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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.

  • Kristen Sanford (CWR '21, GRS '24, psychological sciences) has earned a graduate certificate in early intervention related services from CWRU's master's program in developmental psychology.
  • 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. 
  • Leah Nambajimana (CWR '17, nutrition) joined the Food and Drug Administration as a Regulatory Affairs Program Coordinator in Fall 2024. Leah graduated summa cum laude from Ohio University with a Master of Public Health degree and a certificate in epidemiology.
  • Justin Creary (CWR '24, biology) is a research assistant at Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute.
  • Stefani Garcia (CWR '24, communication sciences) is an AmeriCorps College and Career Guide at College Now Greater Cleveland.
  • Allan Willmon (CWR '21, anthropology) is an intervention specialist at Breakthrough Public Schools in Cleveland.
  • Ogoegbunam Okolo (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 (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) has accepted admission to Case Western Reserve University's master's program in speech language pathology.
  • Aliah Lawson (CWR '21, political science and psychology) has accepted admission to Temple University Beasley School of Law. 
  • Briana Sealey (CWR '17, biology) successfully defended her doctoral dissertation in the graduate program in ecology, evolution, and behavior at the University of Texas at Austin. Briana previously earned a master's degree in ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Michigan.
  • Junlong Kwan (CWR '23, Japanese studies) has been awarded an English teaching assistantship in Kyoto by the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme. 
  • Kristina Bowdrie (CWR ’17, communication sciences and psychology) received the 2023 Rising Star Award from Vanderbilt University’s Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, where she presented an invited lecture last fall. Kristina earned her clinical doctorate in audiology (AuD) from The Ohio State University in May 2023 and was awarded a VA Quality Scholars Fellowship at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center for 2023-24. She is also on track to complete a PhD in audiology at OSU.
  • 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) has been named Director of K-12 Initiatives at the William Julius Wilson Institute at Harlem Children's Zone in New York City. In this role, she will support efforts to connect young people in marginalized communities with opportunities that lead to social and economic mobility and racial equity. Working directly with sites across the country, she will research best practices, assist in their implementation, evaluate progress, secure funding, and share findings with scholars and practitioners.
  • Israel Hill (CWR ’17, computer science) has joined the Core Data Science and Engineering team at Netflix.
  • Brianna Moore (CWR ’20, theater) earned a Master of Social Work degree, with a concentration in aging and health, from The Ohio State University College of Social Work in May 2023. She is now a medical social worker for the Cerebral Palsy Clinic at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus. 
  • Zhara Edwards (CWR ’23, anthropology) was awarded a Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellowship for 2023-24. During summer 2023, she completed an internship with the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health in Washington, D.C. 
  • Nichola Bomani Gonzalez (CWR ’20, biochemistry and Spanish; MED ’23) began an OB/GYN residency at Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in summer 2023.
  • Aylisa Grenald (CWR ’21, NURS '22) is a behavioral health nurse at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital.
  • Obasi Ndukwe (CWR '20, sociology), a second-year student at CWRU School of Law, was awarded a summer 2023 clerkship at Porter Wright Morris & Arthur through the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association's Minority Clerkship Program. In addition, Obasi was elected vice president of the Black Law Students Association and 2L Senator for the Student Bar Association for the 2023-24 academic year.
  • 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.