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 McNair Scholars Program

LOURETHA JANESE ADAMS

Louretha Adams is currently a senior at CSUDH.  Her major is psychology and she is double minoring in Sociology and Management.  She will graduate with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Psychology.  Outside her course work, Louretha is also a part of another research program - the American Psychological Association Research Program.  She is currently conducting research with her mentor, Dr. Mark Carrier, on whether cultural relevance is a factor in the comprehension of health materials.  Her other research interests are in the areas of child and family relationships and various types of therapy in dealing with children and families.  Her primary goal is to obtain a Ph.D. in Clinical Child Psychology and begin her own private practice.  She would also like to continue her research and maybe teach.  Louretha is a part of Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology and is on the Dean's List.  She has also been acknowledged by Who's Who Among American Universities. 

AYANNA ASHAKI BLEDSOE

Ayanna Bledsoe is a senior majoring in Sociology and Spanish Literature.  Her goals are to earn a Ph.D. in Sociology with an emphasis in gender, race and class and to teach at a historically black university. Ayanna currently works as a student assistant in the Office of Graduate Studies.  She recently completed two years of service on the California Student Aid Commission where she served as a Student Commissioner.  Ayanna is a member of Phi Sigma Sorority and in her free time she enjoys reggae music and watching independent films.

RONA BONDURANT

DORA TERSILLA GONZALES

I am 71 years young and, after having raised seven children, decided it was my time to attend college and receive my degree.  I attended Los Angeles Harbor College, where I received my A.A. in Liberal Arts and will be starting my senior year this fall here at CSUDH.  My major is Inter Disciplinary Studies with a minor in English.  Although I started college quite late in life, I have enjoyed it immensely and wish I had done it 40 years ago.  I'm also going to be applying to several colleges this fall in anticipation of procuring a Ph.D. in Literature or Creative Writing. 

APRIL GONZALEZ

April is a senior Psychology student with a minor in Mathematics.  Working together with the University of Southern California and California State University, Dominguez Hills, she plans to contribute to the study of minority student retention.  Currently she is a student assistant in the department of Institutional Research where she interacts with faculty in the development of surveys concerning academic issues.  April is also a member of the National honor Society in Psychology (PSI CHI).  Outside of school, she enjoys the sunny beaches of Southern California, playing guitar, attending Brazilian Jui Jitsu tournaments and spending time with family and friends.

TENILLE JONES

Tenille Jones is a Psychology major and an Africana Studies minor at CSUDH, where she maintains a GPA of 3.5.  Tenille is a multitasked student where she is currently an active member in Psi Chi (the National Honor Society for psychology students), the McNair Scholar Program, the psychology club, the CSUDH Track & Field team (where her main event is the 200 meters), and she mentors at-risk inner city youth about the importance of pursuing higher education and saying “No” to gangs and drugs.  After her graduation in Summer 2004, Tenille plans to attain her M.A. focusing on Educational Psychology at Howard University in the Spring of 2005.  Her long-term goal is receive a PhD in Educational Psychology where she can complete further research on school reform and the importance of youth who have the potential of scholarly advancement, but their environment alters their development.  Tenille is also an expertise flutist and plays in a local Latin jazz band called AfroBeat Down.  When she is not working, Tenille enjoys preparing culinary arts for friends, rollerblading, working out, hanging out with her family, and watching comedies.  Her motto is: “I’m too blessed to be stressed!!!”

JIMMY L. KIRBY

LASHAUN MARIE LAKE

FELISHIA S. LEWIS

Felishia S. Lewis is a return student majoring in psychology, with a minor in biology.  Her research interest is in human behavior as it relates to biological mechanisms.  In addition to being a McNair Scholar, she has also been awarded an apprenticeship at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee to work in their research lab.  She loves to work up a sweat playing basketball and tennis.  Usually her weekends are spent servicing the community through various programs including registering new voters with her sorority Sigma Gamma Rho where she is the newly elected chapter president and western region voter campaign chair.

LILLIAN MARIE LLAMAS

Lillian M. Llamas is a 20-year-old Junior here at California State University, Dominguez Hills.  Her major is Mathematics with the professional option.  She intends to complete a Ph.D. degree in either Applied Mathematics or Mathematics Education.  Her goal is to become a Math professor and continue research in improving complicated computations of mathematics in a variety of fields in hope to create more simplistic yet efficient calculations.  She has a 2-year-old daughter whom she was blessed with during her first year at CSUDH.  She has continued to show good progress in her field and is currently working on a research project to develop an alternative approach in calculating economic growth for the U.S.

CHARLES LOGAN

UNIQUE MELVIN

Unique is a Senior graduating in August, 2004 with a B.A. Psychology.  Her goal is to obtain a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.  She would like to have her own practice as a child and family clinical psychologist to help individuals cope with social disorders and physical and mental abuse.  She is also interested in studying educational psychology to improve the academic success for minorities at the elementary school level.  Her goal is to understand how, why, or whether parent and community involvement improves academic success and would like to study the factors that contribute to academic success.  Unique enjoys working with elementary programs that attract the needs of children and families.  Her hobbies are exercising, dancing and reading.

RUFORD ROYAL MURRAY

Originally from Dangriga, Belize, Central America, Ruford has been accepted for the McNair Scholars Program and Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges, two of the most prestigious programs on campus.  He is also a member of the International Library of Poets.  His research project is a reflection of his interests on world trade policies and how they affect the Caribbean Common market.  His degree will be in Political Science with an emphasis on International Relations.  He is an honor roll student, on the Dean's List and works full-time at the LA Superior Court.
 

MONTREECE E. PAYTON

Montreece E. Payton is involved in the campus community in several other organizations:  Gamma Phi Delta Sorority, Inc., Circle K, Black Business Students Association, and the Unified Greek Council. She has received numerous awards including a scholarship from the Black Faculty and Staff Association for academic achievement and community service.  Ms. Payton is a senior who is an English major and Communications minor actively involved in the International Poet Society for which she has been published in two anthologies in the past four years.  Within the society she was also awarded the International Poet of Merit Award.  Montreece is aspiring to be an English professor of 20th Century American Literature at a top university while continuing as a poet.  Balancing her schedule with faith, Montreece Payton is confident in her ability to multi-task and accomplish her goals with the help of all those in the program and the inspiration of Ronald E. McNair.

MYESHIA NICHELE PRICE

Myeshia came into McNair as a sophomore here at Dominguez Hills.  She moved to Los Angeles from San Diego where she graduated from Santana High School. Her major is psychology with a minor in sociology.  Upon completing her bachelor's degree, she intends on returning to San Diego to pursue her Ph.D.  Myeshia wants to work with children because she believes that in order to make an impact on the future, one must work with those that are going to comprise it.  She is also currently the Chapter President for her sorority, Sigma Lambda Gamma.  She enjoys spending time with family and friends.  Myeshia is interested in human rights issues and has spoken several times on such issues.  For the summer of 2005, she is working on research regarding the best readability formula for health pamphlets.

DANIEL PORRAS

Daniel Porras is a senior majoring in Studio Art with a minor in Art History.  He is interested in pursuing new genres and critical theory while in grad school.  Currently, he is doing research on Peruvian Moche art.  Daniel was also awarded the Latino Faculty & Staff Association Scholarship for 2004-2005.

RICARDO SANCHEZ

Ricardo Sanchez is a senior in the computer science department at CSUDH.  His academic interests are in bioinformatics, artificial intelligence and neuroscience.  Ricardo's current research is on feature subset selection focusing on efficiency and accuracy.  His goal is to earn a Ph.D. in computer science and return to Dominguez Hills to become a professor.  Ricardo's pursuit for excellence has earned him the membership to the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and a nomination to USAA National Collegiate Computer Science Award.

NTIBA SEKIYOBA

CHERRIE-ANN SIMON

Born on the island of Trinidad, Cherrie-Ann Simon immigrated to the United States in 1989.  Presently enrolled as a communications major with a minor in Africana Studies, Cherrie-Ann has taken on the challenge of overcoming dyslexia as she works to attain a graduate degree.  A determined self-starter, she hopes to use her education to assist disadvantaged students to achieve their highest potential.  As a McNair Scholar, Cherri-Ann believes it is important to give back to the community and she subscribes to the philosophy of "Each one, Help One."  She also believes in building bridges between communities and celebrating the rich cultural diversity that is America.  Cherrie-Ann is the proud mother of a 2 1/2 year old son, which she believes is her greatest accomplishment.  Through attaining a graduate degree and helping others to achieve their educational goals, Cherrie-Ann hopes to be a powerful role model for her young son, Noah as he grows into a well-educated young man.

MAGGIE WANG

CHARLETTE WILLIAMS

2004-2005 McNair Scholars

2005-2006 McNair Scholars