To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Challenger tragedy, the West Virginia University McNair Scholars Program held its inaugural McNair reunion banquet on June 24, 2011. The successful event attracted more than 60 WVU McNair alumni and faculty. WVU President, Jim Clements, delivered an opening speech at the banquet. The night was filled with good food, laughter and memories. McNair alumni spoke about their journey and transformation from an undergraduate to a graduate student. The messages shared were inspiring to the new scholars who had just begun their pursuit of academic research. Guest speaker and McNair alumna, Dr. Brianne Williams, who received her Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from Old Dominion University in August 2010, spoke of the challenges that related to her doctoral program and how the McNair program had prepared her for those challenges. Among the audience members was the Keynote speaker of the evening, Carl McNair, brother of the late astronaut, Dr. Ronald E. McNair. The memorable evening ended with an open mic session. McNair Scholars had the opportunity to speak about the McNair program, what it meant to them, and how it has helped them to focus on their academic goals. McNair alumna, Dr. Eunice Rohrer, summed up the special occasion with these words: “The opportunity to see and hear from McNair Scholars from the past decade who had accomplished their dreams and become doctors, professors, and highly successful professionals was a tremendous blessing and an encouragement to all who attended. As each former scholar came to the podium to share, the room full of new scholars was breathlessly silent. Then the words of victory and encouragement to pursue dreams were met with a resounding applause from the audience. Carl McNair exhorted McNair Scholars in all phases of achievement to live to the fullest of their potential and hold nothing back." West Virginia University McNair Scholars Newsletter FALL 2011 VOLUME 12, ISSUE 1 First McNair Scholars Reunion Dr. Eunice Wine of 2001 (L) and Dr. Brianne Williams of 2003 (R) were among the first McNair alumni to have proudly attained their doctorates. 2011 McNair Scholar, Matt Bologna, greeted WVU President Clements at the reception. 2010 McNair Scholar, Tahrea Flemming, pictured with Carl McNair
Transcript
To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the
Challenger tragedy, the West Virginia University
McNair Scholars Program held its inaugural McNair
reunion banquet on June 24, 2011. The successful event
attracted more than 60 WVU McNair alumni and
faculty. WVU President, Jim Clements, delivered an
opening speech at the banquet. The night was filled with
good food, laughter and memories. McNair alumni
spoke about their journey and transformation from an
undergraduate to a graduate student. The messages
shared were inspiring to the new scholars who had just
begun their pursuit of academic research.
Guest speaker and McNair alumna, Dr. Brianne Williams, who received her Ph.D. in Aerospace
Engineering from Old Dominion University in August 2010, spoke of the challenges that related to her
doctoral program and how the McNair program had prepared her for those challenges. Among the
audience members was the Keynote speaker of the evening, Carl McNair, brother of the late astronaut,
Dr. Ronald E. McNair. The memorable evening ended with an open mic session. McNair Scholars had
the opportunity to speak about the McNair program, what it meant to them, and how it has helped them
to focus on their academic goals.
McNair alumna, Dr. Eunice Rohrer, summed up the special occasion with these words: “The
opportunity to see and hear from McNair Scholars from the past decade who had accomplished their
dreams and become doctors, professors, and highly successful professionals was a tremendous blessing
and an encouragement to all who attended. As each former scholar came to the podium to share, the
room full of new scholars was breathlessly silent. Then the words of victory and encouragement to
pursue dreams were met with a resounding applause from the audience. Carl McNair exhorted McNair
Scholars in all phases of achievement to live to the fullest of their potential and hold nothing back."
West Virginia University
McNair Scholars Newsletter
FALL 2011 VOLUME 12, ISSUE 1
First McNair Scholars Reunion
Dr. Eunice Wine of 2001 (L) and Dr. Brianne
Williams of 2003 (R) were among the first McNair
alumni to have proudly attained their doctorates.
2011 McNair Scholar, Matt Bologna, greeted
WVU President Clements at the reception.
2010 McNair Scholar, Tahrea Flemming, pictured
with Carl McNair
McNair Graduating Class of May 2011
Congratulations and best of luck to our May 2011 graduates. Pictured front row (L-R): Ashtin Larkin, Can-
dice Arnwine, Leah Lowe, and Taylor Mikalik; back row (L-R): Honietia Morgan, Melinda Evick, Sonia Ha-
midi, Alexandra Castillo, and Adil Moghal. Their graduation banquet was held on April 17, 2011.
Alexandra Castillo and Adil
Moghal are both attending The
Ohio State University doctorate
programs in Political Science and
Biochemistry respectively. Leah
Lowe, Candice Arnwine and
Taylor Mikalik are begining their
master’s studies in Social Work at
WVU. Sonia Hamidi is pursuing
her Doctor of Audiology degree at
WVU. Ashtin Larkin is returning
to the west coast to pursue a
master’s degree in Criminal Justice
at California State University -
Long Beach.
2011 Doctoral Recipients
We are proud to report that three of our alumni
received their doctorates in August, 2011: Dr.
Eunice Wine (2001), Dr. Katrina McCoy (2004),
and Dr. Amy Ritterbusch (2004).
Dr. Eunice Wine (pictured on right) graduated
from Old Dominion University with a Ph.D. in
Higher Education Administration. Dr. Amy Ritter-
busch received her doctorate in International Rela-
tions from Florida International University
(pictured on left with advisor Dr. Patricia Price)
and recently accepted a tenure-track position at
Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia,
where she continues the line of research that she
started as a McNair Scholar. Dr. Katrina McCoy
graduated with a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from
West Virginia University.
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Conference and Campus Visits
(Pictured right) As one of ten students on the WVU Microgravity re-search team, Sunny Narayanan (2008) traveled to Houston and partic-ipated in a NASA-sponsored program that gave students from across the country a shot at designing, flying, and evaluating a reduced grav-ity experiment. “It is hard to describe the feeling of weightlessness. It was an amazing experience, and I hope one day I may have similar opportunities to being weightless in microgravity.” Sunny Narayanan
(Not Pictured) Namratha Sastry was one of nine students selected from across the nation to have participated in the NIH 2011 Summer Research Internship in Bethesda, MD. Upon return, Namratha said this about the summer experience: “I learned a lot about my career goals, but I think that the most exciting part of the summer was being able to meet so many new and wonderful people. While working with my cohort, I learned so much about myself. The learning experience was worth more than any academic experience I've had so far.”
Ciera Nicholson:
“Tufts University
was an awesome
trip. I would
recommend future scholars go on
this trip because it gives them the
opportunity to get outside of their
comfort zone and become more
open-minded about the types of
schools to which to apply.
Thanks for the opportunity to go
on this trip.”
McNair Scholars Outside of the Classroom
Toba Adewusi:
“Speaking with other
scholars, staff, and
hearing about graduate
school experiences armed me for my
journey to graduate school. Knowing
how much of a toll graduate school
may take on you is a plus, but to
know that our directors and faculty
believed we could do this was where
the confidence stemmed from. The
conference imbued me with more
pride as a McNair Scholar.”
Shawnna Mullenax:
“The Penn State
McNair Conference
was helpful to my
professional development...The big-
gest benefit I gained from it was
preparation for my own presentation
at a future McNair conference. Now
I can visualize myself presenting at
not only a McNair conference, but a
conference as a future graduate stu-
dent or professor.”
(Pictured left) The 2010 Scholars
presented their McNair research
projects at the Penn State Univer-
sity McNair Conference in July, as
the newly admitted 2011 Scholars
were introduced to the dynamics
of oral and poster presentations at
the national level.
Four scholars had the opportunity
to visit Tufts University in Boston
during the summer. Their individ-
ual perspective regarding the sum-
mer research conference and cam-
pus visit are shared below:
All Connected by the McNair Scholars Program
The following alumni will begin their graduate studies in the fall of 2011:
Becky Charneskie (2005) – Ph.D. in Ecological Sciences at Old Dominion University
Nicholas Fagundo (2007) – Master’s in Theory and Criticism at the University of Western Ontario
Wenda Harris (2002) – Ph.D. in Urban Education at Temple University
Rose Mazza (2003) – Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction at WVU
Jesse Potts (2007) – Ph.D. in English at University of Maryland, College Park
Toby Vernon (2007) – Dual Law/MPA at Virginia Commonwealth University
Recent Graduates:
Kayla Tutalo – Master’s in Mass Communication and Media Studies from Howard University
Joey Bailey – Master’s in Public Policy at University of Maryland, College Park
During the 2011 summer term, the WVU McNair Scholars Program
and the Office of Graduate Education and Life cohosted the Kent
State University McNair Scholars for a campus visit. Scholars from
both McNair programs enjoyed meeting each other for the first time
and sharing their McNair experiences. The Kent State Scholars also
had the opportunities to meet with WVU graduate faculty to explore
programs of their interest, heard from a graduate student panel, and
toured the campus. The visit ended with a delicious lunch enjoyed
by all those in attendance.
Alumni News
McNair Publications
Two of our McNair alumni, Heather Washington (2005) and Yolanda Wiggins (2008), have had their hard work paid
off. Congratulations from the West Virginia McNair staff! We are so proud of you both! Their publications can be
found:
(2008). Woldoff, Rachael A. and Heather M. Washington. “Arrested Contact: The
Criminal Justice System, Race, and Father Engagement.” The Prison Journal
88: 179-206.
(2011). Woldoff, Rachael A., Yolanda M. Wiggins, and Heather M. Washington. “Black
Collegians at A Rural PWI: Toward A Place-Based Understanding of Black
Students’ Adjustment to College.” Journal of Black Studies XX(X): 1–33 DOI: 10.1177/0021934711400741.
Heather Washington was also awarded the Minority Fellowship Program Pre-doctoral Fellowship by the American So-
ciological Association, in addition to the American Society of Criminology Minority Fellowship.
Meet the 2011 West Virginia University McNair Scholars
2011 McNair Scholars
Name Major Hometown Faculty Mentor
Olutoba Adewusi Psychology Laurel, MD Dr. Daniel McNeil
Matthew Bologna Biology Dunbar, WV Dr. X. Michael Shi
Joy Cox Communication Studies Johnstown, PA Dr. Melanie Booth-Butterfield
Juan Franco Coronado Horticulture Altadena, CA Dr. Vagner Benedito
Jocelyn Ellis (Not pictured) Public Relations Charleston, WV Dr. Adam Henry
Nicole Fuller History and Anthropology Morgantown, WV Dr. Kate Staples
Michael Ibekwe Exercise Physiology Austell, GA Dr. Paul Chantler
Shawn Jeffries Forestry Cumberland, MD Dr. John Brooks
Kristen Meadows Advertising Hinton, WV Dr. Jensen Moore-Copple
Mikhael King International Studies Ranson, WV Dr. Karleen West
Shawnna Mullenax Political Science Huttonsville, WV Dr. Karleen West
Ciera Nicholson Sport/Exercise Psychology Martinsburg, WV Dr. Jack Watson
Hashmiru Sesay Nursing Stafford, VA Dr. Ruth Kershner
Tandra Sias Criminology Weston, WV Dr. Aaron Metzger
Front row (L to R): Nicole Fuller, Kristen Meadows, Shawn Jeffries, Tandra Sias, Joy Cox, and Shawnna Mullenax.
Back row (L to R): Hashmiru Sesay, Mikhael King, Ciera Nicholson, Michael Ibekwe, Juan Franco Coronado,
