UIW McNair Current Scholars
The McNair Scholars Program would like to share with you some major accomplishments of scholars, program graduates, and faculty mentors.
The University is proud of their achievements.
McNair Scholars 2008
Sondra Albarado
1st Year McNair Music Scholar
Katherine Bateman
1st Year McNair Mathematics Scholar
Summer 2007 topic: Fractals: A History
Presented the 2007 topic at the 10th Annual Texas National McNair Scholars' Research Conference at the University of North Texas in Spring 2008.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Zhanbo Yang, Associate Professor of Mathematics
Dr. Haoxuan Zhou, Professor of Mathematics
Dalia Bishop
1st Year McNair Philosophy Scholar
Theresa Bruce
1st Year McNair Psychology/Religious Studies Scholar
Samantha Buentello
1st Year McNair Nuclear Medicine/Biology Scholar
Jennifer Caraway
1st Year McNair Chemistry/Mathematics Scholar
Jessica Correa
1st Year McNair Communication Arts Scholar
Eduardo Gálan
2nd Year McNair Business Administration Scholar
Eleonora García
2nd Year McNair Psychology/Biology Scholar
Debbie Gómez
2nd Year McNair Psychology Scholar
Nicolas Gonzales
1st Year McNair English Scholar
Claudia Hernandez
1st Year McNair Mathematics Scholar
Christina Hill
1st Year McNair Nursing Scholar
Zhong Ting Lin
1st Year McNair International Business Scholar
Angélica Martínez
2nd Year McNair Business Administration Scholar
Jorge Adrian Ortiz
1st Year McNair Meteorology/Math Scholar
Nilsa Valle-Padilla
1st Year McNair Spanish Scholar
Carlo Reyes
2nd Year McNair Marketing Scholar
Summer 2007 topic: Social Entrepreneurial Business: A Case Study of the Guadalupe Street Coffee Company
Presented 2007 topic at the 10th Annual Texas National McNair Scholars' Research Conference at the University of North Texas in the Spring 2008.
Accepted for an internship by the Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities.
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sara Jackson, Instructor of International Business
Christian Ríos
3rd Year McNair Engineering Management Scholar
Summer 2007 topic:
Smooth Ride: Superpave and the Next Generation of Asphalt Mixtures
Presented 2007 topic at the 10th Annual Texas National McNair Scholars' Research Conference at the University of North Texas in Spring 2008.
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Alison Whittemore, Instructor of Engineering Management
María Robledo
2nd Year McNair Spanish Scholar
Summer 2007 topic:
The Representation of Women in the Poetry of Jaime Sabines
Presented 2007 topic at the 22nd National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) at Salisbury University in Salisbury, MD.
Presented 2007 topic at the 10th Annual Texas National McNair Scholars' Research Conference at the University of North Texas in Spring 2008.
Presented 2007 topic at the 13th Annual McNair Research Conference at University at Buffalo in Summer 2007.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Amalia Mondríguez
Nora Taylor
2nd Year McNair Business Finance Scholar
Summer 2007 topic: Increasing Hispanic Purchasing Power: A Time Series Analysis (1981-2005)
Presented 2007 topic at the 22nd National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) at Salisbury University in Salisbury, MD.
Presented 2007 topic at the 10th Annual Texas National McNair Scholars' Research Conference at the University of North Texas in Spring 2008.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Nursen Zanca, Associate Professor of Economics
Mayra Vásquez
3rd Year McNair Spanish/Education Scholar
Honora and Awards: Outstanding use of Spanish in Service to Community
Summer 2007 topic: The Importance of Honor and Honra in El Poema de Mío Cid
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Amalia Mondríguez, Professor of Foreign Language
2008 Graduate Scholars
Adriana Barrón, B.A. International Business, May 2008
Summer 2007 topic: Germany and E.U. Immigration: A Model for the U.S.?
Presented 2007 topic at the 2008 National Research Conference-McNair Scholars and Undergraduate Research at the University of Maryland in Spring 2008.
Presented 2007 topic at the 12th Annual Rocky Mountain McNair Research Symposium and Graduate Education Conference at Colorado State University in Fall 2007.
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sara Jackson, Instructor of International Business
Jessica Garza, B.A. Meteorology, May 2008
Summer 2007 topic: Cloud Seeding Effects and Processes
Presented 2007 topic at the 2008 National Research Conference-McNair Scholars and Undergraduate Research at the University of Maryland in Spring 2008.
Presented 2007 topic at the 10th Annual Texas National McNair Scholars' Research Conference at the University of North Texas in Spring 2008.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. William Thomann, Professor of Meteorology
Accepted to the MA in Meteorolgy program at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Accepted to the MA in Meterology program at Ioaw State University in Ames, Iowa.
Xavier Garza, B.A. Psychology, May 2008
Summer 2007: Selected by the University of North Carolina at Greensboro for an internship with Dr. Amber Tyler, a bio/psychology research scientist.
Summer 2006 topic: Hypnotizability Profiles of Participants with Chronic Pain
Presented 2006 topic at the 13th Annual SAEOPP?UTK McNair National Scholars Research Conference in Summer 2007, 9th Annual Texas National McNair Conference at University of North Texas in Spring 2007 and at the 2006 Annual Biomedical Research COnference at Anaheim, CA in Fall 2006.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. John Velásquez, Associate Professor of Psychology
Accepted to the Ph.D. program in Developmental Psychology at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro
Annie López, B.A. History, May 2008
Summer 2007 topic: Voices from the Past: The Story of a Mexican American Neighborhood
Honors and Awards: Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society
Presented 2007 topic at the 22nd National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) at Salisbury University in Salisbury, MD.
Presented 2007 topic at the 10th Annual Texas National McNair Scholars Research Conference at the University of North Texas in Spring 2008.
Presented 2007 topic at the 12th Annual Rocky Mountain McNair Research Symposium and Graduate Education Conference at Colorado State University in Fall 2007.
Presented 2007 topic at the 13th Annual McNair Research Conference at University at Buffalo in Summer 2007.
Accepted to the MA in History program at Texas State University at San Marcos.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Patricia Gower, Associate Professor of History
Soraida Portales, B.A. Psychology/Religious Studies, May 2008
Summer 2007 topic: A Comparison of Samples in the Women’s Health Journal and the Journal of Health Psychology
Summer 2006 topic: Women’s Health Psychology Research: Analysis of Sampling Bias
Presented 2007 topic at the 11th Annual MKN Heartland Research Conference at Kansas City, MO in Fall 2007.
Presented 2006 topic at the 11th Annual Rocky Mountain McNair Research Symposium, Graduate Education Conference at Colorado State University in Fall 2006 and at the 2007 National Research Conference at University of Maryland Spring 2007.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Anita Anderson, Assistant Professor of Psychology,2007, 2006
2007 Graduate Scholars
Guadalupe Aguirre, B.A. Psychology, December 2007
Summer 2007 topic: Mental Retardation and the Death Penalty
Presented 2007 topic at the 11th Annual MKN Heartland Research Conference at Kansas City, MO in Fall 2007.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Roger Barnes, Professor of Anthropology/Sociology
Accepted to the MA in School Psychology program at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas.
Erica Alfaro, B.A. Psychology with a minor in Sociology, December 2007
Summer 2007 topic: Jamming during Social Interactions in Glass Knife Fish, Eigenmannia virescens
Presented 2007 topic at the 11th Annual MKN Heartland Research Conference at Kansas City, MO in Fall 2007.
Summer 2006 topic: Hypnotizability Profiles of Participants with Chronic Pain
Presented 2006 topic at the 9th Annual Texas National McNair Conference at University of North Texas in Spring 2007 and at the 2006 Annual Biomedical Research Conference at Anaheim, CA in Fall 2006.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Sara Tallarovic, Assistant Professor of Biology, 2007
Faculty Mentor: Dr. John Velásquez, Associate Professor of Psychology, 2006
Accepted to the OD/PhD program at the University of Houston in Houston, Texas.
Chanté Bacon, B.A. Sociology, December 2007
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Roger Barnes
Accepted to the M.A. program in Sociology at Texas Women's University
Accpeted to the M.A. program in Sociology at the Unversity of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA)
Cynthia Barrón-Tevelenkov, B.A. Psychology/Art, December 2007
Summer 2007 topic: Marxism and the Formal Aesthetic
Summer 2006 topic: Hypnotizability Profiles of Participants with Chronic Pain
Honors and Awards: Alpha Chi National Honor Society
Presented 2007 topic at the 11th Annual MKN Heartland Research Conference at Kansas City, MO in Fall 20007.
Presented 2006 topic at the 9th Annual Texas National McNair Conference at University of North Texas in Spring 2007 and at the 2006 Annual Biomedical Research Conference at Anaheim, CA in Fall 2006.
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Joseph Bravo, 2007
Faculty Mentor: Dr. John Velásquez, Associate Professor of Psychology, 2006
Accepted to the M.A. program in School Psychology at Trinity University
Devin Bedford, B.A. Music Industry Studies, December 2007
Honors and Awards: Kappa Gamma Pi, Saint Catherine’s Medal for Student Achievement.
Summer 2007: Selected by Word/Warner Bros. Music in Nashville, TN, for an internship.
Summer 2007 topic: Ripped and Revised: The Music Industry and the Legal World Response to Digital Piracy
Presented 2007 topic at the 12th Annual Rocky Mountain McNair Research Symposium and Graduate Education Conference at Colorado State University.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Jones, Assistant Professor of Business Law
Alexandra Bojórquez, B.A. Political Science, December 2007
Summer 2006 topic: U.S. Criminal Court Sentencing: A Matter of Race?
Presented 2006 topic at the 9th Annual Texas National McNair Conference at University of North Texas and at the 87th Annual Meeting Southwestern Social Science Association at Albuquerque, NM in Spring 2007.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Lydia Andrade, Associate Professor of Political Science
Accepted to the M.A. in Criminal Justice program at Rutgers University
Accepted to the M.A./P.h.D. in Justice Studies program at Rutgers University
Accepted to the M.A./Ph.D. in Criminology program at the University of Central Florida
Marissa De Anda, B.A. English/Communication Arts, May 2007
Summer 2006 topic: Witches, Witchcraft, and the Witch Craze: The Dark Side of Beauty
Summer 2005 topic: Blood Thirsty Revenants Biting Through the Centuries: The Transformation of Vampires from Folklore to Fiction
Honors and Awards: Dr. Bernard C. O’Halloran Award and Alpha Chi National Honor Society, Sigma Tau Delta and Summa Cum Laude
Presented 2006 topic at the 2007 National Research Conference at University of Maryland Spring 07.
Presented 2005 topic at the 14th Annual Ronald E. McNair Summer Research Conference at Pennsylvania State University in Summer 2006, 8th Annual Texas National McNair Conference at University of North Texas in Spring 2006, and at the 14th Annual National McNair Research Conference at Delavan, WI in Fall 2005. Currently at the University of Alabama pursuing a Master’s degree in Telecommunications & Film.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. John Perry, Professor of Communication Arts/Speech, 2005, 2006
Michael Martínez, B.A. Psychology/Philosophy, May 2007
Summer 2006 topic: On Memory: Tracing Origins of Memory Models Theory Through Millennia From Modern Psychology to Ancient Aristotelian Philosophy
Summer 2005 topic: Differential Social Perception and Attribution of Intergroup Violence: Testing the Lower Limits of Hispanic Stereotyping
Honors and Awards: Alpha Chi National Honor Society, Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society, National Society for Success, and Magna Cum Laude
Presented 2006 topic at the 2007 Our Lady of the Lake University Psychology Conference and at the 9th Annual Texas National McNair Conference at the University of North Texas in Spring 2007. Presented 2005 topic at the 14th Annual Ronald E. McNair Summer Research Conference at Pennsylvania State University in Summer 2006, 20th Annual National Conference on Undergraduate Research at University of North Carolina in Spring 2006, and at the 4th Annual Psychology Research Colloquium in Fall 2005.
Currently at the University of Texas at Austin pursuing a Ph.D. degree in Counseling Psychology.
Faculty Mentors: Dr. Bernadette O’Connor, Associate Professor of Philosophy, 2006Dr. Harold Rodinsky, Assistant Professor of Psychology, 2006
Dr. Lisa Lockhart, Associate Professor of Psychology, 2005
Belinda Santos, B.A. Psychology/Art, December 2007
Summer 2007 topic: Undocumented Hispanic Workers: Do Spanish Speakers have Automatic In-group Status?
Presented 2007 topic at the 12th Annual Rocky Mountain McNair Research Symposium and Graduate Education Conference at Colorado State University in Fall 2007.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Harold Rodinsky, Assistant Professor of Psychology
Jacqueline Sotelo, B.A. Music Composition, May 2007
Summer 2006 topic: Female Jazz Composers from the 1920s to the Present: An Analysis of their Contributions to the Evolution of Jazz
Summer 2005 topic: Dramatic Film Scoring
Honors and Awards: UIW Jazz Ensemble and Magna Cum Laude
Presented 2005 topic at the 8th Annual Texas National McNair Conference at University of North Texas in and at the 2006 National Research Conference at University of Maryland in Spring 2006.
Accepted to the MA in Jazz Studies program at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas.Faculty Mentors: Dr. Kenneth Metz, Associate Professor of Music, 2005, 2006
Prof. James Waller, Instructor of Music Industries, 2006
Erika Valdez, B.B.A. International Business, May 2007
Summer 2006 topic: Africa’s Ongoing Debt Crisis
Honors and Awards: Outstanding Economic Student in Business Administration
Presented 2007 topic at the 21st National Conference on Undergraduate Research at the Dominican University of California and at the 9th Annual Texas National McNair Conference at University of North Texas in Spring 2007. Currently at the University of the Incarnate Word pursuing a Master’s in Business Administration.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Nursen Zanca, Associate Professor of Economics
María Eugenia Zolezzi, B.A. Psychology, May 2007
Summer 2006 topic: Hypnotizability Profiles of Participants with Chronic Pain
Honors and Awards: Cum Laude
Presented 2006 topic at the 9th Annual Texas National McNair Conference at University of North Texas in Spring 2007 and at the 2006 Annual Biomedical Research Conference at Anaheim, CA in Fall 2006. Currently at the University of Texas at San Antonio pursuing a Master’s in Counseling.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. John Velásquez, Associate Professor of Psychology
Scholars with Graduate Degrees
Yesenia Alcala-B.A., Business Administration, 2005, MBA 2007
Enjoli Benítez- B.A./B.S., Music Biology, 2004, M.S. Public Health, 2006
Roger Brooks- B.A., Psychology, 2001, M.A., Psychology, 2006
Kimberly Castañon-B.A. Communication Arts, 2005, MFA Creative Writing, 2008
Arveitta (Vickey) Edge-B.S., Biology, 2002, M.A., Biology, 2004
Richard Guerrero- B.A. Theatre Arts, 2004, M.A., Liberal Arts
Eloy Hernández- B.A. Biology, December 2004, M.S. Health Care Management, 2007
Georgina Hernandez-B.A. Psychology, 2003, M.A. Psychology, 2007
Shalama Jackson-B.A., Communication Arts, 2001, M.A., Communications, 2003
Cathy Jones- B.A., Psychology, 2002, M.Ed., 2005
Saqualya Lockhart- B.A. Psychology, May 2004, M.S. Clinical Community Counseling, 2007
Erica López- B.S. Nutrition, 2004, M.S., Nutrition, 2006
Arnulfo Maldonado-B.A., Theatre Arts, 2001, M.F.A., Theatre, 2005
Melissa Maldonado-B.A., Psychology, 2000, M.A., Psychology, 2007
Selene Mena-Fernández-B.S., Chemistry, 2002, M.S., Environmental Science, 2005
Diana Meneses-B.A., History, 2002, M.A., History, 2004
Stephanie Mitchell-B.A. Psychology of Organizations and Development, 2000, M.B.A., 2007
Sarita Molinar-Bertinato-B.A., Sociology 2002, M.A., Criminal Justice, 2005
Jason Olivarri-B.A., Communication Arts, 2001, M.A., Communication Arts, 2003
Mario Porter- B.A. Religious Studies, 2002, M.A., English
Vanessa Ramirez- B.S., Biology, 2002, M.S., Pharmacology, 2006
Iris Royal- B.A., Mathematics, 2004, M.Ed., Mathematics, 2006
Carolina Ruiz- B.A., English, 2003, M.A., English, 2006
Valerie Sanchez-Segura- B.A., Psychology, 2000, M.A. Psychology, 2006
Grace Sherman- B.A. Sociology, December 2004, M.A. Sociology, September 2007
Dwain Smith- B.A. Communication Arts, 2003, M.F.A. Film Production/Direction, 2006
Tara Tovar-Vidales-B.S., Biology, 2000, M.S., Biology, 2004
Kelly Thurmond- B.A. Music Industries, 2003 M.M., Music History & Literature, 2007
Rhonda Vogt-B.S., Biology, 2001, M.S., Biology, 2003
Candy Wilson-Magee- B.A., Art, 2002, M.A.T., Education, 2006
Scholars in Doctoral Programs
Roger Brooks-B.A., Psychology, 2001. M.A., Psychology, 2006. Ph.D Psychology Program: University of Notre Dame.
Ann Marie Hernández-Dyachenko- B.A., Psychology, 2004. Ph.D. Psychology Program: IUPUI.
Selene Mena-Fernández-B.S., Chemistry, 2002. Ph.D. Soil, Water, and Environment Program: University of Arizona.
Diana Meneses-B.A., English, 2002. Ph.D. History Program: Arizona State University.
Sarita Molinar-Bertinato-B.A., Sociology, 2002. Ph.D. Sociology Program: Texas A&M University.
Tara Tovar-Vidales-B.S., Biology, 2004. Ph.D. Biology: UNTHSC.
Scholars in Professional Schools
Arveitta (Vickey) Edge- B.S., Biology, 2002. MD Program: University of Houston
Enjoli Benitez- B.A., Music, 2004, B.S., Biology, 2004. MD Program: University of Houston
