Despite challenges, our McNair Scholars continued to shine
in 2020-2021!
We have now graduated two cohorts since Covid-19 moved us to a virtual world in 2020! While we were unable to conduct all our business as usual, we worked hard to provide our Scholars with a McNair experience that was as close to our traditions as possible. We continued with our primarily in-person weekly classes, prepared Scholars to present their faculty mentored research projects at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR), the University of Maryland National McNair Conference, and the SOURCE here on campus. We also planned a hybrid End-of-Year Celebration in April to recognize each graduating senior and other Scholars who have completed all McNair coursework. We acknowledged outstanding Scholars (Scholar of the Year, Outstanding First Year Scholar, etc.) and faculty and graduate student mentors. The evening was filled with accolades, personal expressions, laughter, hugs, and sad goodbyes.
Twelve Scholars graduated in May and most will be starting graduate programs in the fall. We are very proud to have our third Scholar, Ms. Toni Sleugh, to receive the prestigious NSF GRFP Fellowship. Toni will begin her graduate school journey as a doctoral student in Marine Biology at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. Other highlights from this year’s graduating cohort include our first enrollees at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (Antonio), the University of Washington (Jennifer), the University of Arkansas Fayetteville (Aridania), UC San Diego (Toni), and the University of Nebraska Omaha (Liliana). Several Scholars, including the five mentioned above, received and accepted offers from their first choice programs. See the list of all graduates below.
As we begin working with our rising seniors this summer on their graduate application preparation, we are planning for a new and much more engaging 2021-22 academic year. Sixteen new Scholars will begin this fall and 21 will be continuing into their second year with us. We are looking forward to helping our new Scholars build a cohort community and supporting our continuing Scholars as they strengthen existing relationships.
Finally, a very special thank you to an excellent team of professionals (Ashley Garrin, Arnold Woods, Erin Todey, and Lynn Lundy Evans) who continue to demonstrate commitment and passion for the work that we do to support students. You inspire me every day!
Have a great summer!
Thelma Harding, Director
“Once McNair, Always McNair!
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McNair Celebration of Seniors and Awardees
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Each year, we recognize our second-year Scholars and other awardees at our Annual Research Symposium. This year we combined our Symposium with our annual Senior Recognition Dinner and held an End of Year Celebration at Reiman Gardens. Below are some highlights of the event.
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Mentor of the Year Awards |
Graduate Student Mentors of the Year
McNair Scholars are paired with graduate students mentors where they learn about being a graduate student. The 2021 awardee was Carlos Vidales, Ph.D. student in Psychology. Carlos mentors McNair scholar Patricia Archilla, who states that Carlos provided useful feedback on her McNair and independent projects, is always available outside of their scheduled meeting times, and pushed her to aim higher than what she believed she could reach.
Thank you Carlos for your mentorship!
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Faculty Mentor of the Year
Faculty mentors play a crucial role in our Scholar’s success in research and graduate school preparation.
The 2021 faculty mentor award went to Dr. Jaime Juarez, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, and mentor to Antonio Alvarez Valdivia.
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Celeste Chadwick (Food Science) was awarded 2021Scholar of the Year for her outstanding academic work and research ability during the 2020-21 academic year. |
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Liliana Delgado (Math) was given the 2021 Remarkable Senior award by the McNair staff. Liliana has received numerous recognitions for her academic excellence and activism on campus. We are proud of all her work! |
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Alejandro Medina Valencia (Biology) was named 2021 Remarkable First-Year Scholar. Alejandro excelled despite the challenges of the hybrid learning model and we look forward to working with him and the rest of our first-year students, in a more normal year, starting Fall 2021. |
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Pedro Salazar Garcia (Mechanical Engineering) received recognition as an outstanding first-year transfer scholar. |
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Estefania Vizcarra (Biology) received recognition as an outstanding first-year transfer scholar. |
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Toni Sleugh (Biology) was named our 2021 Emerging McNair Leader. Keep reading below for more about Toni's outstanding achievements! |
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McNair Graduating Seniors. What is Next?
We are celebrating our 2021 graduates and are very excited about their next adventures! Check out below what they will be up to!
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Antonio Alvarez Valdivia – Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University
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Psalm Amos – Masters in Environmental Science, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign
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Antonio Ball – Ph.D. in Sociology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
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Sasha Celada will participate in the University of Illinois at Chicago, Biomedical Research Careers Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program for one year and will reapply to graduate school for fall 2022
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Celeste Chadwick will graduate May 2022 and will spend this summer as an intern with Kent Pet Group in Muscatine, Iowa
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Laurice Chewouo will search for full-time employment and will reapply to graduate school for fall 2022
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Claudia DeLeon – Masters in Animal Science, Iowa State University
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Liliana Delgado – Masters in Biomechanics, University of Nebraska Omaha
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Jesse Gallegos – will graduate December 2022
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Aridania Gerardo – Masters in Anthropology, University of Arkansas Fayetteville
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Donielle McGruder – Applying to the Resident Teacher Program at the Notre Dame of Maryland University
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Jennifer Ortiz – Ph.D. in Biology, University of Washington
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Ser Moo Paw – Masters of Education in Student Affairs, Iowa State University
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Jeremiah Reed – Masters in Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University
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Toni Sleugh – Ph.D. in Marine Biology, UC San Diego
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McNair Scholar Achievements |
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Our Scholars continue to be awarded for their research, scholarly achievements at ISU and nationally. Here are some of the awards our current Scholars have received: |
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Toni Sleugh (Biology) was featured on the Iowa State University webpage for her work in marine biology, as well as for receiving the prestigious National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF REU) Fellowship. You can read Toni's story here. |
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Kaitlyn Orear (Psychology) received first place in the Annual Psychology Department Power Competition. It’s an opportunity for Psychology undergraduates to present any research they completed that year. Due to COVID, the competition was online, and students submitted 5-minute videos in which they presented their research findings. Faculty and graduate students then evaluated the presentations, and Kaitlyn had the top-rated presentation. The title of her presentation was Assessing Description Quality in Contact Tracing Interviews.
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