In this presentation, I will highlight the role TRiO & Chemistry played in my career and education path. At the end of my sophomore year in high school student in 1997, my high school chemistry urged me to apply to a request for applications for the American Chemical Society (ACS) Project SEED Program at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), and I was awarded one of the two slots available. The ACS Project SEED Program was a chemistry research internship program held in the summer, designed for economically disadvantaged high school students. It provided opportunities for students who historically lack exposure to scientific careers to spend a summer conducting hands-on research with a scientist in academia, industry, and government research laboratories. This experience not only introduce me to the laboratory skills needed to perform scientific research but also help develop my written and oral skills also. I also gained a mentor who provided me with guidance, encouragement, and letters of recommendation for college, and this mentorship remained in college when I applied for the new Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program at MTSU, which is a TRiO program preparing first-generation students from disadvantaged backgrounds with strong academic potential for doctoral studies through research and other scholarly activities. The goal of the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement is to increase the attainment of Ph.D. degrees by students from underrepresented segments of society. I was selected as one of the first ten McNair Program Scholar. My experience as a McNair scholar provided me with GRE prep, additional research opportunities allowing me to present at local, state, regional, and national conferences, and other educational activities preparing me for doctoral studies. Then life happened and my education and career path shift towards healthcare. However, using the research knowledge, skills, and abilities gained through my ACS Project SEED and McNair scholar experiences provided me the foundation I needed to obtain my Ph.D. in Health Services Research at Walden University and become the research professional at Vanderbilt University Medical Center that I am today.

From Project SEED to McNair Scholar to PhD

256th National Meeting (2018)

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