Class of 2010

Class of 2010

McNair Scholar	Mentor	Title of Research
Angela Baker	Dr. Tim Atchison	College Students: Gender Differences in Perceived Body Image
Tawni Buhler	Dr. Leigh Browning	Operations Manuel: West Texas A& M University Broadcasting
Denise Cisneros	Dr. Stephen Severn	Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Sylvia Plath Longing to Help
Jennifer Ewers	Michelle Bartlett	Effects of Exercise On Mood
Joshua Hernandez	Dr. Ashley Campbell	Teachers’ Perceptions of Research-Based Practices for Closing the Hispanic Student Achievement Gap
Lauren Johnson	Collette Loftin	Exploring Nursing Students’ Expectations of a Mentor
Benjamin Montemayor	Vanessa Fiaud	Obesity Incidence Among College Students in a Southern Regional University
Katelynn Mulcahly	Lori Westermann	Gutter Ball: Media’s Perception and Portrayal of the Sport of Bowling
Breanna Munoz	Dr. William Takacs	Performance Anxiety: Overcoming Stage Fright in College Musicians
Gabe Pena	Dr. Pat Tyrer	Century Spain and Portugal: A Literature Review of Exploration of the New World
April Ramirez	Dr. Trudy Hanson	Identifying Barriers to Effective Marketing of AFL League Teams: A Case Study of the Amarillo Venom

	Angela Baker Major(s): Psychology Classification in Fall 2010: Junior Anticipated Graduation Date: Dec 2011 Mentor: Dr. Timothy Atchison Conferences Attended and/or Publications: Career Aspirations: I aspire to attend graduate school in the Psychology field and to one day become a Neuropsychologist. Extra-Curricular Interests: Readership Ambassadors, Peer Leader Intern, West Texas A&M Dance Team. How has being a McNair Scholar enhanced your academic experience? I aspire to attend graduate school in the Psychology field and to one day become a Neuropsychologist.
	Tawni Buhler Major(s): Mass Communication-Broadcasting, Emphasis in Electronic Media Minor: General Business-International Business Classification in Fall 2010: Senior Anticipated Graduation Date: May 2011 Mentor: Dr.Leigh Browning Conferences Attended and or Publications: Career Aspirations: To be bold - I want to be a sports reporter. I want to be on the frontlines of telling stories of the human experience. Seeing, and appreciating the gifts of the strong athlete, is something that has been my passion for some time. I am also very interested in International Trade Law, an area important to the media industry. In addition, with the world shrinking due to globalization, having vast knowledge in global communication and global media fields are very important to me, and something I plan to strive for. Extra-Curricular Interests: I am a Director for Maroon Productions, a group of selected students do all of the pre-production, the production itself, and the post-production for the branding of West Texas A & M through multiple forms of multimedia. I have been a member of the Sports Team since January 2009; we broadcast and produce WTAMU football, baseball, softball, volleyball, and basketball events. This year I will continue to work with the Sports Team, but also working with the athletic department for sports updates and webcasts. I also have been a part of the promotions team at the same time; we help create promotions and community service events for the campus radio station, KWTS. I have been a member of the National Broadcasting Society since the Fall of 2008, serving as an officer for West Texas A & M Chapter. Also, I am the Legal Apprentice for KWTS and one of the WT Media Managers. How has being a McNair Scholar enhanced your academic experience? Opportunities like this are not abundant in Canyon, Texas. To get paid to learn and research something you love is a blessing. We have been given an opportunity to learn directly from the leaders of our fields, in this area. That in itself is an experience beyond duplication. Doing Research is different than the Broadcasting department’s way of learning. Broadcasting is all about diving in. Going for it. Practical knowledge and experiences are the way that we learn. Research is more about adjusting your mind for theory, something that we are all going to need for Graduate school. Having an opportunity like this while still working on our Undergraduate degrees, I cannot express how much the program has helped me because I feel that I do not know yet.
	Denise Cisneros Major(s): Secondary - English Language Arts Classification in Fall 2010: Senior Anticipated Graduation date: May 2011 Mentor: Stephen E. Severn, Ph.D Conferences Attended and or Publications: 2009 West Texas A&M University Student Research Conference Career Aspirations: My aspirations are to teach high school English or to become a technical writer after I complete graduate school. Extra-Curricular Interests: WTAMU Marching Band, Tau Beta Sigma, Sigma Tau Delta How has being a McNair Scholar enhanced your academic experience? The McNair Scholars Program has provided me with the necessary tools to enter graduate school and become successful in my academic career. I am appreciative of the GRE preparation I received in addition to the research experience I gained. I thank the McNair Scholars Program, and my mentor because I feel like I now have the necessary skills and knowledge to enter graduate school and do well in any of my academic pursuits.
	Jennifer Ewers Major(s): Sport & Exercise Science Classification in Fall 2010: Senior Anticipated Graduation date: May 2011Mentor: Michelle Bartlett Conferences Attended and or Publications: N/A Career Aspirations: I hope to find a stimulating and challenging position which builds on my university skills and knowledge, as well as professional experience, and have room to improve. I am an ambitious individual who wants to learn and develop under the guidance of those who are at the very best in their field and use those skills to become an expert, myself. I want to reside in a motivating place of work with driven individuals, as I am a quick learner, a serious, and hard-working person. I want to have a position that I wake up in the morning and have a desire to go to—I believe that enjoying my career will be one of the most important aspects. Extra-Curricular Interests: Intramural sports; Mescalero Baptist Church; Delta Zeta Sorority, Zeta Zeta Chapter; McNair Scholar; Alpha Chi, Texas Zeta chapter; National Society of Leadership and Success, Presidential Member. How has being a McNair Scholar enhanced your academic experience? Before becoming a McNair Scholar, graduate school was a mere idea for me. I was not very sure that I wanted to go but was certain that if I decided to apply and attend, I would not be writing a thesis. By being a McNair Scholar, I helped myself see the potential in me that all my professors have seen since I began school here at WT. I feel not only prepared for completion of my Bachelor’s degree, but completion of a Master’s degree in the near future!
	Joshua Hernandez Major(s): SES Classification in Fall 2010: Senior Anticipated Graduation date: December 2011 Mentor: Dr. Ashley Campbell Conferences Attended and or Publications: N/A Career Aspirations: Upon graduation I hope to become a football coach and a teacher in the state of Texas. I would also like to obtain a graduate degree in school administration. Extra-Curricular Interests: I love anything that has to do with sports, hanging out with my family, just enjoying life. How has being a McNair Scholar enhanced your academic experience? I feel like I am better prepared for graduate school and the final years of college. Being in McNair has crafted my writing skills and has introduced me to the proper way to conduct a research experiment. McNair has also allowed me to communicate with professors and individuals on campus that I might have never seen or talked to without the McNair Program.
	Lauren Johnson Major(s): Nursing Classification in Fall 2008: Senior Anticipated Graduation Date: December 2010 Mentor: Collette Loftin, RN, MSN Conferences Attended and/or Publications: 12th Annual University of North Texas McNair Scholars, West Texas A&M University Research Conference Career Aspirations: I aspire to become a Registered Nurse. I want to attend graduate school to become an FNP- Family Nurse Practitioner. After completing my McNair research I thought that maybe I should teach, but who knows what the future holds. Extra-Curricular Interests: I chartered the WTAMU NAACP Chapter in 2008 and CODA- Coalition of Diverse Alliances in 2009. I am a Resident Assistant at Jarrett HalI. I am a member of the WT NAACP, Black Woman’s Association, and WT Nursing Student Association. The National Society of Leadership and Success Member How has being a McNair Scholar enhanced your academic experience? McNair has broadened my horizons in the world of research and it has been very beneficial to me in the healthcare field. I now know the importance of evidence-based research and how staying up to date with the latest research will make me a better student and a better nurse.
	Benjamin Montemayor Major(s): All Level Sports and Exercise Science/ Minor in Mathematics Classification in Fall 2010: Senior Anticipated Graduation date: May 2011 Mentor: Dr. Vanessa Fiaud Conferences Attended and or Publications: Career Aspirations: I aspire to become a university professor one day in either mathematics or kinesiology. The possibilities this world possesses are boundless and so this may change depending on where I end up in the near future. In the meantime just learn and find where my heart desires to be. Extra-Curricular Interests: Working out 4 times a week and running every weekday. I enjoy leisure time to relax and think about what life has in store and waking up to make this day different than the last day. How has being a McNair Scholar enhanced your academic experience? When I first applied for this I had no idea what was in store for me. I thought Graduate school as a joke and considered a Bachelor’s degree as enough. Through many meetings with my mentor and McNair’s leaders I have learned that Graduate School is a possibility. Being a McNair’s scholar puts you up on the pedestal as academically ahead of some others and gives you a sense of pride in your work. It has taught me that there are possibilities beyond a Bachelor’s degree and that a limit is simply an obstacle that you must work through. Graduate school is in my near future because of the McNair Scholar.
	Katelynn Mulcahy Major(s): Mass Communications with an emphasis in Advertising/Public Relations. Minor: Marketing Classification in Fall 2010: Senior Anticipated Graduation date: May 2011 Mentor: Lori Westermann Conferences Attended and or Publications: Career Aspirations: I plan on attending graduate school and pursuing a degree in Mass Communications. After receiving my degree, I hope to work for a major company working with Advertising or Public Relations. Extra-Curricular Interests: WTAMU Bowling Team, National Society of Leadership and Success, Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society. How has being a McNair Scholar enhanced your academic experience? Being a part of the McNair Scholar Program has provided me with resources that will help me when I get ready to go to Graduate School. The program has helped me to understand what I need to do to prepare for the GRE, apply to Graduate programs, and become successful once I get to Graduate School. Also, the program has helped me to learn about research, the amount of detail that needs to go into projects, and how to complete a thesis. Overall, the McNair Scholar program has been greatly beneficial to me and I will definitely use what I have learned once I get to Graduate School. I am very appreciative of everything the McNair Program has done for me.
	Breanna Munoz Major(s): Music Performance Classification in Fall 2010: Senior Anticipated Graduation date: May 2011 Mentor: Bill Takacs Conferences Attended and or Publications: Career Aspirations: I aspire to attend graduate school to continue my education in music performance. My goal in the future is to be a professional musician, a part of a major ensemble. Extra-Curricular Interests: WTAMU Marching Band, WT Symphonic Band How has being a McNair Scholar enhanced your academic experience? The McNair Scholars Program taught me the necessary steps to get into graduate school. Being a McNair Scholar has taught me how to prepare research and how to organize a project within a specific amount of time. I’ve never conducted research like this before, the learning process was exciting and I look forward to furthering academic research in the near future.
	Gabriel Pena Major(s): Mass Communication - Broadcasting Classification in Fall 2010:Senior Anticipated Graduation date: 12/10 Mentor: Pat Tyrer, PhD Conferences Attended and or Publications:Career Aspirations: filmmaker, teacher Extra Curricular Interests: How has being a McNair Scholar enhanced your academic experience? I’ve been able to do research on several things that I would have missed out on if I wasn’t a McNair scholar.
	April Ramirez Major(s): Mass Communications- Advertising/ Public Relations /Psychology Classification in Fall 2010: Senior Anticipated Graduation date: May 2011 Mentor: Dr. Trudy Hanson Conferences Attended and or Publications: Career Aspirations: To go to work for the Dallas Cowboys after I receive my M.B.A in Sports Management : Extra-Curricular Interests: AD/PR Club, Kappa Delta Chi, Volunteering, Internships, ITS Dept., Peer Leader How has being a McNair Scholar enhanced your academic experience? It has truly helped me in a way that I would’ve never imagined. Before I became a McNair Scholar, I didn’t really believe I would make it into any post-graduate work. I felt it was out of my reach, both academically and financially. The McNair program has taught me the skills I needed to know to help me see that getting into grad school was possible for someone like me. Everything thing from the workshops, the training, GRE prep, guest speakers, and even writing the research paper has made me realize that the impossible was definitely possible. I owe my newfound motivation and drive for pursing a higher education to the Ronald McNair Scholars Program.