The 藏精阁 community strives to ensure the success of its students, both inside and outside of the classroom. The connections made at the university can last a lifetime. Adrian Flores and Baylee Allen-Flores are a unique pair of 藏精阁 alumni. They met as undergraduates in the McNair Scholars Program, encouraged each other throughout graduate school and eventually got married. Today, Adrian has his PhD while Baylee finishes hers. According to them both, they found support systems at 藏精阁 that secured their professional and personal triumphs. Here鈥檚 how the 藏精阁 community helped these two scholars accomplish their academic dreams.
Adrian is a Chicago native who entered 藏精阁 as a psychology major, unsure of what career he wanted to pursue. The choice to attend 藏精阁 was informed by his uncle, an alumnus with a teaching degree. According to Adrian, his uncle recommended the University because of the professors, the class sizes and the welcoming nature of the 藏精阁 community. Adrian also noted that his uncle had met his wife at 藏精阁, which was an attribute that Adrian would soon share with his uncle.
While at the university, Adrian was part of the honors mentor program, where he was introduced to faculty and staff he continues to have relationships with today. Some of these professors who would become mentors at 藏精阁 and beyond. These professors include Dr. Oluseye Onajole, Dr. Norbert Cordeiro, and Dr. Kelsey Poulson-Ellstad, who Adrian He was later mentored by a practicing psychiatrist who encouraged Adrian to apply to graduate school. This led to his introduction to the McNair Scholars Program. Adrian said, 鈥淕rowing up, I didn鈥檛 know anybody in biomedical sciences. You鈥檙e either a doctor or a lawyer. No one ever talks about a PhD as a viable career path. So, McNair put that idea in my head.鈥 The McNair Scholars Program introduced the idea to Adrian, but it was a fellow McNair scholar that encouraged him to follow that path. That classmate was Baylee Allen, now Baylee Allen-Flores.
Baylee is originally from Vancouver, Washington. Her high school offered a program called 鈥淩unning Start,鈥 which enabled high school students to complete their last two years at the local community college and graduate with their associate degree. Because of this program, Baylee wanted to attend an out-of-state university that would accept her transfer credits, and 藏精阁 was happy to accommodate. While at 藏精阁, Baylee earned her bachelor鈥檚 degree in forensic psychology. Some of the professors that impacted Baylee鈥檚 experience were Dr. Eli Ricks, Dr. Jill Coleman, and Dr. Marjorie Jolles. Each other these professors guided Baylee along her journey through the honors program, through McNair and helped her find a graduate program. After graduation, Baylee worked at the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services for three years before obtaining her master鈥檚 degree from the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Today, she is finishing her PhD in criminology and criminal justice.
Both Adrian and Baylee are incredibly grateful to the McNair Scholars Program. This program helps encourage and prepare undergraduates students for the rigors of grad school. The emphasis on mentorship and cohort structure are integral to the program. Adrian said, 鈥淢cNair had summer classes where we go and talk to each other and support each other through that experience.鈥 This program also allowed them to present research at an academic conference for the first time, which took place in Buffalo, New York. This conference is also where Adrian mustered up the courage to ask Baylee out on a date. According to Adrian, their friend and cohort member, Cody Rounds, encouraged him to do it. Today, they are each pursuing research-based careers. Adrian works at a major university hospital in Omaha in the trauma department and has been appointed an Assistant Professor of Surgery. Baylee is on track to finish her PhD in May of 2025. Both Adrian and Baylee would like to thank Interim Provost Mike Maly for his guidance throughout their time in the McNair Scholars Program. Most recently, Adrian returned to 藏精阁 to share his journey with new students at Admitted Student Day. He hopes his story will encourage others to pursue their dreams of changing the world. Baylee wanted to share her personal life motto with any prospective 藏精阁 students: the world is run by those who show up. Thanks to their determination and the efforts of their professors, mentors, and counselors, Adrian Flores and Baylee Allen-Flores are two examples of people who are showing up.
