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.

  • Nichola Bomani Gonzalez (CWR '20, biochemistry and Spanish; MED '23) will begin her OB/GYN residency at Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in fall 2023.
  • Kristen Sanford (CWR '21, psychological sciences) will enter CWRU's master's program in developmental psychology in fall 2023.
  • Kristina Bowdrie (CWR '17, communication sciences and psychology), has been awarded a VA Quality Scholars Fellowship at the Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. A candidate for a clinical doctorate in audiology and a PhD in hearing science at The Ohio State University, Kristina has also received the Empowering Students Scholarship from the American Academy of Audiology Foundation.
  • Obasi Ndukwe (CWR '20, sociology), a first-year student at CWRU School of Law, has been awarded a summer 2023 clerkship at Porter Wright through the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association's Minority Clerkship Program.
  • Omar Mahmoud (CWR '20, chemistry) has accepted a position as a software developer for JPMorgan Chase in Columbus, Ohio.
  • Keniece Gray (CWR ’17, MGT ’17), a third-year student at Georgetown Law Center, has received the William J. Curtin Endowed Scholarship in Labor Relations.
  • Robert Herd (CWR ’17, biomedical engineering) has earned a master of public health degree from the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University.
  • Aliah Lawson (CWR ‘21, political science and psychology) has joined the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland as an intake specialist. She spent the previous year as a Cleveland Foundation Public Service Fellow, working as an assistant to the executive director of College Now Greater Cleveland. 
  • Briana Sealey (CWR '17, biology) has passed her qualifying exams for a doctorate 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.
  • Laniece Thomas (CWR '17, psychology) graduated with a Master of Public Health degree in health education and communication from the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. She is now a Research Assistant 4 at CWRU's Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing.
  • Yvonne Chappell (CWR '19, psychology and communication sciences) graduated with a Master of Arts degree in education from the University of Massachusetts Boston. She is now a fifth grade teacher at Boston's Young Achievers Science and Math Pilot School.
  • Leah Nambajimana (CWR '17, nutrition) graduated summa cum laude from Ohio University with a Master of Public Health degree and a certificate in epidemiology.
  • Allan Willmon (CWR '21, medical anthropology) has joined Teach for America.
  • 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.
  • Raymon Malone (CWR '20, marketing) has joined General Mills as a brand experience planner.
  • Javon Colvin-Hatchett (CWR ‘21, computer science and economics) is a software engineer at INSIGHT2PROFIT, a consultancy firm specializing in pricing and profit strategies.

Four ESP alumni to date have participated in the university’s Integrated Graduate Studies Program, which enables CWRU students to complete both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in five years.

  • Keniece Gray (CWR ’17, MGT ’17) earned a BS and MAcc in accounting from the Weatherhead School of Management and went on to earn a master’s degree in public administration from Cleveland State University.
  • Brittany Rabb (CWR ’20, SAS ’20) earned a BA in sociology from the College of Arts and Sciences and an MSSA (Master of Science in Social Administration) from the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences. Brittany is now a management analyst in the Office of the State Superintendent of Education in Washington, D.C.
  • Aylisa Grenald (CWR ’21), who earned BA degrees in psychology and cognitive science, graduated from the Master of Nursing Science program at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing in spring 2022. She is now a behavioral health nurse at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital.
  • Jiara Sanders received a BA in sociology in spring 2022 and has completed her first year of study for an MSSA from the Mandel School.