What's Next for MSU ASCEND Class Of 2021

Nine of Morgan State University’s ASCEND Scholars will be entering graduate school programs:

• Alexus McKoy (Psychology, Cohort 6) will be attending the College of William and Mary in Williamburg, VA, pursuing an Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) degree in School Psychology.
• Christabelle Agyapong (Biology, minor in Chemistry, Cohort 5) will be performing laboratory research under the mentorship of Kai Ge while working in a post-baccalaureate program at the NIH’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases after doing a summer internship through the Marine Biological Laboratory (Woods Hole, MA) this summer.
• Destinee Young (Psychology, Cohort 6) will matriculate into a Master of Science program in Human Computer Interaction at DePaul University in Chicago, IL.
• Devin Saunders (Nutritional Science, Cohort 4) will be returning to the University of Arizona, where he did research during a summer internship in 2019, to pursue a Ph.D. in Nutritional Science.
• Jordan Dawson (Biology, minor in Psychology, Cohort 4) will be attending Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH, working toward a Master of Science degree in Applied Anatomy.
• Kayla Mercer (Psychology, Cohort 6) and Layschel Kemp (Psychology, Cohort 5) will both be taking gap years before pursuing advanced degrees in psychology.
• Maya Purnell (Biology, Cohort 4) will attend the University of Maryland School of Nursing in Baltimore, MD, working on a Master of Science in Nursing.
• Nashae Prout (Health Education, minor in Biology, Cohort 5) will matriculate into the Toxicology Graduate Program (Ph.D.) at the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY, one of the top five toxicology programs in the U.S.

During the summer, nine Cohort 6 ASCEND Scholars and one additional Cohort 5 Scholar will be participating in summer internships:

• Ayanna Henry: Physical therapy research at Focused Physio in Millburn, NJ, under the mentorship of Jason Levine, DPT.
• Chyna Roger: Clinical trial research on alcohol abuse disorder in the laboratory of Melanie Bennett, Ph.D,. University of Maryland School of Medicine.
• Dai’Shona Jones: Internship at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
• Deja Caton: Research in diversity and inclusion through Columbia University.
• Emmanuela Kodjo: Research on depression and its treatment (pre-clinical studies) in the laboratory of Scott Thompson, Ph.D., University of Maryland School of Medicine.
• Ezinne Onyedum: Science communications and website development at the State of Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
• Jaden Dawson: Computational medicine at the Johns Hopkins University Institute for Computational Medicine.
• Kamilah Degrarphenreed: BUILD a Bridge to STEM at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
• Myia Robinson: Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology through the Center for Environmental Science at the University of Maryland.
• Phylicia Cooper: Research Experience for Undergraduates at Johns Hopkins University.