Marcus Cureton, a forensic science major from Lexington, Nebraska, is pursuing childhood dreams with the help of the McNair Scholars Program, which is opening doors and leading him to a future career in research.
The McNair Scholars Program was established in 1986 by the U.S. Department of Education to celebrate the life of Ronald E. McNair, astronaut and Challenger space shuttle crew member. The program aims to increase the number of underrepresented students in doctoral programs.
Cureton shared how the McNair Program and student supports are propelling him toward his future career.
Talk a bit about why you decided to apply to Nebraska, and specifically, what led you to the McNair Program.
I’ve known since seventh grade that I wanted to study forensics and when I did my initial search for schools that offered the major, I noticed UNL had a program. I had spent a lot of my childhood in Lincoln since my uncle lives in town, so Lincoln has always sort of felt like a second home. Nebraska was never a “potential” school option, it was the only option I truly saw myself excelling in. Then when I toured campus my senior year of high school, I met my adviser and saw what the program looked like and knew that this was where I was meant to be.
During my sophomore year, I received a brochure in the mail for the program and my interest was spiked so I found the McNair website and looked around at what other students were doing. When I realized the program would also fund the summer research, I knew that I needed to apply since it would look great on grad school applications.
The program aims to prepare students for graduate studies by specifically equipping them with goal-setting tools, hands-on research and faculty mentorship. Can you explain the value of this preparation for the future at the graduate-level education?
The amount of learning one year can provide is honestly insane. McNair covered so many valuable topics to help guide us in our graduate-level education. We began by understanding what kinds of relationships we would like to build with faculty members — which will be helpful throughout my undergraduate and graduate career. We were then able to apply these ideas and began working on proposals with a faculty mentor at Nebraska.
Working with Charles Murrieta has been one of the best experiences of my undergraduate career. His guidance not only on our project but also in his experience working in the field as a forensic toxicologist helped me begin fine-tuning my future plans. From there, it was a whirlwind of learning about graduate school funding, the application process, what the Graduate Record Exam may look like, which was followed by GRE prep during the McNair Summer Research Experience where we completed our research and ended the summer by presenting our findings three times. McNair answered questions from the very beginning to end of the graduate school process and showed us a glimpse of what the future could hold.
You and other McNair Scholars recently had the opportunity to attend the 2024 McNair Conference at UCLA. What key takeaways did you bring back ?
The biggest takeaways I had from attending the UCLA McNair Conference were the opportunity to work with others in my field, and the experience of presenting my research in a professional setting.
Beginning next week, I will be entering my eighth year of competitive speech and at this point generally have no fear speaking in front of an audience, but the summer research experience and the UCLA conference was an entirely different feeling. The best way to explain the feeling is that speech has fueled the heart whereas presenting at UCLA fueled the brain. It was exciting and new learning about what other people’s research processes looked like and what research other scholars were introducing to their prospective fields.
Using your education and involvement in the McNair Program as a launchpad, what do you hope to do in the future?
In the short term, I would love to continue working with the USDA in my research lab and develop my research skills. Longer term, I would like to do research with the USDA-Agricultural Research Service. However, my ultimate goal is to be a professor, so I would like to experience other research fields first.
What advice do you have for other Nebraska students looking to get involved on campus and find opportunities to help them advance in their careers?
First of all, check your email and physical mail! Groups like McNair will reach out to students they think could be a great fit. A lot of events are hosted at the start of the semester for students to meet all the RSOs and the Career fair is a great place to start the job search. There are so many opportunities available if you look for them, so if you want to get involved, start asking questions.
Is there anyone at Nebraska that has had a positive impact on you?
Countless people at Nebraska have made a positive impact on me, but to keep the list (somewhat) short: Carol Boehler, Lisa Rohde, and Sophie our GA from the McNair program have beyond a doubt made an everlasting impact on my life. Charles Murrieta and the rest of the Forensic Science Program have educated and guided me to a point where I feel successful and ready for my future. Finally Aaron Duncan, Allison Bonander and the rest of the UNL Speech and Debate team and coaching staff for their guidance, support and dedication to my growth and success.
What is something you have learned during your time at Nebraska that you will take with you in the future?
One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned is the importance of seeking out opportunities that will help you grow personally and academically. Although at times it might have been more uncomfortable than I had hoped, it’s led to some of the most memorable days of my undergrad experience. Also, the relationships you build today could be the difference in the future whether that be with your peers, professors or other professionals you meet along the way during your time at Nebraska so don’t be scared to make new friends. Nebraska taught me how to be resilient and adaptable so I can handle whatever situation life may throw at me.
