Pond's Ponder

Arguably, the greatest basketball player ever was Michael Jordon. I watched him as a college freshman at University of North Carolina, and as long as he was in the game, UNC was likely to win. He stated, “Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.”

Strive to be like Jordan and make it happen.

Spreading Joy One Stitch at a Time

Ms. Berlin McIntosh, Administrative Associate for the Department of Chemistry and Physics, has been hand-knitting and donating scarves and hats to WTAMU students for the past eight years—totaling several hundred items to date.



Her largest annual donation happens each January, right before the start of the spring semester. As a member of Beta Sigma Phi, Ms. McIntosh joins fellow members in placing hundreds of hand-knitted items at the Pedestrian Mall, free for students to take and stay warm through the season.

Beyond her contributions to students, Ms. McIntosh also knits thoughtful gifts for her coworkers in the WTAMU community.

Most recently, on February 18, 2025, she delivered three baskets of handmade items to student officers in the Natural Sciences, including the Student Representatives led by Ms. Joy Newton, the American Chemical Society Chapter led by Dr. Nick Flynn, and the Society of Physics Students led by Dr. Christopher Baird.

Fueling Academic Excellence

The Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program, known as the McNair Scholars Program, is a prestigious initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Named in honor of Dr. Ronald E. McNair, the second African American to pursue space travel, the program was established after his passing in the Challenger Space Shuttle Mission to support students from underrepresented backgrounds in pursuing doctoral studies.

WTAMU has proudly hosted the McNair Scholars Program since 1999, making it one of 23 programs in Texas and part of a national network of 189 programs across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. The program provides select undergraduate students with the opportunity to engage in graduate-level research and scholarly activities, fostering a strong foundation for future academic success.

Each spring semester, 15 students are selected for the program. These scholars conduct research under the mentorship of a faculty member, with projects running from May through mid-August.

This year, Eliz Miranda, Wildlife Biology senior, was awarded a McNair Scholarship to work with Dr. Dale Stevens, Assistant Professor of Biology, on a research project investigating black widow spiders.

Home Show Success

The WTAMU Equestrian English Team hosted a hunt seat show on February 15–16 at the WTAMU Horse Center, earning impressive team and individual honors. The team secured the title of Reserve High Point Team on Saturday and climbed to High Point Team on Sunday.

Across the two days of competition, the team tallied an impressive 45 top-five finishes, including 12 first places, 14 second places, six third places, seven fourth places, and six fifth places.

Notable first-place finishes included Ashlynn Albaugh, who won 1st in the Pre-Novice Flat on both days, Amber Cox in the Intro Flat, Hana Craycraft in the Limit Flat, and Brook Forsse in the Novice Flat. Gracie Weller took 1st in the Limit Fences, while Ryan Wight secured top honors in both the Open Flat and Open Fences. Leah Tate claimed 1st in the Limit Flat, Cat Borchardt won the Limit Fences, Caoimhe Benn-Rothstein took 1st in the Novice Flat, and Miranda Whitten achieved 1st place in the Intro Flat.

Congratulations to the team and all the riders on their outstanding performances!

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