Meet first-gen Beach undergrads building the research skills to pursue doctorates

Evelin Zavala, after researching how autism is represented in scientific and autobiographical literature, gained understanding of how neurodivergent people experience their lives - and how she wants to become a compassionate clinician.

"It prepared me for the future," Zavala, a third-year psychology student, said. "If I'm in a therapy session with someone, how can I implement my learning, my research, my findings into that?"

Zavala looks forward to a future as a child psychologist. As one of six Cal State Long Beach undergraduates composing the campus' new cohort for the McNair Scholars Program, she is preparing for the challenges of her doctoral journey.

McNair, a federally funded program honoring late Challenger astronaut Ronald McNair, welcomes first-generation students who want to pursue doctoral studies. McNair and other programs like Beach EDGE align with CSULB's commitments to social mobility by guiding students toward graduate degrees and the professional opportunities that follow.

McNair students take on investigations with faculty mentorship, present their findings at CSULB and elsewhere, and get advice for picking the right graduate program. More than 100 Beach students have completed McNair since 2017.

"It helps them to strategize, so they're as confident and competitive as possible," said Chantrey J. Murphey, associate professor of sociology and McNair's faculty coordinator.

Zavala knew when she arrived at The Beach that she wanted to go to graduate school, but as a first-generation student, the way seemed blurry. McNair is helping her chart a course to her goals.

"It helped me, as a person, to take challenges as a student," she said. "It's an open door to take the opportunity."

Zavala, with mentorship from associate professor of comparative world literature Crystal Yin Lie, completed a literature review contrasting scientific literature on autism with autobiographical accounts. Zavala observed that people living with autism desire acceptance, thus inspiring her to pursue a future as a clinical psychologist who will embrace her clients' identities.

Additional McNair students are likewise researching important topics, including how AI is transforming industrial design and testing for a harmful chemical often present in consumer goods.