Psychology faculty member Debra Hope and 27 students were recognized by the McNair Scholars Program on April 24.
The program, named for astronaut Ronald E. McNair, encourages first generation and underrepresented college students to expand their educational opportunities and pursue graduate studies.
Hope received the Faculty Mentor Appreciation Award. She has mentored three former McNair Scholars who have all gone on to earn their PhDs. Her former mentees describe her as dedicated, a phenomenal role model, and pivotal to their success as a graduate student. One mentee wrote that Hope made her feel like she had what it takes to complete a PhD, even when she wasn't sure herself.
Arts and Sciences scholars are listed with their undergraduate majors and faculty mentors:
- Jennifer (Milliman) Andersen, Psychology; advisor Dr. Eve Brank, Psychology
- Kaylor Caldwell, Psychology; advisor Dr. Eve Brank, Psychology
- Amanda Dale, Psychology; advisor Dr. Sarah Gervais, Psychology
- Jaquelin Garcia-Castorena, Biochemistry; advisor Dr. Wayne Riekhof, Biological Sciences
- Kassie Guenther, Psychology; advisor Dr. Timothy Nelson, Psychology
- Marco Gullickson, Psychology; advisor Dr. Sarah Gervais, Psychology
- Bryan Hermosillo, Geology; advisor Dr. David Watkins, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
- Erandi Herndon, Psychology & Spanish; advisor Dr. Cynthia Willis-Esqueda, Psychology
- William Lambert, Chemistry; advisor Dr. Patrick Dussault, Chemistry
- José Lemus, Economics & Global Studies; advisor Dr. Hendrik van den Berg, Economics
- Andreas Miles-Novelo, Psychology; advisor Dr. Sarah Gervais, Psychology
- Dina Morales, Psychology; advisor Dr. Jeffrey Stevens, Psychology
- Nhat Nguyen, Biochemistry; advisor Dr. Alexander Sinitskii, Chemistry
- David Pacheco, Mathematics; advisor Dr. Carl Nelson, Mechanical & Materials Engineering
- Olivia Reinert-Gehman, Psychology; advisor Dr. Scott Stoltenberg, Psychology
- Adrienne Ricker, Biology & Geology; advisor Dr. Jason Head, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
- A. Michelle Rogers, Biological Sciences; advisor Dr. Charles Wood, Biochemistry & Biological Sciences
- Megan Smith, Biochemistry & Microbiology; advisor Dr. Nicole Buan, Biochemistry
- Elia Soto, Biochemistry & Psychology; advisor Dr. Jennifer Mize Nelson, Psychology
- Alyssa Yeates, Biological Sciences; advisor Dr. Melanie Simpson, Biochemistry
The program has served 259 students since it began at UNL in 1995. Excluding the 27 current Scholars, 226 – or 97 percent – have earned bachelor’s degrees. Twenty-five UNL McNair alumni have achieved their Ph.D., 113 have earned master’s degrees; and 18 have earned professional degrees. Currently, 27 UNL McNair alumni are enrolled in Ph.D. Programs across the country, 9 are actively pursuing master’s degrees, and 3 are pursuing professional doctorates.
