Meet Our McNair Scholars

José Maciel is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Idaho. They are currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Communication and an Equity & Justice Undergraduate Academic Certificate. José is also a first-generation college student and is expected to graduate at the end of the Spring 2022 semester.

José is involved heavily with various campus organizations and offices such as Movimiento Activista Social (MAS), College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA), SSS-TRIO, McNair, and Omega Delta Phi Fraternity, Inc. José currently serves as the Vice-President of MAS where he is doing vital work to spread cultural awareness and fight for human rights. They are also the Director of Civic Engagement for Omega Delta Phi where they are able to build on their commitment to service and community involvement. In the Spring of 2021, José was selected by staff and faculty to receive the Jennie Eva Hughes Multicultural Student Leadership Award. He has also made it on the University of Idaho’s Dean’s List at the end of every semester.

José’s interested in research and clinical problems that address the needs and concerns of diverse ethnic and racial communities when it comes to adversities that root from social and cultural contexts. Some specific interests of his are trauma healing, childhood resiliency, developmental psychopathology, the importance of fostering community, and destigmatizing mental health in the Latinx community. José believes the future of psychology lies in being able to approach the discipline with culturally responsive and respectful research methods and ways of thinking that are going to work to decolonize broader institutions of education and healthcare.

José hopes to achieve a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology in the future. He is interested in work that is going to make a lasting impact on marginalized communities and families to better their overall quality of life.

Yisel Mendieta Chavez is a third year undergraduate student in the psychology department at the University of Idaho. Her main research interest is studying the experiences of Latino families and the technology gap during the pandemic. Other interests include the effects of play therapy and how counseling helps children of different backgrounds. She became interested in play therapy after learning that children best express their emotions and feelings when they play. Her interests were inspired by working alongside children and taking several classes that talk about their development. Also as a Mexican-American woman she believes that there is a lot of improvement to do in her community in regards to counseling. She also wants to break the stigma of counseling by educating her family and members of her community.

Being a first-generation student, programs such as CAMP, McNair, and TRiO have provided support and guidance throughout her years at the University of Idaho. She has improved in her communication skills and professional skills through guidance of CAMP. She has had the opportunity of being a part of the McNair program which will prepare her for graduate school and further understand how to conduct research. Through McNair, she will also have the opportunity to conduct her own research alongside her research mentor Dr. Chapman. She has gained a support system through TRiO Student Support Services by seeking advice when it comes to academics and career life.

This program has helped her since high school and it is a program she is proud to be a part of. After graduating from the University of Idaho, Yisel looks forward to going to graduate school and becoming a child psychologist to further work with children. She believes that if you can help a child when they are still young, their relationships with others will be better when they become adults. Teaching and supporting children at a young age will only set them for success when they become adults. She also hopes to one day have her own practice where she can work with other psychologists and give back to her community.

Briana Navarro is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and Spanish as well as a Bachelor of Science in Sociology. Briana is also a first-generation college student and is expected to graduate in the spring of 2022.

She is involved in countless organizations and clubs throughout campus such as the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), SSS-TRIO, the McNair Scholars Program, Delta Delta Delta, Movimiento Activista Social (MAS), and is currently serving as an ASUI Senator. Briana has also worked at the University of Idaho Women’s Center for three years, where she has held the position of Events and Programming assistant from 2018 to 2020 as well as the position of Social Media and Outreach Assistant from 2020 to 2021. In the Spring of 2020 she was selected to be a part of the DISA Committee by the director of the International Studies Department where she researched non-profit organizations in the Northwest in order to award one organization with the Distinction in International Service Award and as a result of her work in the DISA Committee she gained a considerable interest in non-profit organizations.

This past summer, Briana took part in the Summer Research Institute through the McNair Scholars Program. As a part of the Summer Research Institute, Briana conducted her own research throughout the course of 8 weeks alongside Dr. Ryanne Pilgeram who served as her research advisor. Briana’s research focused on studying the lived experiences of queer youth who grew up in rural Idaho and who also come from farm working backgrounds, in order to obtain visibility and consideration to that group and to their struggles. Briana conducted multiple interviews and composed an in-depth literature review to support her research throughout the 8 weeks. Her research interest arose from her own personal experience growing up in rural Idaho and constantly witnessing the constraints which queer people face within not only the rural atmosphere, but also the within the family dynamics that exist amongst a farm working family.

In the future, Briana hopes to obtain her PhD in Political Science and, as previously mentioned, she is very interested in working for a non-profit centered around promoting policy change and advocating for marginalized groups. She hopes to be knowledgeable enough to enact true change within the legal system to benefit those who have been unfairly affected by the current legal and justice systems. She hopes to have the opportunity to work with politicians and help make a difference in her community.

Margaret Stone is a fourth-year student attaining a Bachelor of Arts in History at the University of Idaho. Currently she is the president of University of Idaho Phi Alpha Theta chapter, an honors history club that is national. It’s both academic and professional for graduate and undergraduate students in history. She is also a member of the Native American Student Association, a club of Native American students. She also works through the University of Idaho Teaching and Tutoring Center as a tutor for Spanish and history.

Previous experiences include an internship at the Lewis-Clark College Center for Arts and History for their Beuk Aie exhibit. This internship required her to research specific local Chinese history in Lewiston, as well as work with a small panel of locals. She also worked at the University Library to organize and catalogue the incoming government documents during the same time.

Her research interests are focused on Native American, medical, and Latin American histories, with a special focus on decolonial aspects and research. Once she graduates with her bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Idaho in December 2021, she plans to work for a semester before continuing to graduate school. Her future goals are to go to graduate school for a master’s degree in public history, and work in a museum as a curator. The professors and staff at both College of Western Idaho and University of Idaho have been essential in supporting her in her graduate school pursuit

Major: Environmental Science

Major: Mathematics

Majors: International Studies and Marketing
Minor: Advertising

Major: Criminology
Minors: History and Justice Studies

Major: Biology and English
Minors: German and Pre-Health Profession Studies

Major: Mathematics

Major: History

Major: Biology

Major: Animal and Vet Science
Minors: Spanish and Agricultural Extension Education

Majors: Sociology and International Studies

Major: Animal and Veterinary Sciences

Major: Animal & Vet Science

Major: Psychology