Southeast Missouri State University student publication

TRIO/McNair Program recognizes students as Scholars of the Year

Saturday, March 5, 2022
Pictured from left to right is Camille Shoals, Delaney Adams, Mya Weakley and Wendell Stapleton, Academic Coordinator of the McNair Scholars Program.

Each year, the TRIO/McNair Program recognizes students in each cohort for their achievements. **The three scholars chosen for the prestigious award this year are seniors Camille Shoals, Delaney Adams and Mya Weakley.

This award started back in 2017. After this year, there will have been 12 students recognized, said director of TRIO programs Valdis Zalite. The award is given to the students who exemplify what it means to be a TRIO/McNair Scholar.

Students must meet the following requirements to become a Trio/McNair scholar: Applicants must complete at least 60 credit hours at the time of program entry and be committed to attend graduate school in pursuit of a Ph.D., Ed.D., Psy.D. or D.S.W. They must be a first-generation college student, meet federal low-income guidelines or otherwise be a member of a traditionally-underrepresented ethnic population. They must also be a U.S. citizen.

Camille Shoals is a double major in political science and communication studies at Southeast.. She is the current debate captain and a student worker for the Department of Communication Studies and Modern Languages. Next year, she will be entering a Master’s program in public administration

After graduation, Shoals wants to work as a campaign manager, work for city hall or state government, or run for office herself.

“I want to work for the government, since they need people who know what they’re doing,” Shoals said. “When you’re on the other side of the table and see that you can change somebody’s life, it really drives you.”

Shoals said she believes policies that should be enforced correctly are not. Knowing she can make change for the better motivates her to work hard on a daily basis.

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Delaney Adams is a health sciences major with a focus on physical therapy. She’s from Warrensburg, Mo.

Aside from McNair, Adams was a member of the SEMO women’s club soccer team and was a learning assistant for five semesters.

Adams said she credits her grandparents who also went to Southeast for some of her successes in school. Her grandparents pushed her to do more and reminded her of the importance of a good education.

Adams said she didn’t enjoy high school, but knew she wanted to go to college. She wanted to experience being around more people than those in a small town, and at Southeast, she said she has gotten to meet many different types of people.

“Here at SEMO, I’ve learned so much more both about myself and educationally,” she said.

After this year, she will start a doctorate of physical therapy program at Mizzou.

Mya Weakley is a psychology major from O’Fallon, Mo. After this year, Weakley will attend Saint Louis University to earn a master’s degree in couple and family therapy. Looking into the future, Weakley said she hopes to be a family therapist with a focus on trauma therapy.

Weakley is currently in Psi Chi, the honors society for psychology students.

Weakley is grateful for her mentor, Sarah Kuborn, assistant professor in Family Studies at SEMO. She thanks her for some of her successes during her time at Southeast.

“She’s gone above and beyond to help me,” Weakley said. “She assisted me with graduate school visits and talking to people that are in the program that I want to be in, and she continues to check in on me and support me.”

The students accepted their awards Feb. 22 at Century Casino.

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