Before you can make a dream come true, you must first have one Ronald E. McNair Messages from McNair McNair Scholars Program University of North Dakota Upcoming Events Issue 64 Congratulations Graduates Spring 2017 June 27 to August 3 Orientation to the Grad School Process Class June Monthly Meeting TBA July Monthly Meeting TBA Hello, my name is Kelsey Butler. I was born in Grand Forks, but I grew up in Reynolds, North Dakota. I graduated this past May with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology with a minor in American Sign Language and Deaf Studies. Aside from school, I enjoy my part time job, watching Netflix, hanging out with my friends, and snuggling my cat. I am grateful to be a part of the McNair Program and for all of the opportunities it has brought for me. I am accepted into the Master of Counseling program here at UND and will be starting this fall. Hello my name is Shelley Davis. I am from New Town, ND. I returned to school in the fall of 2010 and spent some time figuring out what I wanted to do when I grow up and finally decided on majoring in Physics with an emphasis in the astrophysics area. I am currently working on research on extrasolar planets with my mentor, Dr. Tim Young. I will be graduating in August 2017 with a bachelor s degree in physics and plan to continue on in pursuit of a doctorate in physics. Inside this issue: Welcome New Scholars 3 23rd Annual McNair Forum 4 Special Thanks to McNair Mentors 5 La Jaun Willis III News Words for Wits 6 5 Hello, my name is Dylan Gott. I was born in Austin, Texas and grew up in Grand Forks, North Dakota. I obtained my Associates in Arts degree during my time in the United States Marine Crops. I graduated in December 2016 with a Bachelor of Accountancy and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Banking and Financial Economics. I am currently an accountant at Redpath and Company, Ltd. In the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Eventually I plan on pursuing a Master s of Science in Applied Economics, and subsequently my Ph.D. in Accountancy. I ultimately plan to be a professor of Accountancy, preferable in the St. Paul area. I enjoy reading, scuba diving, motorcycles, traditional straight razor shaving, and a good scotch. My name is Conniel Green. I am from Newark, New Jersey and graduated in May with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Information Systems. Through my McNair experiences, I am a strong believer in the opportunity that the McNair Scholars program provides to people like myself. I have been thinking about graduate school for a few semesters now but I did not understand the process, but now, because of the program, I believe that I can earn a Ph.D. I am currently applying to various graduate programs in Computer Science.
PAGE 2 Hello, my name is Tiffany Huwe. I graduated this past May in Molecular and Integrative Biology. My research interests are in global health and neurologic disease. I worked with Dr. Ghribi s neuropharmacology lab to determine the cellular effects of 24- hydroxycholesterol on activity of the estrogen receptor beta, which has implications for the treatment and prevention of Alzheimer s disease, Parkinson s disease, and multiple sclerosis. The next step in my educational growth is attending Notre Dame for a Masters in Global Health and eventually researching and designing evidence-based programs to promote health. Hello my name is Manna Khan. I am a nontraditional student born and raised in Bangladesh. Twenty years later, I graduated in May with a Bachelor of Science in Geography (with an emphasis on environmental geography) and a minor in Sustainability. I would like to further explore my passion and curiosity in environmental science by pursuing a Ph.D. in the field of Earth System Science and policy. I will start this process by beginning my Masters in Geography at UND this fall. Attending school is challenging in terms of finance and opportunity. I am thankful to be a part of the McNair program. This program has helped me to develop my knowledge through research, seminars and workshops related to graduate education. It allows me to establish an effective working relationship with a professor. I would like to thank my mentor, Dr. Christopher Atkinson for being patient and helpful to my research projects. Hello my name is Sandi Kruse. I graduated this past May with degrees in English and Women and Gender Studies as a member of the Honors Program. While at UND I have been involved in College Democrats, The Third Wave, and Adelphi Literary Society. Next year, I will be attending Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA for a Masters in Literary and Cultural Studies. My research has ranged from Postcolonial studies to Feminist Theory to North Dakota History. I intend to specialize in Early 20th Century American Literature. Hello my name is Kelsey Morin. I graduated this past May. I double majored in Biology and Psychology, with minors in American Indian Studies and Chemistry. This Fall, I will be attending UND in the Biology Ph.D. program, and plan to study blood parasite transmission. My overall goal is to use my education to make a positive impact on the Turtle Mountain Reservation where I grew up. While in the Turtle Mountains, I aspire to be an educator, researcher, and mentor advocating for higher education Hello My name is Gavin Nadeau. I am a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. I graduated in May 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and American Indian Studies. After graduating, I plan on furthering my education and earning my Ph.D., I plan to move back to the Turtle Mountains to help make a positive impact. I aspire to be an educator, mentor, leader, and advocator for and within higher education. I will be attending UND this fall in the Educational Leadership graduate program. Hello my name is Tori Plant. I am a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. I graduated in May with Bachelors degrees in Psychology and American Indian Studies. Next fall I will begin the Clinical Psychology Doctoral program at the University of North Dakota. The McNair program provided a lot of guidance through the graduate school application process and given me an opportunity to conduct research which gave me valuable experience that will be very helpful throughout graduate school and my career.
PAGE 3 Hello my name is Alex Rehovsky. I graduated in May with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Biology. During my time in McNair I participated in a variety of research. Currently, I am conducting my own research regarding a possible connection between neuropsychology and eating disorders. I will be attending UND s Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program this coming fall. My goal is to graduate and work as a psychologist at a women s shelter. Hello, my name is La Jaun Willis III. I was raised in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. I graduated in May with triple majors in Sociology, Philosophy, and Communications. In the past five years, I have had the opportunity to purse professional and career goals in South Korea, Washington D.C., California, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Through these experiences, I gained a new perception of life, which has helped to solidify my decision to purse a Ph.D. in Sociology. Ultimately, my goal is to address racial and social injustices, in hopes to cultivate an atmosphere of social cohesion. I plan to accomplish this by working as a Sociology professor and specializing in race/ethnic studies and social cohesion. In the few years I have been a part of McNair, I have benefited from the program exponentially. Moving forward, I am excited to develop myself as an applied-researcher and take the next steps toward my Ph.D. I will be attending New Mexico State University s Sociology graduate program. Welcome New Scholars Hello! My name is Amber Bontrager. I m a junior here at UND, a wife, and a mother of the sweetest little five year old girl. My major is anthropology and my dream is to one day earn my doctorate and become an archaeologist specializing in bioarchaeology. I absolutely love the idea that we tell a story with our lives, and as an archaeologist I hope to help uncover our collective human history. I m so excited to be a part of this program and I look forward to working with you all. Hello everyone! My name is Isnino Shukri, but I go by Nina. I m entering my senior year in the fall here at UND. I transferred here Fall of 2015 from the University of Alaska where I got to enjoy the very cold, but scenic views! What can I say I love cold places, because they come with amazing summers. I am currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Communications. I am a first generation American, and college student! My hobbies include Netflix, cooking, face timing my best friends who happen to be my sisters, and reading fantasy novels. I m really excited to participate in the McNair program this year! I also plan, and hope to obtain a Ph.D. in Higher Education. We also welcome Jace Dukart and Ayla Morehouse! They will be featured in our next newsletter.
PAGE 4 23rd Annual McNair Banquet
PAGE 5 A special thanks to those who served as McNair mentors during 2016-2017: Christopher Atkinson Geography.Scholar Manna Khan Catherine Brissette Biomedical Sciences.Scholar Jessica Fairley Nikki Berg Burin History.Scholar Flint Devine & Sandra Kruse Ric Ferarro Psychology.Scholar Alexandra Rehovsky David Flynn Economics.Scholar Dylan Gott Othman Ghribi Biomedical Sciences.Scholar Tiffany Huwe Birgit Hans Indian Studies.Scholars Gavin Nadeau, Sashay Schettler & Caitlyn Shoulder Wendelin Hume Criminal Justice.Scholar Jason Cooper & Selena Garza Assion Lawson-Body Information Systems.Scholar Conniel Green Liz Legerski Sociology.Scholar La Jaun Willis III Doug McDonald Psychology.Scholar Tori Plant Michael Minnotte Mathematics.Scholar Thomas Devine Matthew Notbohm Accountancy.Scholar Jace Dukart Tom Petros Psychology.Scholar Kelsey Butler Joelle Ruthig Psychology.Scholar Jordan Rudnik Cheryl Terrance Psychology.Scholar Noël Couch Rebecca Weaver-Hightower English.Scholar Sandra Kruse Jefferson Vaughan Biology.Scholar Kelsey Morin Tim Young Physics.Scholar Shelley Davis Ryan Zerr Mathematics.Scholar Thomas Devine La Juan Willis III News La Jaun s research journal entry, Hope for a Better Nation? Variations in Attitudes by Income and Race/Ethnicity has been selected to be published in the 2017 Ronald E. McNair Symposium Journal published by UC Berkeley. The journal editors stated that, This is no small accomplishment, and we hope that you feel proud of the academic and emotional labor that you invested in this article.
Ronald E. McNair Program University of North Dakota 2891 2nd Avenue North Stop 9027 Grand Forks, ND 58202 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Phone: 701-777-4931 Fax: 701-777-3627 McNair Staff: Derek Sporbert TRIO Project Director derek.sporbert@und.edu Patrice Giese McNair Assistant Director patrice.giese@und.edu Jill Teters McNair Program Coordinator jill.teters@und.edu Words for Wits Improve your GRE vocabulary by matching the following words and definitions: 1) Purloin a. 2) Ultracrepidarian b. A cat. Noting or pertaining to a person who criticizes, judges, or gives advice outside the area of his or her expertise. 3) Slumberous c. Of the highest kind, quality, or order; surpassing all else or others. 4) Moggy d. Someone who is opposed or resistant to new technologies or technological change. 5) Slacktivism e. To take dishonestly; steal; filch; pilfer. 6) Zugzwang f. Sleepy; heavy with drowsiness. 7) Luddite g. 8) Superlative h. Actions taken to bring about political or social change but requiring only minimal commitment, effort, or risk. Chess. A situation in which a player is limited to moves that cost pieces or have a damaging positional effect. Answers: 1)e.; 2)a.; 3)f.; 4) b.; 5)g.; 6) h.; 7)d.; and 8)c..