Article By: Staff
Brisaac Johnson conducted research on mammography machines. Ximena Luna, Naomy Huaman, Haley Shea Barfield and John Blessing won prestigious national scholarships. Brooke Tate conducted chemistry research at the University of Connecticut, Jerry Magana completed math research at Arizona State University and Cory Duckworth conducted research on honeybees at Stanford University.
While the academic pursuits of these students at the University of North Georgia (UNG) differ, their impressive resumes share one thing in common other than their school — they are scholars in the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program. Now in its third year, the program is designed to identify and prepare sophomores, juniors and seniors from all UNG campuses for post-graduate studies through involvement in research and other scholarly activities.
The current 18 McNair Scholars are succeeding. Since the program launched at UNG in fall 2017, several McNair Scholars have participated in undergraduate research projects and presented at conferences. In spring 2019, two McNair Scholars won national scholarships, including UNG's first Truman and Goldwater Scholars.
"This is an exciting time, as the director, to watch each student blossom into their potential and I truly believe each scholar is a superstar!" said Iris Royal, program director of the McNair Scholars at UNG. "I expect to see more scholars encouraged to apply and awarded these prestigious scholarships, as well as participate in REUs and travel abroad."
Consider the long and impressive list of accomplishments by the current scholars:
As McNair Scholars, students are matched with faculty members to conduct scholarly research and establish a formalized mentoring program, said Royal, a McNair Scholars alumna. Faculty members mentor students in their research and help them build their skills to enroll in graduate school with confidence, she said.
"The success of UNG McNair Scholars is a direct result of the UNG faculty mentors who are dedicated to the success of their mentee," she said. "And the entire McNair staff is dedicated to provide an environment for our scholars to excel beyond their own expectations."
McNair Scholars also receive GRE preparation, application fee waivers and a stipend of up to $2,500.
Most participants are either first-generation college students or members of a group traditionally underrepresented in graduate education, such as African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Hispanic/Latino, and Pacific Islander, who have shown strong academic potential.
Current McNair Scholars include: Barfield, Blessing, Chasen Rivard Campbell, Malik Crandon, Duckworth, Hayes, Naomy Huaman, Johnson, Destiny Kelly, Luna, Jerry Magana, Jacob Cruz Malimban, Jessica Nix, Antonia Ramirez, Tate, Brittany Thomas, Jeffrey Yaun, and Grant Zacher.
Applications to become a McNair Scholars are due Monday, Oct. 21. Applicants must have 60 hours or more of course credit and plan to earn a doctoral degree. For more information, email mcnair@ung.edu.