U-RISE
Undergraduate Research

Maddie Adams hales from Silverthorne, Colorado, and works with Dr. Nora Flucke towards a degree in Public Health with a minor in Sociology. (photo)

Paula Sanchez's hometown is Grand Prairie, Texas. She will be pursuing a major in cellular and molecular biology under the mentorship of Dr. Yiyan Li.

Kiara Nanez is originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and in the summer of 2023, she worked with Dr. David Blake on a project researching leishmaniasis. She will continue her studies toward a major in Cellular and Molecular Biology.

Savannah grew up in Denver, Colorado and is working toward a major in Biochemistry with Dr. McFarlane.

Bella is originally from Arvada, Colorado and is majoring in Cellular and Molecular Biology under the mentorship of Dr. Keisha Carlson.

John came to FLC from Anchorage, Alaska and is currently working with mentor Dr. David Blake. John is pursuing a degree in Cellular & Molecular Biology and intends to minor in Chemistry.

Alexa Dobbs graduated from FLC with a Chemistry degree in 2019 under the mentorship of Dr. Callie Cole. She is currently a doctoral student in Chemical Engineering at Georgia Tech University.

Ayax Anguiano is from Canyon, Texas and recently graduated with a degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology. His mentor was Dr. Caroline Kulesza. In the Fall of 2022, Ayax will continue pursuing his research education at University of Colorado at Denver.

Gerald Bush is from Albuquerque, New Mexico. He graduated in May 2022 with a degree in Cell and Molecular Biology. His MARC/U-RISE mentor was Dr. Steven Fenster. Gerald Bush is currently obtaining his doctoral degree in Neuroscience at the University of Miami.

Cassidy Hawley came to Fort Lewis from Oklahoma and graduated with a degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology in May 2021. Her mentor was Dr. Shere Byrd.

Diego Novoa is from Juneau, Alaska. He graduated in 2019 from Fort Lewis College with degree in Chemistry. Currently, he is a doctoral student in Chemistry at the University of California – Berkeley.  His MARC mentor was Dr. Callie Cole.

Hannah Tsingine is from Kirtland, New Mexico. She graduated from Fort Lewis College in 2020 with a degree in Cell and Molecular Biology and her U-RISE mentor was Dr. Caroline Kulesza. Currently, Hannah is obtaining her doctorate in Immunology at Johns Hopkins University as a Vivien Thomas Scholar.

Wall Dahlenberg is from Tulsa, Oklahoma. She graduated from Fort Lewis College in 2017 with a degree in Cell and Molecular Biology. She is completing her graduate degree in Biology at the University of Minnesota.  Her MARC Mentor was Dr. Les Sommerville.

Jesse Duran is from Española, New Mexico. He graduated in May 2022 with a degree in Computer Engineering. His MARC Mentor was Dr. Yiyan Li. Jesse spent some time working at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and in fall 2023 he will be starting a doctoral program in Engineering at Texas A&M University.

Leandrew Dailey is from Piñon, Arizona. He graduated from Fort Lewis College in 2018 with a degree in Biochemistry. Currently, he is doctoral student in Chemical Biology at the University of California – San Francisco.  His MARC mentor was Dr. Steven Fenster.

Lindsey Charley hails from Indiana and graduated in May 2021 with a degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology. Her mentor was Dr. Steven Fenster. Lindsey is currently employed as a Research Technician at CellChorus in Houston, Texas.

Marcus Williams is from Albuquerque, New Mexico. He graduated from Fort Lewis College in 2020 with a degree in Biochemistry. Marcus went on as a PREP Scholar at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and is currently starting the Medical Science Training Program at the University of California – San Francisco where he will be working towards earning his MD and PhD degrees. His MARC mentors were Dr. Jeff Jessings and Dr. David Blake.

Nicole Atencio graduated with a degree in Biochemistry in May of 2021 and with the support of mentor Dr. Kenny Miller.

Sophie Mancha is from Albuquerque, New Mexico. She graduated from Fort Lewis College with a degree in Engineering in 2018. Currently, she is a doctoral student and National Science Foundation GRFP Fellow in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  Her MARC mentors were Dr. Jeff Jessings and Dr. David Blake.

Tori Quintana is from Santa Fe, New Mexico. She graduated from Fort Lewis College in 2019 with a degree in Cell and Molecular Biology. Currently, she is a doctoral student in Cancer Biology at the University of Arizona. Her MARC mentor was Dr. Steven Fenster.

Megan McKinley came from New Orleans and was a U-RISE scholar working on a degree in Cellular-Molecular Biology with mentor Dr. Keisha Carlson. 

Jycole Bush came to FLC from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and she graduated in Spring 2023 with a degree in Biochemistry. She is currently at the University of Texas in San Antonio.

Asa Laskie came to FLC from Los Alamos, New Mexico. After completing a degree in Cellular-Molecular Biology, he returned to his hometown to gain experience working at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, after which he will continue to pursue a research career.

Jasmine Keyes was raised in Colorado Springs, CO, and in Spring 2023, graduated from FLC with a degree in Chemistry. She went on to pursue research at UC San Francisco.

Kai Gurnoe Brantley is a first-generation nontraditional college student from Santa Cruz, CA. He is working towards his degree in biology with a minor in chemistry and concentrations/ certificates in honors and pre-health. 

Sofia Estes comes to FLC from Allen, Texas and is currently working with mentor Dr. Kulesza to pursue a degree in cellular molecular biology.