Sonoma State’s McNair Scholars launched into competitive academic programs
Underrepresented student acceptances into postgraduate studies, summer research and institutes announced
Sonoma State McNair Scholars earning bachelor’s degrees this month are heading to doctoral programs at Columbia University and the University of Texas at Austin, among others, and to master’s programs across the country.
Placements for SSU juniors in the program include the Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics (ICERM) at Brown University, the Amgen Scholars Program with Stanford’s Summer Research Program, and a variety of field-related research initiatives.
Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the goal of the McNair Scholars Program is to increase graduate degree awards for students from underrepresented segments of society. At Sonoma State, 27 students per academic year are given opportunities to conduct faculty-mentored research, travel, and get support in applying to graduate schools.
“I’ve started to learn what it means to be a scholar,” said Ismael Lopez, a first-generation student who will be studying for a Ph.D. in sociology at UT Austin. He said he’s been able to conduct his own research project and contribute to others, and was asked to present at regional sociological conferences in Washington, D.C. and San Diego.
“We are so proud of what these students have been able to achieve, and commend the faculty who have mentored and connected them to opportunities all along the way,” said Daniel Malpica, Director of the McNair Scholars Program at Sonoma State.
“The drive and outstanding performance of these scholars has led to their acceptances to extremely competitive graduate and research programs,” he said.
McNair Scholars have chosen the following programs for graduate study and undergraduate research experiences:
Doctoral Studies
- Lily Harmon, Ph.D. in Chemistry, University of Colorado Boulder
- Ismael Lopez, Ph.D. in Sociology, University of Texas at Austin
- Serena Pen, Ph.D.in Biological Sciences, Columbia University
- Christian Quintero, Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Davis
- Alexa Rayas, Ph.D.in Educational Psychology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Master’s Studies
- Matthew Bivens-Sommerville, Master of Arts in Gender, Race, and Identity, University of Nevada, Reno
- Bryan Carreto Colorado, Master of Arts in Industrial Organizational Psychology, San Jose State University
- Jordan David, Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology, University of Missouri
- Shane Vistalli-Alvarado, Master of Science in Biological Sciences, Dominican University
- Daniel Voisine, Master of Education in Urban Education, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Research Experiences for McNair Scholar Juniors
- Amgen Scholars Program, Stanford Summer Research Program
Alejandra Johnson
- Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics (ICERM) at Brown University
Andres Castellanos and Bryce Iverson
- Summer Opportunities in Agriculture Research and the Environment: Strategic Work in Applied Geosciences at the University of Maryland
Edgar Munoz Corona
- MESA Fellows Summer Undergraduate Research
Jared Iverson and Faviola Sanchez
- SSU McNair Summer Research Initiative
Joselyn Serrano Gutierrez
Vanessa Sanchez
Nicolina Sandoval
- SSU Social Sciences Undergraduate Research Initiative
Vivian Miramontes
Fernando Pimentel
T.J. Sims
McNair Scholar Faculty Mentors
Dr. Emily Asencio
Dr. Sandra Ayala
Dr. Alexis Boutin
Dr. Matthew Callahan
Dr. Kyla Doughty
Dr. Steven Farmer
Dr. Ben Ford
Dr. Lisa Hua
Dr. Joseph Lin
Dr. Andy Martinez
Dr. James Mestaz
Dr. Bogdan Negru
Dr. Teresa Nguyen
Dr. Omayra Ortega
Dr. Nathan Rank
Dr. Heather Smith
Dr. Elisa Velasquez
Dr. Natalia Villanueva-Nieves