Frederica Freyberg:

Also at the Capitol, Republicans could withhold pay raises for state employees over diversity and inclusion positions at the Universities of Wisconsin, but federal dollars continue to fund a program offered at seven of the universities that helps underrepresented students navigate higher education. “Here & Now” reporter Aditi Debnath has more on that program’s impact on the UW-Oshkosh campus.

Dominic Laracuente:

Originally when I went into McNair, I wanted to be a medical illustrator. I wanted to draw pictures for textbooks, those posters you see in doctors’ offices because I really like to draw, but now Im not trying to do that at all. Now Im trying to get a Ph.D. in biotechnology.

Aditi Debnath:

Dominic Laracuente is a UW-Oshkosh McNair Scholar. He just completed the program’s summer research internship which culminates in a public presentation of his findings.

Cordelia Bowlus:

McNair is really a one-stop shop for first generation, underrepresented and low-income students.

Aditi Debnath:

This federally funded scholarship program is deemed a success by those in it. Even as Republicans in the legislature want to prohibit state funded programs aimed at diversity and inclusion. The McNair Program grants its scholars $4,000 to conduct their own research and receive one-on-one mentorship from a faculty member.

Dominic Laracuente:

Research Ill be presenting today is on cyanobacteria in Lake Winnebago.

Aditi Debnath:

Britney Dupree also didn’t know much about graduate school before becoming a McNair Scholar.

Britney Dupree:

This summer I went on more the macro scale and I was looking at prairie restorations and I assessed the success of a prairie restoration that’s right around central Wisconsin.

Aditi Debnath:

The program’s director, Cordelia Bowlus, says McNair is part of a pipeline of programs that helps students from disadvantaged backgrounds be successful in college.

Cordelia Bowlus:

It has a long track record of huge success. It has bipartisan support in Washington.

Aditi Debnath:

Bowlus is referring to federal government funding designated to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in education.

Cordelia Bowlus:

Of the approximately 200 students that have gone through our program in the last 16 years, 60% of them are either in graduate school or have completed graduate school and are in careers.

Aditi Debnath:

This year, UW-Oshkosh will receive more than $260,000 from McNair and is one of seven universities in Wisconsin that offers the program.

Belynda Pinkston:

They’re important because they enrich the university.

Aditi Debnath:

Program coordinator at UW-Oshkosh, Dr. Belynda Pinkston, advises McNair Scholars through each step of the program.

Belynda Pinkston:

We make a concerted effort to focus on providing resources for our scholars and providing an environment in which they feel supported, in which they feel seen and heard.

Aditi Debnath:

Beyond that, programs like McNair give students the space to connect with peers that have similar experiences and inspire the next generation.

Dominic Laracuente:

I think we do a good job kind of of representing what education can do for people and where it can lead.

Aditi Debnath:

His mother, Blanca Juarez, traveled from the Fox Cities to Oshkosh to see his presentation.

Blanca Juarez:

Im a really, really proud mama because I know he’s going with his heart too. He really wants to do it. He wants to clean the lake, and hopefully older students continue with this program and with this project that they chose to study this summer.

Aditi Debnath:

Dr. Pinkston, who once was a first-generation college student, says promoting diversity in higher education is just as beneficial to a community as it is to each student.

Belynda Pinkston:

And so it’s not just intrinsic, what am I going to get out of this. It’s about how I can give back, and we help cultivate that desire in them to give back.

Aditi Debnath:

For Britney Dupree and her mother, McNair really is about enabling the next generation.

Linda Will:

I am a person without school. I would support her in any way. I am so proud of her and what she’s achieved so far.

Aditi Debnath:

For “Here & Now,” Im Aditi Debnath.