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Alumni Spotlight

Alumni from the Emerging Scholars Program are successfully pursuing careers in a variety of fields. Here are a few of their recent achievements.

  • Kristina Bowdrie, AuD, PhD (CWR ’17, communication sciences and psychology) has been appointed as an assistant professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Case Western Reserve. She earned her clinical doctorate and PhD in audiology at The Ohio State University and recently completed a VA Quality Scholars Fellowship at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center.
  • Justin Creary (CWR ’24, biology) has entered the doctoral program in biology at Case Western Reserve, where his advisor is Professor Karen Abbott. Until recently, he was a Research Technician II at Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute.
  • Justin Satchel (CWR '21, cognitive science), is the Faculty Affairs Coordinator, Senior Level Faculty Appointments, at CWRU School of Medicine.
  • Nia Badley (CWR '25, economics and pre-architecture), has accepted a position at Lutron, a leading designer and manufacturer of energy-saving products.
  • Oluchi Onyeukwu (CWR '19, nutrition) is Senior Product Owner at the insurance company Protective Life, where she manages the work of software engineers so that it aligns with the needs of business stakeholders.
  • Obasi Ndukwe (CWR ’20, sociology, LAW '25) has accepted a position in the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office.
  • Stefani Garcia (CWR ’24, communication sciences) will pursue a master's degree in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at the University of New Mexico, with a concentration in bilingual speech-language pathology. Since graduating from CWRU, Stefani has spent a gap year as an AmeriCorps College and Career Guide for College Now Greater Cleveland.
  • Aliah Lawson (CWR ’21, political science and psychology), a second-year student at Temple University Beasley School of Law, obtained a summer 2025 internship at Wawa, Inc., through the Greater Philadelphia Association of Corporate Counsel.
  • Terrence Mathis (CWR ’17, mechanical engineering) is a senior mechanical engineer at McNeilus Trucks and Manufacturing.
  • Briana Sealey, PhD (CWR ’17, biology) is an environmental consultant at Ramboll, a global architecture, engineering and consultancy company. Briana earned her doctorate in ecology, evolution, and behavior at the University of Texas at Austin in May 2024.
  • Allan Willmon (CWR ’21, anthropology) is an intervention specialist at North Shore High School in Garfield Heights.
  • Brianna Moore (CWR ’20, theater) has been promoted to MSW Care Coordinator at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus. Brianna earned a Master of Social Work degree, with a concentration in aging and health, from The Ohio State University in May 2023.
  • Kristen Sanford (CWR ’21, GRS ’24, psychological sciences) has earned a master's degree in development psychology from CWRU, with a graduate certificate in early intervention services. She is now a psychometrist at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital.
  • Jeremiah Ukwela (CWR ’23, GRS ’24, biomedical engineering) is a research engineer at the MetroHealth Center for Rehabilitation Research.
  • JD Harrison (CWR ’23, philosophy) is a site coordinator for College Now Greater Cleveland, guiding students at John Marshall High School through the college application process.
  • Tevin McDowell (CWR ’21, computer science) is a data analyst at ArrowStream, helping clients in the foodservice industry streamline their supply chain operations. 
  • Ogoegbunam Okolo, MD (CWR ’18, biology) graduated from Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University in May 2024 and is now a resident in the Otorhinolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery program at Penn Medicine.
  • Aniya Martinez (CWR ’21, communication sciences) completed her master's degree in speech-language pathology at Hampton University. 
  • Ali Mahmoud, MD (CWR ’15, biology) completed his Doctor of Medicine degree at the University of Toledo's College of Medicine and Life Sciences and was accepted into Toledo's residency program in radiology. 
  • Keniece Gray (CWR ’17, MGT ’17, accounting) joined Morrison and Foerster as an associate attorney after graduating from Georgetown Law Center in May 2023.
  • Arik Smith (CWR ’19, computer science) has joined Meta as a software engineer.
  • Amber See (CWR ’24, communication sciences) is a second-year student in Case Western Reserve University's master's program in speech-language pathology.
  • Junlong Kwan (CWR ’23, Japanese studies) has been awarded an English teaching assistantship in Kyoto by the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme. 
  • Laniece Thomas (CWR ’17, psychology) is a Clinical Research Coordinator II for the Maternal-Fetal Medicine unit at MetroHealth in Cleveland. Laniece earned a Master of Public Health degree in health education and communication from the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. 
  • Brittany Rabb (CWR ’20, SAS ’20) is Director of K-12 Initiatives at the William Julius Wilson Institute at Harlem Children's Zone in New York City. In this role, she supports efforts to improve education in disadvantaged communities across the country. 
  • Nichola Bomani Gonzalez, MD (CWR ’20, biochemistry and Spanish; MED ’23) is a resident in OB/GYN residency at Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
  • Aylisa Grenald (CWR ’21, NURS ’22) is a behavioral health nurse at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital.
  • Johnathan Hicks (CWR ’21, biomedical engineering) has been promoted to the role of Supplier Engineer II at Boston Scientific.
  • Omar Mahmoud (CWR ’20, chemistry) has entered the pilot training program at Southwest Airlines.
  • Robert Herd (CWR ’17, biomedical engineering) is a biomedical engineer for the U.S. Department of Defense at Fort Detrick, Maryland. Robert earned a Master of Public Health degree from the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University.
  • Yvonne Chappell (CWR ’19, psychology and communication sciences) graduated with a Master of Arts degree in education from the University of Massachusetts Boston. She teaches fifth grade at Henry Grew Elementary School in Boston. 
  • Akwasi Duah (CWR ’21, civil engineering) has been promoted to assistant engineer at Turner Construction Company.
  • David Carter (CWR ’21, psychology) is a human resources talent acquisition associate at Wingspan Care Group, the nonprofit parent company of four Cleveland-area agencies providing mental health services, social services and education to children, adolescents and families.
  • Javon Colvin-Hatchett (CWR ’21, computer science and economics) is a software engineer at INSIGHT2PROFIT, a consultancy firm specializing in pricing and profit strategies.