided McNair Scholars with kind and generous support on … Read more
Read MoreEWU McNair Scholar Marianna Fischer Attends the Viterbi STEP Workshop at USC
EWU McNair Scholar Marianna Fischer attended the Viterbi Graduate Step Toward Engineering Programs (STEP) Workshop at USC, April 27-28. The USC Viterbi School of Engineering paid for Marianna’s transportation and lodging to attend. From their website: The Viterbi Graduate Step Toward Engineering Programs (STEP) Workshop invites students to explore master’s and doctoral degree programs during … Read more
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EWU McNair Scholar Irie Browning Receives the Golden Eagle Award
Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Irie Browning! Irie has received the Golden Eagle Award from the EWU Retiree’s Association. The EWURA awards two Golden Eagle scholarships annually—one to a STEM student and one to an arts/humanities student. Candidates come from the general EWU scholarship application. The students who are awarded the scholarship attend the EWU retiree’s … Read more
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EWU McNair Scholar Malek Chreiki Accepted to MSU Doctoral Program in Chemical Engineering
Congratulations to McNair Scholar Malek Chreiki! In late breaking news, Malek has been accepted into the Ph.D. program in Chemical Engineering at Montana State University. He was also selected to receive a 2023-2024 Benjamin Ph.D. Fellowship, plus coverage of tuition/fees. This is the College of Engineering’s most prestigious award for entering Ph.D. students and Malek’s selection is a testament … Read more
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17 McNair Scholars Present at EWU’s 2023 Student Research & Creative Works Symposium
On May 10, EWU held the 2023 Student Research and Creative Works Symposium. The Symposium is back in person since 2022, allowing excellent shared engagement as scholars discussed their research (both proposed and completed) with fellow students, faculty, and the EWU community. Many scholars shared their work in poster format in the PUB, while others … Read more
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Makenna Tabino Selected as an EWU McNair Scholar and Awarded Summer Research Internship
Congratulations to new McNair Scholar Makenna Tabino! Makenna was selected by the McNair Scholars’ selection committee on the basis of her passion for research, commitment to attaining a PhD, and overall potential for success in graduate school. The federally-funded TRIO Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program at EWU selects motivated and talented juniors and seniors who … Read more
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EWU McNair Alumna Isaura Gallegos Doing Great Things!
We recently reached out to EWU McNair Alumna Isaura Gallegos and she gave us updates on her amazing work! Next fall, Isaura will be defending her PhD dissertation at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she has been doing research in Human Development, Learning and Teaching. She has already secured a post doc appointment at … Read more
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Tiago Correia Selected as an EWU McNair Scholar and Awarded Summer Research Internship
Congratulations to new McNair Scholar Tiago Correia! Tiago was selected by the McNair Scholars’ selection committee on the basis of his passion for research, commitment to attaining a PhD, and overall potential for success in graduate school. The federally-funded TRIO Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program at EWU selects motivated and talented juniors and seniors who … Read more
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Mai Peregrina Selected as an EWU McNair Scholar and Awarded Summer Research Internship
Congratulations to new McNair Scholar Mai Peregrina! Mai was selected by the McNair Scholars’ selection committee on the basis of her passion for research, commitment to attaining a PhD, and overall potential for success in graduate school. The federally-funded TRIO Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program at EWU selects motivated and talented juniors and seniors who are … Read more
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Kelly Parke Selected as an EWU McNair Scholar and Awarded Summer Research Internship
Congratulations to new McNair Scholar Kelly Parke! Kelly was selected by the McNair Scholars’ selection committee on the basis of her passion for research, commitment to attaining a PhD, and overall potential for success in graduate school. The federally-funded TRIO Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program at EWU selects motivated and talented juniors and seniors … Read more
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Terreca DeFehr Selected as an EWU McNair Scholar and Awarded Summer Research Internship
Congratulations to new McNair Scholar Terreca DeFehr! Terreca was selected by the McNair Scholars’ selection committee on the basis of her passion for research, commitment to attaining a PhD, and overall potential for success in graduate school. The federally-funded TRIO Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program at EWU selects motivated and talented juniors and seniors who … Read more
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EWU McNair Alumna Kianna Baker Awarded FORWARD Community Summer APEx Fellowship
Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Kianna (Key) Baker (2019)! Key has been awarded a FORWARD Community Summer APEx Fellowship with Family PEACE through the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in the Department of Sociomedical Sciences where she is earning her Master of Public Health with a certificate in Child, Youth, and Family Health. … Read more
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Alejandro Torres-Gonzalez Selected as an EWU McNair Scholar and Awarded Summer Research Internship
Congratulations to new McNair Scholar Alejandro Torres-Gonzalez! Alejandro was selected by the McNair Scholars’ selection committee on the basis of his passion for research, commitment to attaining a PhD, and overall potential for success in graduate school. The federally-funded TRIO Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program at EWU selects motivated and talented juniors and seniors … Read more
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Mary Belton Selected as an EWU McNair Scholar and Awarded Summer Research Internship
Congratulations to new McNair Scholar Mary Belton! Mary was selected by the McNair Scholars’ selection committee on the basis of her passion for research, commitment to attaining a PhD, and overall potential for success in graduate school. The federally-funded TRIO Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program at EWU selects motivated and talented juniors and seniors who … Read more
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Sylvia Kennerly Selected as an EWU McNair Scholar and Awarded Summer Research Internship
Congratulations to new McNair Scholar Sylvia Kennerly! Sylvia was selected by the McNair Scholars’ selection committee on the basis of her passion for research, commitment to attaining a PhD, and overall potential for success in graduate school. The federally-funded TRIO Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program at EWU selects motivated and talented juniors and seniors who … Read more
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EWU McNair Scholar Saul Bautista and Recruit Jules Amante Attend Phi Alpha Theta Conference
On April 21 and 22, EWU McNair Scholar Saul Bautista and McNair Recruit Jules Amante attended the Phi Alpha Theta Northwest Regional Conference at Central Washington University with EWU History professor Dr. Bill Youngs. Saul presented a paper based on his 2022 Summer Research project with mentor Dr. Joseph Lenti, El Indio Desplasado: The Historical Displacement … Read more
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Brendan Roof Selected as an EWU McNair Scholar and Awarded Summer Research Internship
Congratulations to new McNair Scholar Brendan Roof! Brendan was selected by the McNair Scholars’ selection committee on the basis of his passion for research, commitment to attaining a PhD, and overall potential for success in graduate school. The federally-funded TRIO Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program at EWU selects motivated and talented juniors and seniors who … Read more
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