McNair Scholar Nazeema Baboolall ’09 says the McNair program recognizes students who “have overcome adversity through education.” The Bronx, NY, native and DeWitt Clinton High School graduate says the program allows her “the freedom to explore any topic of interest,” adding that as “scholars we are creating our own syllabus.”

The McNair Scholarship, named in honor of physicist and astronaut Dr. Ronald McNair who was killed in the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger explosion, recognizes first-generation or minority students. In addition, applicants must have a commitment to obtain a doctoral degree, participate in summer research before graduation, maintain a GPA requirement and demonstrate commitment to the program.

Baboolall is pursuing a double economics and psychology major at SLU.  She said she chose these fields because she “wanted to learn more about how decisions about the economy are made.  I also wanted to learn about human behaviors and how that affects our decisions.”

On campus, Baboolall is a Community Assistant and a Community Mentor, assisting other students with academic, residential and personal concerns. She said that she is involved in these activities “because I want to give back to the community that has provided me with so much.”