Latest McNair News
From the ER to the House Floor
Spring 2026 Stan Magazine Issue
Tory Sumbler, a double major in biological sciences and political science at Stanislaus State, started college without a clear plan. Through leadership roles, his work in healthcare and a competitive internship with the Panetta Institute for Public Policy, he is building a path that bridges medicine and policy.
#StanGrad: Jennifer Frisk Turns Persistence and Mentorship Into a Passion for Teaching
University News, May 25, 2026
Nearly 20 years after stepping away from college, Jennifer Frisk returned to the classroom determined to build a different future for herself and her family. Now preparing to graduate, she hopes to become a university instructor supporting students from historically underrepresented and nontraditional backgrounds.
McNair Scholar Transforms Her Life Through Education
University News, May 25, 2024
Told by an employer at a small business that she once worked at that she would never climb higher in a career without a college degree, Celina Bridges took those words to heart. Now pursuing a Ph.D. program in California, she hopes to shed light on the needs of seniors in the Central Valley.
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#StanGrad: Jayden Lopez Transforms Challenges into a Mission for Justice.
University News, May 29, 2026
Living with a learning disability, managing anxiety, and overcoming self-doubt taught Jayden Lopez lessons in resilience. After graduating with her degree in criminal justice and psychology, she plans on continuing her education and building a career as an FBI criminal profiler and criminal psychologist.
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McNair Scholar: English Major Nathalie Hernandez Found the Perfect Fit at Stan State and Helped Others Do the Same
University News, May 3, 2024
Alongside the Indigenous Students in Activism Club, the International Peer Program, and the McNair Scholars program, Nathalie Hernandez spent time helping students make Stan State feel like home.
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McNair Scholar Christian Silva-Toro Focuses on Drug Policy Work
University News, May 18, 2022
Christian Silva-Toro grew up surrounded by drug use in his neighborhood and always wondered about the appeal and what made people want to use them. The Stanislaus State junior psychology and criminal justice major with a sociology minor hopes to turn that fascination into a career.
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#StanGrad: Juana Nieto Vazquez Wants to Help Students Just Like Her
University News, June 4, 2021
Grateful for the support she has received along the way, Nieto Vazquez looks to turn her Stanislaus State Bachelor of Arts in Psychology into a career helping others. Graduate school is her next goal, as a member of the University Honors Programs and a McNair Scholar.
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McNair Scholar Jasmin Cornejo Selected as Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions Scholars
University News, November 12, 2020
Jasmin Cornejo's journey to becoming a CAHSI Student Scholar is inspirational. Cornejo’s father was born in Mexico and her mother in Puerto Rico. Neither had an education beyond middle school, and even though she had moments of self-doubt, Cornejo never wavered in pursuing a higher education.
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Life Experiences Steer First-Gen Scholar Toward a Future in Microbiology Research
University News, July 18, 2020
Born with multiple birth defects, JC Aguirre underwent numerous surgeries during his childhood and now relies solely on public transportation to get around. As a result of his ongoing exposure to the medical system, Aguirre is planning a career as a research microbiologist. He plans on repaying the community that has shown him kindness by bringing more microbiology research to the Central Valley to improve health care or create jobs.
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#StanGrad: Strength and Determination Guide Psych Major
University News, May 27, 2020
That Danielle Simpson Rojas should attend college, much less graduate from Stan State summa cum laude with a 4.0 grade-point average, and is prepared to begin a Ph.D. program at UC Merced is a testament to her strength, courage and fortitude.
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STAN Magazine Features Four McNair Scholars
Stan Magazine, Spring 2020 Edition
Read the stories of fellow McNair Scholars Emma Van Hoogmoed, Fernando Martinez-Bautista, Joana Alfaro, and Juana Nieto-Vazquez.
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McNair Scholar Ceja Follows Love of Learning
University News, April 10, 2020
When Aurora Ceja graduated from Sierra High School in Manteca, she decided to put her college plans on hold because her mother was pregnant, and she wanted to help her mom with her new baby brother...
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McNair Scholar Orozco Learns to Defy Her Self-Doubts
University News, March 29, 2020
When she arrived at Stan State as a nervous freshman, Georgina Orozco had no idea what she wanted to study. During her senior year at Downey High School in Modesto, her friends and classmates all seemed to have a plan, or at least a major in mind...
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Military Wife, California State University Stanislaus McNair Scholar, Aiming to Improve Lives of Veterans
McNair Scholars, March 15, 2020
Joana Alfaro regretted all the firsts she’d missed with her first two children: first steps, first words and the like...
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McNair Scholar's Goal Inspired by Dad's Cancer Diagnosis
University News, November 26, 2019
Emma Van Hoogmoed graduated from high school in Madera and enrolled as a theatre major at Fresno City College, anxious to continue the backstage production work of designing sound, lighting, and sets that she had enjoyed in high school...
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Childhood Interests Rooted in Career Plans of McNair Scholar
University News, November 17, 2019
James Octaviano Green likes to use his middle name whenever he can, because it’s the name of his grandfather, and he’s proud of it. The resident of Hickman, who graduated from Hughson High School, is...
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Military Wife, McNair Scholar, Aiming to Improve Lives of Veterans
University News, November 8, 2019
The Delhi resident, who arrived in the United States from Mexico in 1993, never thought higher education was a possibility...
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McNair Scholar Martinez Leaves Strawberry Fields to Pursue Advanced Psychology Degree
University News, October 18, 2019
A counselor at Santa Maria High School saw potential in Fernando Martinez and encouraged him to pursue a college degree. He told her he wasn’t sure he could leave his parents, and she asked, “what do you want...
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Meet the Awardees - Angel Avalos
California State University, October 1, 2019
Angel Avalos was determined to make the most out of his life after he lost his sister to cancer as a teen. While surrounded by innovation at the University of California, San Francisco, during his sister's treatments, Angel was inspired to pursue a degree in science.
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Stan State senior earns prestigious CSU Trustees’ Award
University News, September 24, 2019
Stan State senior Angel Avalos is one of 23 students, one from each of the 23 California State University campuses, honored with a 2019 Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement...
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StanGrad: Mastering the Hoops to Succeed on Court and Off
University News, May 21, 2019
Men’s basketball team captain Rolaun Dunham leaves Stanislaus State with a degree in kinesiology, plans for a career in physical therapy or nursing and a dream to promote health and wellness throughout the Central Valley.
Updated: September 17, 2026