Former Scholars
2007 Scholars
David F. Bello
is a senior from Parkersburg, WV, majoring in English with a
concentration in creative writing and a minor in anthropology. He
is a member of the Honors College and a National Hispanic Scholar.
He is currently the vice president of Sigma Tau Delta, the English
honorary society and will be an undergraduate intern with the Center
for Literary Computing during the 2007-08 school year. He was
recently awarded the Eleanor Tucker Donley Scholarship for
outstanding junior English majors. With the McNair program, he will
be studying magical realism, among other things, with author Mark
Brazaitis, as research for a novel. He plans to pursue a Ph.D. in
either English or anthropology after obtaining his MFA in creative
writing.
Joseph
Bailey is a senior in The Eberly College of
Arts and Sciences majoring in History. Joey is from Beckley, West
Virginia, but he likes to consider himself a world citizen because of
his love for travel. Joey is an environmentalist and political activist.
As a result, he is very active in the Sierra Student Coalition serving
as the President of the WVU Chapter since the spring semester of 2007.
He is also a music DJ of the show “The Moose” at WWVU U92FM. Joey is
currently researching the effects of mountain top removal coal mining on
the property value of proximate communities in southern West Virginia.
He plans to graduate with a B.A. in 2008.
Kimberly Bonilla
is a rising senior from Montclair, Va. She is majoring in
Advertising through the Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism
while pursuing a minor in Spanish. She is planning to graduate
in May 2008 with a B.S. degree. Her research interests include
the effects of advertising on minorities and the eating habits
of Americans. She plans to continue the pursuit of a master’s
degree in Public Relations or Human Nutrition. Kim is also an
athlete who is currently on the WVU Women’s Soccer Team where
she plays under head coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. Outside of her
soccer and school schedule, Kim is interested in training and
mentoring young children in soccer, watching movies and soccer
games, traveling, and being around friends and family.
Whitney Burks
is a junior from Morgantown, WV. She is currently pursing a B.A. degree
in Psychology. She is a member of the National Society of Collegiate
Scholars (NSCS), Foundations of Excellence (FoE), and Sigma Kappa
Sorority. Whitney is conducting her McNair research under the direction
of Dr. William Fremouw in the Psychology department. Her McNair research
focuses on self-injurious behavior in the college population.
Adam Cagle is a rising senior
majoring in journalism. He is a member of Phi Sigma Pi, a national honor
fraternity and was a council member and moderator for the 15th
annual WVU Undergraduate Literature Symposium. Adam also has a passion
for non-profit work and has helped to raise funds for the WVU Children’s
Hospital and Hurricane Katrina victims. For his McNair research, Adam is
going to explore policy changes among universities after life-changing
events such as Hurricane Katrina and the Virginia Tech tragedy. In his
down time he likes to hang out with friends, watch movies, swim, and
play tennis.
Sparkle Davis
is a rising senior with a double major in Marketing and
Management. She was born in Decatur, GA, right outside of
Atlanta and is currently a member of West Virginia Women's
Basketball team. Through her strong faith in God, she plans
to pursue her Ph.D. in Management. In her spare time she
enjoys watching T.V., reading her Bible, and relaxing with
friends.
Ashley Daniels is a senior student from
Fairmont, WV. She is majoring in Speech Pathology and Audiology at
WVU and is pursuing a minor in Communication Studies. After
completing her B.S. from WVU, Ashley plans to attain her Ph.D. in
Speech Pathology. Some of her interests include: hanging out with
friends and family, watching movies, and traveling.
Danielle Castillo is
a junior from Morgantown, WV. She is in the WVU Honor’s College
majoring in Exercise Physiology and Spanish, and plans to attain a
Master’s in Public Health and then a Ph.D. in Epidemiology. She is
looking forward to beginning her research involving the knowledge of
women in West Virginia pertaining to human papillomavirus and Gardasil.
Danielle’s other interests include women’s health, the outdoors, and her
Labrador, Harley.
Chelsea Derlan is a
junior from Short Gap, WV. She is pursuing a double major in Spanish and
Psychology, with a minor in Business Administration. Chelsea is a
student of the University Honors College, a member of the National
Society of Collegiate Scholars, Sigma Delta Pi National Spanish
Honorary, Phi Kappa Phi National All-Discipline Honor Society, and
Student Affiliate of the American Psychological Association. In
addition, she will be serving as President of Psi Chi National
Psychology Honorary for the 2007-08 academic year. Chelsea will be
studying Spanish in Santander, Spain in July of 2007. In addition to
being a McNair Scholar, she is also a 2007-2008 Eberly Scholar. Chelsea
participates in the Adolescent Research Lab and Parent-Child Interaction
Therapy Lab as an Undergraduate Research Assistant. Her research project
for the McNair Program focuses on children exposed to domestic violence
and their consequent behavior. Chelsea plans to pursue a Ph.D. in child
clinical psychology, where she aspires to conduct research and work with
Latino children and families experiencing domestic violence and abuse.
Adrienne Gauna
is a junior from Washington, PA. She is majoring in
forensic science, focusing on biology. Her future
research interests are in D.N.A. analysis and serology.
Adrienne enjoys reading many different types of books,
drawing, camping, and hiking. Her research project for
the McNair program involves working with Dr. David Ray
of the biology department to identify any mobile
elements and their diversity in the blow fly genome,
which could potentially be used for species
determination.
Victoria Gilliam
is a senior in the School of Medicine majoring in Exercise
Physiology with a minor in Entrepreneurship and is originally
from Charleston, WV. She is an active member of the WVU Exercise
Physiology Club and volunteers at the Ronald McDonald House as
well as in the physical therapy department atRuby Memorial
Hospital. Her McNair Research focuses on the prediction of
patellofemoral joint overuse injury in recreational distance
runners. After completing her undergraduate studies, she plans
to continue her education in graduate school to obtain a D.P.T.
in physical therapy. In her spare time, you can find her working
out, bowling, shopping, or spending time with friends.
Sean Dougherty is a
senior, working on a double-major in Forest Resource Management and
Wildlife/Fisheries Management. His research interests are silviculture,
forest ecology, and big game ecology. Being a West Virginia native
hailing from Maysville in Grant County, Sean’s first love is hunting and
fishing. Other outdoor activities including camping and hiking take up
the rest of his free time. These interests have led him to decide on his
academic majors and a career path that involves the outdoors. Sean
believes the McNair Scholars Program is definitely helping him to pursue
a goal that he had set for himself as a freshman at WVU and will
undoubtedly open up more avenues along the way.
Toby Daniel Vernon XVI
was born and raised in Morgantown,
WV. As soon as he could flee, he left WV and traveled
to work in and out of kitchens along the east coast of
the U.S. and in Ireland. He returned to Morgantown after
his meandering years to complete undergraduate degrees
in Geography and International Studies. As a McNair
Scholar, Toby will research the environmental
implications of globalization in Mexico guided by his
mentor, Dr. Robert Hanham. When Toby is not intently
studying, you can find him enjoying the companionship of
his amazing and perfect black Labrador, Maddias Doxology
Jones, playing horseshoes, listening to NPR, or
daydreaming about trips to Latin America.
Jesse T.
Potts
is a rising junior English major. He hails from Berkeley
Springs, WV. Jesse is a member of both the Honors College at
WVU and the national honor society Phi Kappa Phi. He enjoys
reading, writing, basketball, and football. For his McNair
research, Jesse plans to study sexuality as a source of power in
Ernest Hemingway’s book The Sun Also Rises under the
direction of Dr. John Ernest of the English department. After
receiving his undergraduate degree, he plans to pursue his Ph.D.
in English—specifically American literature—and eventually
become a professor and writer.
Jason W. Likens
is a senior from Terra Alta, WV. He plans to graduate in May 2008 with
a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. Jason is involved in various
organizations across campus. He is the historian of the pre-health
honorary Alpha Epsilon Delta, a member of the biology honorary Beta Beta
Beta, a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, a brother
of Theta Chi, and a student of the Honors College. He is also a
volunteer at the Cardiac Care Unit at Ruby Memorial Hospital. For his
McNair research, Jason will be studying the accumulation of mercury in
WVU students due to coal-fired power plants under the direction of Dr.
Christy Foran in the Department of Biology. After graduation in May
2008, Jason plans to enroll in a M.D./Ph.D. program with a focus in
cellular physiology.
