8:39 a.m., Aug. 17, 2010----“Remember how smart and strong you are.” These were the words that helped Jade Logan, a University of Delaware graduate and former Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program participant, deal with the many personal and academic challenges she faced as part of her graduate school experience.

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Logan, who recently received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, shared her experiences with the newest class of UD McNair Scholars during the 11th annual McNair and University Undergraduate Scholars Achievement and Celebration Dinner held Thursday, Aug. 12, at Clayton Hall.

The audience of about 140 individuals included the newest McNair Scholars, as well as families, friends, faculty mentors and UD administrators.

The Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program honors the African-American astronaut who died in the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle in 1986. Modeled on the McNair Program, the UD Undergraduate Scholars Program helps students from diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds to get into graduate programs of their choice and obtain funding.

Last week's event capped a 10-week summer research program supervised by a faculty mentor and the first University-wide undergraduate research symposium held Wednesday, Aug. 11, that was also attended by 300 other undergraduate students.

Logan discusses Ph.D. journey

As keynote speaker, Logan discussed her journey to the doctoral degree through the words of wisdom offered along the way by various people and in various forms.

The first words of wisdom came from the song “I Like Myself,” a tune often played at kindergarten graduations. Logan, who earned her undergraduate degree with distinction in psychology from UD in 2004, played the song via her mobile phone to much audience applause.

Logan added that the tune became the theme song of her clinical research lab group, and was the song that lab members sang to her during her going away party. “My best friend and fellow scholar inadvertently taught me that song during one of my many visits to her home in Washington, D.C.,” she said. “While it seemed very silly to me at first, it became a very powerful verse for me and my colleagues. The biggest message that I took from that song is to always remember just how smart and strong I am.”

Logan said it was during the writing of her personal statement as part of the graduate school admission process when she became aware of the fact that she was strong and smart, a belief that helped her meet the rigors of demanding gradate school coursework and research.

“Growing up, my brother would always tell me, 'Jade, you just wait until next year -- it's going to get harder,” Logan said. “Well, finally it got harder.”

The higher expectations and academic standards also meant that Logan would be pushed to challenge herself in ways the she had not had to do before. “I was just as smart as the smartest student in the class, and I had the will and pride to do well. The difficult part is that I didn't always remember that when I needed to remember it the most,” Logan said. “So, at those times, it was nice to have a friend who would sing a song in the mirror that could remind me of my abilities because I had forgotten them.”

Another key phrase was offered during her year of clinical internship training, when her training director told her, “My wish for you is to never give up on you,” Logan said.

“I remember when she said this to me, and I thought, 'what does this lady mean, and what is she talking about? I just want to get out of her and finish what I have to do,” Logan said. “When I look back now, I realize just how important that phrase was.”

Besides academic challenges, Logan said she also leaned to deal with personal and professional struggles, and that “life happens no matter how much planning you do, or how much you care.”

“I do remember the times when the deaths of close family members occurred while I was in graduate school,” Logan said. “At these times, one does begin to question their ability and wonder if this is the right path for me to take. I discovered that I needed to find my own way of getting through this, and for me that was through prayer and the support of my family and friends.”

Logan said that as a professional, it is important to learn how to work with others, even when you don't see eye-to-eye on how things should be done. “You can even have fundamentally different views of things, but you still need to finish that project as a team,” Logan said. “This was one of the hardest struggles of all, and I definitely needed to remember that I couldn't give up on myself.

Finally, Logan said she had to learn that there is a difference between perfectionism, which is unattainable, and excellence, which results from bringing your very best efforts to your life and career.

Logan told the McNair Scholars gathered to “never give up on yourself, to always remember your goals, to strive for excellence, and not to let anyone say that you are not smart, because they can't see what is inside of you.”

Welcome and reflections

University Provost Tom Apple joined Havidán Rodríguez, deputy provost, Julie Hubbard, associate professor of clinical psychology, and Lynnette Overby, director of UD's Office of Undergraduate Research and Experiential Learning, in welcoming the 25 McNair and five University Undergraduate scholars to the event.

“The goal of getting a graduate degree in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects is critical to the future of our society and the world, and I think it is critically important that you find your passion in these disciplines,” Apple said. “I want to applaud the faculty, who are helping you get there, and the staff of the McNair Program. I also want to encourage the parents to continue to encourage their students to pursue their graduate careers in the STEM disciplines.”

The program concluded with scholar reflections by Gabriel Mendez and Vanessa Banegas.

Award recipients

Ronald E. McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement Program Awards included:

Leah Putman, senior Spirit of McNair;
Yael Hernandez, senior Leadership Award;
Paul Ruiz, senior Collegiality Award;
Alexandria Nedd, senior Promise of McNair Award;
Merris Hollingsworth and Chrysanthi Leon, Juan Villamarin Mentor Award; and
Team Apollo, Team Challenge of McNair 2010 Award.

Article by Jerry Rhodes
Photo by Duane Perry