Alumni
Meet the McNair alumni:
School of Science and Technology
Itoro Akpan - Has been accepted to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City.
Rodger Baker - Rodger has been hired as a programmer with the Lawton Public Schools. Previously he worked for the Flight Safety Services Corporation in Altus, OK, as a computer systems programmer. He has begun a masters program in computer science at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, TX.
Kenneth Drake, Jr. - Is attending the University of Texas at Arlington where he is completing a Doctorate in Chemistry. His dissertation title is "RalBP1/RLIP76 a novel ATP dependent transporter protein mediates chemotherapeutic resistance of Covalent DNA Binding agents in K-562 Human Mylogenous Leukemia." He has completed two years of graduate teaching in organic chemistry and currently has been awarded graduate research assistantship. He also has been awarded an Internship on the West Coast for the spring 2007. He is currently writing his dissertation and is expected to graduate in 2007 upon successful defense of his dissertation.
Enoch Faustin - Is in his second year of graduate study at Howard University. He was cited as a co-author for the July 2006 Plant, Cell and Environment article "Analysis of oxidative signalling induced by ozone in Arabidopsis thaliana."
Kiemba Knowlin - Completed his tour of duty with the United States Army and taught teaches eighth grade mathematics in Killeen, TX, before accepting a position as a civilian with the Department of the Army. Ki has also started a masters degree program in Organizational Leadership with St. Ambrose University in Iowa.
Alfredo Ramirez - Is currently working for Lockheed Corporation programming/inputting software for fighter planes. He lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex area.
Natasha Roberts - Has been elected to Phi Kappa Phi at the University of Oklahoma where she completed her masters' degree in instructional technology May 2005. She has been accepted to OU's doctoral program in educational psychology and is a graduate assistant at the Sam Nobel Natural History Museum. Natasha will begin teaching undergraduate classes at OU fall 2007. She sends this advice to undergraduates: "I would say never give up on your dreams and don't let anyone tell you it's impossible for you to achieve."
Brenda Sharp - Graduated cum laude with her BS in nursing from the University of Oklahoma where she also earned a "school spirit" award. Brenda lives and works in Hamlin, TX. She is still planning to do graduate work at a later date.
Valarie Toodle - Started her graduate program fall 2006 at Johns Hopkins University where she is a pathology major. Her first research project was a study of HIV-associated nephropathy in African-Americans and she is now studying HIV-associated dementia. Valarie said that she loves all the diverse information that she is learning and the challenge of passing coursework that seems "pretty impossible." She reports that she has already met several important researchers including Nobel and Lasker winners.
School of Liberal Arts
Lionel Dabbs - Has delayed his acceptance to the OSU Graduate School until spring 2007 and is currently teaching English at Comanche Nation College.
Sofia Diaz - Married Richard Bartlett following graduation from Cameron and they became parents of a sweet baby boy in August of 2006. She is working at Assurant and planning on starting a graduate program in 2007.
Lance Doherty - Is working as a code enforcement officer in Coweta, OK. He is still considering applications for law school.
Kristen Jefferson - Lives in California and has been promoted to coordinator of marketing and events at the Ojai Valley Inn and Spa. After leaving Cameron, Kristen studied graphic design at the Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara. A dedicated writer, Kristen is also working on her first novel.
Daniel Meyers - Daniel completed officers' candidate training with the U. S. Army January 2006, and is now stationed at Ft. Bragg, NC, with the 18th Airborne Corps as an AG officer. Daniel started work on his MBA program with Oklahoma Christian University.
Melinda (Nill) Eairheart - After completing her master of arts in teaching through CAMSTEP, she and her husband, Jasen, moved to Allen, TX. They both teach at Berkner High School in Richardson,TX, where Mindy covers the pre-AP classes in physics.
Jose Olivero - Recently began working for the Social Security Administration as a claims prepresentative. He completed comprehensive exams for his master's degree at the University of Oklahoma in spring 2005. Jose also worked a wedding into his busy schedule for fall 2004 and established a combined household in Norman. While working on his masters degree, Jose worked as a graduate teaching assistant in the Modern Languages & Literature Department at OU.
John Mark Rhea - Completed his master's degree in history at the University of Oklahoma. His thesis was titled Farewell to my Beloved Ethiopia: Drusilla Dunjee-Houston as the Voice of Elite Oklahoma African-Americian Women during the Decline and Fall of "Racial Uplift," 1917-1933. He is continuing work on a doctorate and is a graduate assistant with the History Department as well.
Sharon Rivera - Is completing coursework for an MBA at Cameron University.
Nakia Troutman - Finished her M.A. in music education at the University of Illinois May 2005 and completes her Executive MBA with Colorado Tech University in December 2006. She is employed as an academic retention specialist with Colorado Tech University on-line program.
Roberto Valentin - Finished a Master of Arts in teaching through CAMSTEP and is employed as a teacher by Wackenhut Corporation. He also teaches a GED course in Spanish and is in charge of coordinating GED testing in Lawton. He also teaches Spanish at Cameron University. He was selected as the Academic Teacher of the Year at the Lawton Wackenhut facility.
Maurice Wilson - Completed requirements for his master's degree through the University of Oklahoma at the end of the spring 2005 semester. Maurice finished his masters while on active duty with the Army and was admitted to the honor society for public administration. He returned to Texas, is currently employed with Wal-Mart, and is planning to start a PhD program.
Melissa Williams - Has delayed her acceptance to Howard University to fall 2007. She is registered to take an LSAT prep course and expects to take the exam in February 2007. She plans to apply to law school with the hope of earning a JD along with a masters in public administration. Melissa is currently working as a newspaper reporter and copy editor in the Washington, DC, area.
Jerry L. Wood - Now a captain in the U. S. Army, Jerry has had two tours in Iraq and completed a move to Ft. Knox in December 2006 for additional training. He is hoping to get a stationed there following completion of the Career Course so that he can also begin his masters degree. He and wife,Kircia, are the parents of a two-year old son.
School of Education and Behavioral Sciences
Amanda (Jones) Todd - Completed her master's program in behavioral science at Cameron May 2005. She plans to complete requirements for licensure spring 2006. Amanda is employed by the Christian Family Counseling Center in Lawton. She is married to one of our newest McNair Scholars, Nathaniel Todd.
Amanda (Josefy) Hale- Returned to Lawton after completing her internship requirements in Stillwater for for licensure for Marriage & Family Therapy. She completedher master's in behavioral science in July 2003 and finished all the requirements for her LMFT in September 2006. Amanda is a therapist at Multi-County Counseling, Inc.
Brenda Kelley - Is enrolled in the masters of education program at SWOSU and she works for Marie Detty as a youth advocate.
Fostina Paolino - Developed teaching materials and a created a story about the "Buffalo Soldiers" that was featured as part of the Museum of the Great Plains' online educational materials for their Lawton Centennial and Oklahoma History project. Fostina, a teacher at Washington Elementary, was also recognized by the Lawton Metropolitan Planning Organization for her curriculum to explain air pollution and how it affects everyone.
Sharon Rogers - Was accepted to the University of Oklahoma Masters in Social Work program.
Lori (Purcell) Sawyer - Successfully defended her thesis and completed the requirements for a master's in behavioral science at Cameron. She left her position at Cameron (fall 2006) and accepted a position as a teacher for an 8th grade special education class with the Lawton Public Schools. She indicated that she enjoys working with the students and that the job is a unique one that challenges her to be "a teacher, counselor, and social worker all rolled into one."
Gerry Rawlings - Has completed coursework for Cameron University's graduate program in psychology and is working on finishing requirements for her thesis. She holds a challenging position with the Red River Technology Center developing curriculm and teaching in their new cosmetology program. She expects to complete a masters program in occupational teaching through the University of Central Oklahoma by spring 2007. This degree program will help her to earn an Oklahoma standard teacher's certification.
Angelia Sligar - Completed requirements for Cameron University's masters of science in behavioral sciences and graduated May 7, 2004. Angie is employed as a vocational rehabilitation specialist by the Department of Rehabilitation Services in Lawton and is also working for the Jetty Counseling Center. She is currently working to comple requirements to become a licensed professional counselor.
Victor Wong- Is at Oklahoma State University and has completed a master's degree in psychology. Victor is teaching classes at the university and and working on several research projects. He has also been doing a practicum with the OSU Medical Center in the Osteopathic Medical Hospital which Victor says is "fun!" He has completed all the required coursework for his PhD and is in the process of developing the proposal for his dissertation. He and his wife, Cassie Brenner Wong, are hoping to apply for their internships as a couple.
Cassandra (Brenner) Wong has completed her masters degree in psychology at OSU and is also teaching classes at the university. She is taking graduate classes, working on research projects, participating in a practicum at an elementary school as the acting school psychologist (under supervision), and is working on her dissertation proposal.
Tamara Young - Is at Oklahoma State University working on her doctorate in counseling psychology. She is an intake counselor with University Counseling Services at OSU. She has also worked as the sexual assault counselor/advocate for Stillwater Domestic Violence and has volunteered for the Sexual Assault Response Team working with victims of sexual assault who go to the emergency room for medical exams, forensic evidence collection, and investigation procedures. She placed third in a graduate research poster competition spring 2005 and her research team won first place for their presentation at the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy research conference in New Orleans November 2004. Tamara has a 4.0 GPA in her graduate work and wrote that "I absolutely love what I do." She is working on her dissertation, "The relationship of body image and self-esteem with indirect aggression among college women," and expects to graduate December 2007.
School of Business
Jenny Jackson - Is a first year law student at the University of Oklahoma.
Luis Rivera-Rodriguez - Was accepted into the Cameron University masters of business administration program. He has returned to Puerto Rico to live and work.
