McNair Staff, 2023-24
Rebecca Clark, MA, Ed.D
Director, Ronald E. McNair Scholar Program
107 Monroe
Phone: 509.359.2471
Email: rclark20@ewu.edu
Originally from Spokane, Rebecca Clark has over 20 years of experience in education, working with students in the Seattle area who are First Generation and from under-represented populations in achieving their academic goals, and is excited to join EWU’s McNair Scholars Program. Rebecca has her BA in History and International Studies from Gonzaga University and her Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from Seattle University. In addition, she recently achieved her doctorate in Educational Leadership from Gonzaga. She sees her role in education as a facilitator and has committed to increasing access and equity in quality education for all.
Cori Jaeger, MEd, MFA
Academic Advisor, Ronald E. McNair Scholar Program
107 Monroe
Phone: 509.359.6523
Email: cjaeger3@ewu.edu
Cori Jaeger completed her Master of Fine Arts in Fiction at Eastern in 2021. After two years as a McNair graduate student assistant, she was thrilled to become the Academic Advisor and support students through the research and application processes! She has followed a meandering path to get here – from managing a children’s toy store, to an MEd in Elementary Education, to running a summer camp for LGBTQ youth and youth of LGBTQ families, to wholesaling scarves, and then back to teaching. She also has participated in community organizing for racial justice for the last ten years and is currently volunteering with the Peace and Justice Action League’s BOLD project. She is excited to support McNair students however possible and is always down to talk about great TV, teaching/facilitating, young adult novels, mental health, summer camp and youth work, sci-fi/fantasy, or just however you are doing.
Bakima Ssebanakitta, BA
McNair Program Graduate School Assistant
107 Monroe
Email: bssebanakitta@ewu.edu
Bakima Ssebanakitta is an EWU McNair Scholar alum who’s joining us on staff this year while attending the Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program here at EWU. We’re so excited to have her join us. Pursuing a path towards a PhD in Psychology, Bakima plans to expand into tenured professorship and private counseling practice. Bakima is passionate about expanding education on self-advocacy, holistic wellness, intentional connections, and the relationships between stress and resiliency. She hopes her research and creative writing background will merge valid academic knowledge into the public sphere, by culminating in an actionable book for humanity. Bakima has operated in leadership and supporting roles for over 90% of her working career. Bakima brings to McNair scholar’s her seven years of experience in professional life coaching, conflict resolution and change mediation, mentoring middle- and high school students, and end-of-life facilitation applications combined with lyrical prose experiences. “Serving as a GSA, particularly right after graduating from this McNair Scholar program, is a huge honor to pay forward resources I never dreamed of having access to nor knew existed”.
Marcus Shoffner, BS
Graduate School Assistant for STEM & Departmental Outreach
107 Monroe
Email: mshoffner@ewu.edu
Marcus Shoffner (AP) is a Artist, Poet, Lyricists and a Creative Writing MFA student at EWU. Marcus attended the University of North Carolina at Pembroke & earned his Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications: Public Relations & double minored in Business Administration in Management as well as Creative Writing in Poetry. It was during his time in undergrad he served as president of the creative writing club on campus. It was here Marcus first began to pursue his passions in making sure misrepresented people get their voice heard. Attending EWU and finding out about McNair, was perfect for Marcus because he too is 1st generation. “After learning about the mission of McNair I knew I wanted to be apart of the team & make sure these scholars receive the opportunity to get their voice heard and not only pursue higher degrees, but their passions through research in their respective field of interests”
Get in Touch!
Use this form to contact the EWU McNair Scholars Program, or reach out to any staff on the Meet the Staff page above (https://test-inside.ewu.edu/mcnair/contact-2/).
