Holmes Scholars

Naomi’s research interests include empathy, identity, diversity, equity, justice, and inclusion in higher education and healthcare for underrepresented populations. Additionally, she wants to examine educational disparities in the U.S. in a post-pandemic climate to explore educational attainment in higher education/medical school and its intersection with health and mortality.

Naomi is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Science Education in the College of Education at Texas Christian University. Naomi holds an A.A. in Music from El Centro College in Dallas, a B.A. in Psychology and Music from the University of Texas at Arlington, an M.S. in Information Science with a concentration in Health Informatics from the University of North Texas, and an M.B.A. in Healthcare & Executive Leadership and Coaching from the University of Texas at Dallas.

Naomi is an El Paso, TX native. After moving to North Texas, she attended schools in Oak Cliff, a suburb of Dallas, and graduated high school from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (BTWHSPVA). In addition to her professional and educational pursuits, Naomi plays the violin in the Coppell Community Orchestra, where she is the music librarian and board member.

Dr. Stephanie Cuellar is the DEI Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Department of Educational Leadership and Higher Education in the College of Education. Her research interests include psychological resilience among minoritized populations; ethnic-racial identity development; community cultural wealth; and increasing access to postsecondary education for low-income, first-generation college students.

Dr. Cuellar earned her B.S in Psychology and M.A in Clinical and Counseling Psychology from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas. She earned her doctorate in Higher Educational Leadership from Texas Christian University. She holds a graduate certificate in Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies with a concentration in pedagogy as well as a general pedagogy certification.

Prior to coming to TCU, Cuellar gained nearly six years of experience in Student Affairs and Community and Alumni Relations.

Jessie developed a passion for conservation and native plants at Texas Christian University before graduating in 2017. She has been with the City of Dallas for three years as the Northwest District Arborist. When she’s not in the field or meeting with clients, Jessie’s focus is on public education, citizen science, and developing training materials for the City. She also serves on the City of Burleson Parks Board and as Secretary for the Trinity Blacklands Urban Forestry Council. Her work with the city led her to pursue a Master’s degree in Sustainable Natural Resource Management at Unity College. As part of her studies, she developed an environmental education curriculum to spread ecological awareness through a scientific perspective using outdoor labs and nature-based activities.

She chose a PhD in Science Education to learn how to effectively teach students to understand how their decisions and actions affect the environment, while building knowledge and critical thinking skills necessary to address complex environmental issues. She is honored to be pursuing her Doctorate in Science Education at Texas Christian University. Her goal is to examine the conditions linked to correlations between socioeconomic status and biodiversity by exploring case studies of inequality in Hispanic communities’ access to these resources to promote equitable access to nature. She hopes to connect students and local communities to the natural environment while promoting active stewardship of its ecological resources to strengthen local and equitable resilience to climate change while creating more sustainable and community-based resource management strategies.

Nicole Masole received a B.A. in Plan II Honors and Government from the University of Texas at Austin, a M.Ed. in Secondary Education from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and a M.Ed. in Mind, Brain, and Education from the University of Texas at Arlington. Nicole's professional career in education started as a middle school math teacher in St. Louis. Upon her return home to Texas, Nicole began an eight-year journey as the Program Director at Breakthrough Fort Worth, an organization aimed at supporting students across Fort Worth in their journey to achieve postsecondary success. Currently, Nicole serves as the Director of Community Engagement and Inclusion at Fort Worth Country Day. Nicole is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Higher Educational Leadership and her research interests include models of inclusive excellence within higher education institutions, innovative teaching and learning practices in higher education, as well as fostering and facilitating partnerships between K-12 and higher education institutions to improve college access and college completion. 

Monica Manzur is originally from Belize, Central America where she was born and raised. She takes pride in being a Belizean and is passionate about advancing higher education in Belize. She moved to the U.S. in 2013 to pursue her bachelor’s at New Mexico State University and later on completed her M.Ed. in Counseling- Student Affairs at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. Before commencing her doctoral program, Monica returned to Belize in 2019 where she served as the Director of Student Affairs for a private university in Belize. Given her experiences, Monica is interested in exploring student involvement, sense of belonging, and equity and access for underrepresented students. 

Outside of the academic realm, Monica is a lover of nature and food and does this through her love for travel. She enjoys spending time and connecting with loved ones as she loves to learn the stories of others. No matter where she has lived, Monica makes it a point to find all the water (beaches, rivers, oceans, lakes) around her. 

Denise is a Harare, Zimbabwe native pursuing her Ph. D in Higher Educational Leadership at Texas Christian University. With a curiosity and desire to learn and share culture, she resolved to use Ubuntu; an African philosophy centered on ‘being self through other’ and compassion and humility, as her life’s mantra and educational focus as she moved to the U.S to pursue her higher education. Her research interests evolve around the experiences of international students, and the institutional frameworks affecting the enrolment and retention of minoritized groups.

Denise started off her educational journey at Del Mar College and transferred to Midwestern State University where she received a B.A degree in Business Administration and a M.B.A with a Management emphasis from Texas Woman’s University. Denise currently works as a Research Assistant in the College of Education at TCU and also uses this position to actively champion and communicate the needs of graduate students serving as the College’s representative in the Graduate Student Senate.