One Step Forward With McNair
11/10/21
Ronald E. McNair
“Whether or not you reach your goals in life depends entirely on how well you prepare for them and how badly you want them. You're eagles! Stretch your wings and fly to the sky.”
Learning About the McNair Program
During my time as an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, I have been involved with programs such as The Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) and The Blugold Beginnings Learning Community (BBLC). Both programs provided services to enhance collegiate experiences for students of color. Through advising, advocacy, and outreach to help students excel individually and collectively within a diverse community. The Blugold Beginnings program allowed me to create interactive events and provide academic, social, and personal support to multicultural, first generation and economically disadvantaged students as a member and as an intern with this program. Throughout my experience within the BBLC program, I spoke with a colleague during a meeting after discussing my interests with my major and potentially attending graduate school. My colleague mentioned the McNair program and how another fellow BBLC member was involved with a program that provided her information on a preparatory grad school program. After reaching out to Ximona Pederson (cohort 21), I gained insight on the program and her experiences as a McNair scholar. After reaching out to Stephanus Badenhorst (cohort 20), I learned about these personal experiences with the program and how greatly it had benefited him piqued my interest. I spoke briefly about his research, and the posters around campus with his research outline and I found interest in joining a research opportunity It’s through these students and knowledge of the program that I wanted to be more involved.
My Involvement
I’ve always had an interest in school and my pursuit of graduate school was nevertheless the goal after undergraduate studies. During my involvement with The Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) and The Blugold Beginnings Learning Community (BBLC) I’ve learned the vision of the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program to closely align the vision of the other programs I’m currently involved in. The opportunity of first-generation, low-income students from racial and ethnic groups who are underrepresented in graduate programs to obtain a PhD increased my interest based on the similarities of these programs. Through my past experiences of navigating college through the guidance that OMA and BBLC has provided me, I believe that the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program would be the step forward in my academic career that will ultimately provide the resources and information that will build, create, and develop my character which allows me to become the best candidate for graduate schools. As an individual pursuing a PhD, it’s difficult to understand where to move forward with little guidance from family that has never pursued post undergraduate education. My involvement and pursuit of becoming a McNair Scholar became a goal through my application process during the upcoming 2021-2022 academic school year. Creating experiences through these programs built a community that greatly supports one another during this journey.
Cohort 23
