Category: Staff Spotlight

John McAdams is a graduate student at Clemson University who also completed his undergraduate degree here as well.  John will be graduating with his Master’s in Mechanical Engineering in December 2022 and will begin working for Duke Energy’s Nuclear Power Plant in Oconee County.  John chose Clemson due to its incredible and highly-ranked engineering program and because of family affiliations.  He was recruited when his older brother attended the university to major in Civil engineering.  John was invited to participate in the PEER&WISE Summer Experience Program (PWE, formerly, FIRE).  Since then, John has served as a PEER mentor, and a tutor in the PEER&WISE Fluor Study Hall and has also served as the graduate academic enrichment coordinator.  John says he truly enjoyed his time as a mentor, tutor, and graduate assistant for the office.

From everyone at the PEER&WISE office, we are so proud of you, John, and cannot wait to see where life takes you!

N’Kya McClurkin is a junior computer science major at Clemson.  She also serves as a current PEER mentor working with our freshmen engineers helping them to adjust to life at college.  She chose to attend Clemson due to the atmosphere and family vibes that Clemson is very known for.  She selected her major because of her interest in software development and her passion for creativity.  Her PEER mentor from her freshman year played a strong role in her involvement with PEER&WISE today.  They suggested N’Kya become a mentor for other students in her major so she can help them the way her mentor helped her.  Once she finishes college, she would like to pursue a career in software development or cyber security.

The PEER&WISE family is so proud of you, N’Kya!

Pranavi Thatavarthi is a sophomore chemical engineering major with a biomolecular concentration who serves as a current WISE mentor.   She chose Clemson due to its extraordinary engineering program and the sense of belonging she felt when she toured Clemson’s campus.  Pranavi plans to work in the pharmaceutical industry focusing on drug design and manufacturing processes.  However, she is very interested in learning about all the different career possibilities she will have in Chemical Engineering.  She would like to also possibly obtain a graduate degree in Chemical Engineering or Pharmacology one day.  Pranavi’s involvement with PEER&WISE began when she attended our PWE program before beginning her freshman year here.  PWE allowed her to gain important communication and study skills that have helped her throughout her college career.  Currently serving as a WISE mentor, she is helping the next generation of female engineers as they adjust to being college students at Clemson.  She also represents the WISE program on the CECAS Student Advisory Board and has been allowed to expand her leadership and professional skills.  This opportunity has also opened a new STEM networking door for her, allowing her access to multiple other CECAS students and STEM professionals.  While at Clemson, Pranavi has also participated in the Society for Women Engineers (SWE), the Indian Cultural Association, and the Pre-Pharmacy Club.  Along with that, she was allowed to work with Dr. Delphine Dean in the Reddi Lab as an undergraduate lab technician where she transported COVID test samples, facilitated COVID testing for the athletic department, and worked with graduate staff in operating machines used to detect the COVID-19 Virus.

We cannot wait to see what the future has in store for you, Pranavi!  We are so proud of you!

Jonathan is a familiar face to many in the PEER&WISE family!  Jonathan is a mechanical engineering graduate student who also completed his undergrad at Clemson.  Jonathan chose Clemson due to its high-ranking engineering program and his involvement with Clemson’s Emerging Scholars program in high school.  His older sister also attended Clemson before him and greatly influenced his life.  Mr.  Figueroa plans to pursue a career in the Automotive Industry as a design engineer and hopes to one day move to Austin, Texas.  During his undergraduate years, Jonathan was a student assistant in PEER&WISE, working the front desk in the office and annex.  Since beginning graduate school, he has worked for the Mechanical Engineering Department as a graduate assistant grader.  He has also been a TA for the PEER&WISE program and worked as a tutor and graduate assistant.  Jonathan enjoys being involved and helping shape our future engineers and has been involved with many aspects of many organizations.  He has served as a CONNECTIONS mentor, was a found executive board member for Brother2Brother (PR Co-Chair), and is a member of Order of Omega, which is a Fraternity and Sorority Life Honor Society.  He is also a member of the W.E.B DuBois Honor Society, a Peer Dialogue Facilitator for Clemson University Dialogues, Vice Basileus and Assistant Keeper of Finance for the Chi Zeta Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) Secretary and Vice President at Clemson University and has been sponsored to attend Cambiando Vidas service trip in the Dominican Republic by Clemson FSL.  He has also been on both the President’s List and Dean’s List for multiple semesters.

We appreciate you and are so proud of you, Jonathan

!

Skyler Holland is a junior electrical engineering major from the small town of Hampton in the Lowcountry of South Carolina.  She has been a part of PEER&WISE for several years in many different ways.  Her journey began in middle school when she attended Project WISE’s week-long STEM camp.  This is where she fell in love with engineering and knew that she would one day attend Clemson University to major in electrical engineering.  Skyler participated as a camper at Project WISE for two summers.  Since coming to Clemson, Skyler has become a vital part of the PEER&WISE family.  She works as an intern student assistant in the office and performs various tasks daily.  Skyler is the editor of the weekly PEER&WISE newsletter and coordinates with many other staff and organizations to ensure that we share as many opportunities with our students as possible.  Since joining the team, Skyler’s responsibilities have grown, along with her love for the program.  She can be credited with making many of the flyers that can be seen around the office and has also tabled a few events for PEER&WISE and GE’s Next Engineers program.  She is also currently helping to update the test bank to keep things as up-to-date as possible for her fellow students.  This past summer, she also was a counselor for Project WISE and got to spend a week sharing her love and passion for engineering with the younger generation of women.  When she is not in the PEER&WISE office, Skyler is also an IT Technician for CECAS CORE and a Clemson Club Tennis team member.  After college, she plans to combine her minor in biological sciences with her electrical engineering major to work in the field of medical research.  She primarily is interested in the advancement of prosthetics and artificial organs but overall, she just wants to help people with the advancement of medicine and medical technology.

The full time office staff at PEER&WISE are what keep us running and allow us all to be able to have the resources that we do.  Below are a little bit about each of our staff members, including a new face in the office, Mr. Luke Franco!  Be sure to remind our staff how important they are to us every once in awhile!

Luke Franco

Prior to relocating to Clemson and working with PEER & WISE he worked in the California public school system as a high school math teacher and served in the US Navy as a musician. Luke Franco received his Bachelor of General Studies from Columbia College and his Master of Science in Education from California Baptist University. He will be managing the office support staff and assisting professional staff members in meeting departmental objectives. When not at work Luke enjoys making music and soaking up time with his family. He is excited to join the PEER & WISE community at Clemson and is looking forward to working with you all.

Serita Acker

Serita earned her bachelor’s degree from Lander University and a Master of Education in Human Resource and Development from Clemson University. Before becoming the PEER/WISE director in August 2015, Serita Acker was Director of the Women in Science and Engineering program. Additionally, she has more than 25 years of experience in higher education, both in the areas of student support services, mentoring, and diversity programs. She is a certified Global Career Development Facilitator and Life Coach.

Serita Acker sees the PEER/WISE main role as providing student success programs and services that can equip students with the resources they need to excel at Clemson University and achieve their educational goals so that they are prepared for success after graduation.

She has won several State and National Awards: Thomas Green Clemson Award, Woman of Distinction by the Girl Scouts of Mountains to Midlands, the James E. Bostic Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Award in 2017 as a diversity champion at Clemson University, Clemson University Woman of the Year, Martin Luther King Jr. Award, Clemson University Board of Trustees Award, Women in Engineering Pro-Active Network Distinguished Service Award, Career Communications Magazine College Level Promotion of Education Award, National Association of Multicultural Engineering Advocates Award, Upstate Diversity Award, Calder D. Elhmann Outstanding Individual. As well as being featured on the cover of Insight into Diversity.

She also served as MentorLinks Consultant for the American Association of Community Colleges in Washington DC and sits on many state and national boards to help promote STEM. She currently serves as the National Society of Black Engineers Student Chapter campus advisor at Clemson University. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and traveling.

Lisa Jackson

Lisa Jackson is the Associate Director of Programs for Educational Enrichment and Retention, PEER. She joined the PEER & WISE team in 2014.

She is a proud alumna of Benedict College, one of the finest HBCUs in South Carolina, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Economics Business Administration. It was there she realized education was the tool she needed to change the world. Therefore, in May 2021 she received her MBA here at Clemson University to be the agent of change for her family, community and country.

She said one of her greatest achievements while in this role occurred in 2017; the program received an award from NAMEPA, Inc., the National Association of Multicultural Engineering Program Advocates. This award recognizes retention programs that have increased the participation of students from historically underrepresented (URM) populations in engineering. This accomplishment allowed PEER & WISE to join other prestigious public engineering research institutions. Subsequently, the morale and participation of engineering students at the university has vastly increased.

“My personal philosophy is to treat others as you want to be treated. Being kind to others costs nothing but can leave every place you travel and every individual you encounter better because of you. When I engage with PEER mentors, I use those moments as opportunities to plant and water seeds of wisdom, kindness, love and compassion. I believe with this mixture, we will make lifetime changes and eventually make this world a beautiful garden, a better place.”

Beth Anne Johnson

Beth Anne Johnson serves as the Associate Director for the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Program in the College of Engineering, Computing, and Applied Sciences at Clemson University. Since the program’s establishment in 1995, the WISE program has helped thousands of women successfully gain employment in male-dominated industries.  This award-winning program pairs first year, female-identifying students with upper-level female students to guide young women in their college experience. While teaching essential skills alongside academics, Beth Anne helps educate and prepare women to pursue and secure successful careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematical (STEM) fields through outreach, recruitment, and college support.

Johnson was recently named the 2022 winner of the WEPAN Women in Engineering Champion Award for her volunteer contributions to STEM education at the primary, secondary, and collegiate levels for her work at Clemson. The WISE program was named winner of the Women in Engineering Program Award for an outstanding woman in an engineering program that serves as a model for other institutions.

Johnson’s path to STEM equity work is a fascinating one. With undergraduate degrees in English and the performing arts, she completed her graduate research as a leisure scientist, looking at parks, recreation, and tourism management. “You can tell who’s equitable and free by who can pursue leisure, so I started with a social justice mindset. It was interesting to see that the statistics for female-identifying athletes in male-dominated sports are similar to the statistics for first year incoming engineering and computer science students.”

In addition to her role at Clemson, Johnson serves as the president of WEPAN. She is honored to serve the WEPAN community alongside the executive leadership team. Together they will ensure WEPAN continues growing, and create a strategic plan, mapping out goals and objectives for three, five, and ten years into the future.

Advice to students:  “Find your mindful: be it prayer, meditation, breathing, or exercise. Life is about striving for balance and finding peace. As students with underrepresented identities, life, school, and today’s political climate are extremely challenging. Therefore, it is essential to reassure and ground yourself with rest and reflection, even if it begins with 10 minutes a day.”

Brittany Sanders

Brittany Fatima Sanders is a Graduate Assistant for PEER & WISE, starting January 2021. She held various positions within PEER & WISE since 2014, including Undergraduate Mentee, WISER Resident, Undergraduate Mentor, and Newsletter Committee Chair. As a graduate assistant, Brittany collects, organizes, and interprets data relating to creating inclusive and supportive learning environments for underrepresented student populations at Clemson University.

She is a proud alumna of Clemson University, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering accompanied by a minor in mathematical sciences in December 2020. Currently, Brittany is pursuing a Master of Science degree in industrial engineering with a concentration in operations research (OR). Her research interests focus on understanding and addressing widened racial and socioeconomic inequities in academia through OR models and optimization.

“I value my work with PEER & WISE because there is nothing more I want than to make my ancestors’ unimaginable dreams a reality for my daughter. I never want her to doubt her worth because of how she looks or struggle academically because of financial limitations. When I look at her, I see more than the color of her skin and her gender; I see my mom, dad, grandparents, and all the bright-eyed little girls in the world.”

A passionate believer in building strong family bonds, Brittany is happily married to her life partner, Derek. They share a three-year-old daughter, Lincoln.

Maegan Hinson

Maegan Hinson earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering and her Master of Arts in Teaching in mathematics from Clemson University.  Prior to her work with PEER & WISE, Maegan worked in the public school system teaching math and science for middle and high school students.  As the outreach coordinator, she works to plan and promote programs such as SEE Clemson and STEM day.  Her goal is to show prospective students the value of a degree from Clemson University in the STEM fields.

Advice to students: “Be where your feet are. Don’t get too caught up in what comes next; stay in the moment.”

Dear seniors,

The PEER&WISE community would just like to take a moment to not only thank you for all you have done for us but to also congratulate you.  You all have just accomplished your goal and we cannot wait to see where you go next!  You have done great things and we know you will continue to make us proud.  We wish you the best of luck with all future endeavors and would love for you to come back and visit with us.  Always remember the PEER&WISE office is a place you can call home!

~ Your PEER&WISE Family

Below, we would like to honor our seniors by showing who they are and where they are off to next!

Jonathan Figueroa

Masters in Mechanical Engineering

August 2022

Nora Mortali

Bachelor’s in Bioengineering

Minor in Spanish Studies

May 2022

Returning to Clemson in the fall to begin working towards her Master’s in Biomedical Engineering

Sarah Johnson

Master’s in Biomedical Engineering

May 2022

Will begin working as an associate IPS engineer in the Orthognathic division of KLS Martin

Elaina Stevers

Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering

May 2022

Kylie Rawls

Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering

Minor in Mathematical Sciences

May 2022

Will begin working an a process improvement engineer at Milliken

Malik Pyatt

Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering

May 2022

Will be working for S&B Engineers and Constructors in Houston, TX

Nora Mortali is a senior bioengineering major from Walpole, MA also minoring in Spanish Studies.   Nora was first involved with PEER&WISE through our academic resources (tutoring, test bank) and is currently an undergrad student intern under her mentor, Brittany Sanders.  She works with GE’s Next Engineer Greenville program.  Over the summer, she will be working as a Quality Assurance Intern at Third Pole Therapeutics in Massachusetts.  In the fall, Nora will begin working towards her Master of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering at Clemson University.  Her advice for others is to “Never be afraid to get to know your classmates and professors. Bioengineering is a challenging field but having people to lean on makes it easier!”  We appreciate everything Nora does for the PEER&WISE community and cannot wait to see what her future holds!

Sarah Johnson is the current WISER graduate assistant.  She first got involved with PEER&WISE through one of our Girl Scout Day events during her high school career.  She began her time at Clemson as a WISE mentee and then continued as a WISE mentor for the rest of her sophomore, junior, and senior year.  Sarah will be graduating in May with her Master’s of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering and then she is off to Jacksonville, Florida to begin a new career.   She will be working as an associate IPS engineer in the Orthognathic division of KLS Martin.  While there, she will be creating patient-specific surgical solutions (plate and screw systems) and walking surgeons through each step of the jaw surgery for optimum patient outcomes.  Sarah would like to let everyone know that bioengineering is not easy, but thanks to the help from PEER&WISE, it was possible.  She wants to remind everyone that asking for help is definitely okay and always worth it!