Since its creation in 1989, the McNair Scholars Program has served as an avenue for first-generation students from low-income families or students from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue post-graduate and research opportunities.
Physicist Dr. Ronald E. McNair, for whom the program is named, was the second African-American to fly in space after NASA selected him to participate in the space shuttle program. Congress created and funded the McNair Scholars Program to posthumously honor the legacy of McNair, who died in 1986 on the U.S. Challenger space shuttle.
Today, there are 216 McNair programs across the United States. McNair started at Eastern Michigan University in 2007 and has so far helped more than 250 students achieve their dreams.
Associate Director of the McNair Scholars Program, Miaisha Peoples Miller, just joined the team this year, but she has had no shortage of ways to get involved with the student scholars.
One of the events she has attended with her students this year was “Detroit Day,” during which the group visited the Detroit Institute of Arts and Wayne State University.
“At [Detroit Day], we saw a lot of students who are from the Detroit area, but had never been to the Detroit Institute of Arts, or didn’t know that they could go for free,” Peoples Miller said. “So it was that conceptualization of, okay, these students want more opportunities, they want to see more things, how can we create those opportunities for our students?”
Opportunities for McNair Scholars come in many different forms. From research mentoring and scholarships to graduate school advising and planning, McNair Scholars always have somewhere to turn.
Victoria Huguley, an Honors College student who is double majoring in English and African American Studies, has flourished in the McNair program with support from her mentors and has enjoyed the opportunity to come out of her shell.
“You actually have to talk to professors and interact with other students,” Huguley said. “I became more open and enthusiastic.”
That openness and enthusiasm is a key tool for anyone, especially students like the McNair Scholars, who are routinely attending national conferences, presenting their own research, and networking with experts in their fields.
“It does matter to make connections in college,” Huguley said. “It wasn’t just something that someone came up with.”
Ocean Thomas, a biology major and member of the Honors College, is active on campus and won Homecoming King last year. Thomas emphasized that the connections he has made through McNair and his position as a supplemental instructor in biology have set him on the path toward his goals.
“There’s so many different opportunities you can expand on,” Thomas said. “Someone knows someone all the time … You just have to reach out.”
For student scholars like Huguley and Thomas, who are stretched between classes, research projects, extracurricular activities, and graduate school on the horizon, life can become overwhelming, just like it can for any college student.
Thomas explained his favorite way to stay grounded and take care of his mental health in one phrase: Google Calendar.
“It’s a very big thing in my life,” Thomas said. “But another thing is giving yourself personal time.”
Huguley’s advice isn’t far from the same.
“Try to schedule yourself at least one not super busy day,” Huguley said.
The life of every college student is destined to be busy, stressful, and challenging, so for McNair Scholars, that community support and mentorship can mean the difference between a bad day and a bad semester.
“It’s not as scary as you think it is,” Huguley said.
Current and prospective students interested in the program can visit the EMU McNair Scholars Program website to learn more about eligibility and how to apply or email emu_mcnair@emich.edu.
