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Editor: Darlene Wiggins Dockery
the
WMSURE Parent
William and Mary Scholars Undergraduate Research Experience (WMSURE)
Co-Directors: Anne Charity Hudley, Ph.D. & Cheryl Dickter, Ph.D
My Research
Dr. Charity Hudley and Dr. Dickter greet
parents at Family Weekend Reception
WMSURE
The William and Mary Scholars Undergraduate
Research Experience (WMSURE) is a unique
program developed to provide resources to Scholars
to pursue undergraduate research experiences at
William & Mary, and to encourage Scholars to
continue in their research pursuits at the graduate
level.
http://www.wm.edu/as/charlescenter/scholars/sure/?svr=web
Save the Date! Spring Workshops and Events
February 9, 5pm
March 22, 5pm
Preparing for Summer
Grants/Fellowships
Graduate School
Workshop
February 23, 5pm
April 26
Choosing Your
Major
Planning for
Graduate Admissions
Tests
May 12
Graduation Reception
Name: Dimelza Gonzales-Flores
Hometown: Springfield, VA
Major: Government
Title of Project: Differentiation of
Student Achievement Levels in
English as a Second Language
Programs
Advisor: Joel Schwartz
Honors Department:
Interdisciplinary Studies
The literature on English as a Second
Language (ESL) programs has
focused on English instruction bestpractices, measurements of language
acquisition, and bilingual education.
My research project will add to this
literature by studying how the
implementation of ESL programs
impacts long-term achievement and
motivation levels of ESL students.
The Honors Fellowship is important
because it covers the personal and
research costs that would have
required me to obtain a job this on
(continued on page 4)
WMSURE
FALL 2011
It’s Not Too Early to Ask: “What Are
Your Plans for Summer, Honey?”
The summer break from school
shouldn’t be a break from education.
Research
Did you know any student who is conducting research with a faculty
member over the summer gets free housing on campus at W&M? To
find grants or fellowships that the Charles Center provides. Click
http://www.wm.edu/sites/scholarships/scholarshipsfellowshipsawar
ds/summer/index.php. The deadline for submission is the middle of
March. Also, suggest he or she find out about the William and Mary
Honors Fellowships at http://honorsfellowships.wm.edu/about/.
S/he’ll thank you later.
Internships
Internships will help your students:
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Study Abroad
Contact the Reves Center to find out what
opportunities are available for Summer 2012 and what
you need to be doing now to be considered.
For more information on how to get started:
http://www.wm.edu/offices/revescenter/studyabroad/gettingstar
ted/workshop/index.php
Summer Job
Working in a specialty camp can be a fun way to make
money and sharpen your skills. The Cohen Center
offers information on possible summer jobs and
internships. Also, camp and special academic
enrichment programs often employ college students
For more information:
http://www.wm.edu/offices/career/?svr=web
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Gain experience.
Narrow his career and educational path.
Develop knowledge and skills within a given field.
Establish connections and enhance their professional
network.
WMSURE
FALL 2011
First Generation Profile
Christopher Ball, Ph. D.
Christopher Ball, Ph.D. acknowledged that
being educated in the 70’s in Australia was
very different than being educated in the
United States in the 21st century, but some
similarities in issues faced by first generation
college students are consistent across time and
space. Dr. Ball’s parents met when his dad did
a baking apprenticeship. His mom worked at
the counter and sold the baked goods. Neither
parent graduated from high school or attended
college because it was not a financial option
for them. However, by the 70’s, college was
available for any Australian who met the
entrance requirements with 100% tuition paid.
Ball was the youngest of five children. His
sisters went on to become nurses. His oldest
brother, largely motivated to avoid
conscription to the Vietnam War, went to the
university in his town and majored in
Computer Science. This brother worked as a
taxi driver during the day and went to school
at night. His other brother became a plumber.
Ball admits that he was not a good
student while in high school and did not begin
to do homework until his senior year. He was
largely motivated to begin to apply himself to
his studies due to the summer after his junior
year spent working for his brother who had
become a plumber. He described his brother as
a “tough boss” who thought he was a useless
worker. By summer’s end he knew that he did
not want to do that sort of work for the rest of
his life, so he determined to apply to go to the
university. In Australia, high school
graduation was 100% exam-based, so he could
still graduate and attend college if he did well
enough on the exam. He began to study really
hard and, as a result, passed the exam that
qualified him to graduate from high school.
“I applied and got the job as a
computer programmer in a
psychology department and that
was the luckiest break I ever
had. I became obsessed with
psychology experiments.”
The government IQ tested low-income
students and if they scored high enough, in
addition to tuition, they were paid a stipend
to attend college. The money was intended
to buy books, but being that he had no
transportation, he bought a motorcycle with
his money so that he could get back and
forth to class. When he got there, he had no
idea what to do at college because no one in
his community, besides his brother, had
been. Taking his cue from this one role
model, he majored in Computer Science; not
because he was particularly interested, but
that was the only discipline he had been
exposed to. He also did not feel part of the
campus community. He only went on
(continued on p. 5)
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WMSURE
FALL 2011
My Research
(Gonzoles-Flores
continued)
There isn’t much literature on my topic and
thus research will be very intensive and
require many resources.
Future Plans: I have recently entered the
William and Mary School of Education Five
Year Masters Program for Curriculum and
Instruction to expand my work on ESL
programs and to become a certified
secondary school teacher. I plan on working
for a few years after completing the masters
program before continuing on getting a
Masters on Public Administration with a
focus on education policy from the
University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Fun Fact: I was chased by a headless duck
when I was 5 years old. My family and I
took a trip to my grandmother’s hometown,
where it’s tradition to cook the best farm
animal for guests. Someone accidentally let
go of the duck while beheading it and so
that’s how I ended up being chased by a
headless duck. I was raised by my
grandparents since I was 3 months old until I
was 12 years old. As I grow older, I become
more thankful to them for their unusual
childrearing methods, for making me proud
of my heritage, and for instructing me with
the values I hold today.
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Name: Kenay Sudler
Hometown: Baltimore, MD
Majors: Linguistics and Psychology
Honors Department: Linguistics
For my project I will be analyzing research
from a questionnaire, conducting
interviews, and running an experiment
with speech pathologists and their clients.
The results from this study will be used to
help distinguish biases based on issues of
language diversity from quantitative
research which shows the possible limits
that accent could pose in the profession.
The honors fellowship will provide me the
support and resources with which to
complete my project. The money provided
by this fellowship will be beneficial in
helping me to provide compensation to
those who participate in my research.
Future Plans: I would like to go to
graduate school to become a speech
pathologist.
Fun Fact: I speak 3 foreign languages!
Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese.
WMSURE
FALL 2011
(continued from page 3)
For students serious about success, Ball is
accessible and supportive. He served as a mentor
for senior, Kenay Sudler, on a research project last
year. “Kenay was in two of my classes and just a
stand-out student. “ Their research was on the
effects of emotional content on memory.” Kenay
actually presented the results of the study at a
conference last summer and made such a strong
impression that a professor from England asked if
she wanted to pursue graduate study with her.”
Another contribution Ball makes to life at The
College is as a rugby coach. Because Australian
football is a merging of Irish football and rugby, he
has a great deal of experience with field sports. He
passes on this affinity for field sports to the TRIBE
as coach of The College’s Women’s Rugby team.
His wife, Lynn, is the Director of Service
Learning at Virginia Commonwealth University.
She has just completed a study on first generation
college students and the impact of the service
learning experience. They have two sons at college
and a daughter in middle school.
campus for class and left immediately after. He had
been signed by a professional Australian football
team, so his buddies were not a part of university life
either. “I remember almost dropping out routinely
throughout my first year. I didn’t know anyone.” He
felt no connection to campus life and no one in his
peer group or family life could relate to his college
experience. “Luckily, I made a friend. Another firstgeneration student who just happened to be paired
with me in a lab because everyone else had paired up
and because nobody wanted to work with either of us
scruffy-looking fellows, we were the only two left.”
Ball attributed much of the disconnection from
university life that he felt as much to being a
commuter student as with being a first generation
college student. He pointed out that, in many cases,
first generation students are often commuter students
as well.
Upon graduation, he got a job as a computer
programmer…and hated it. “It was a miserable job.”
Although he hated the job, he had developed a good
relationship with his supervisor. “My boss knew how
miserable I was and actually brought me the ad and
job description for another job and encouraged me to
apply. Just from talking to me, he knew this would be
something I would be interested in. I applied and got
the job, as a computer programmer in a psychology
department and that was the luckiest break I ever
had.” He began writing software to run psychology
experiments and found psychology experiments to be
the first thing that ever excited him. “I became
obsessed with psychology experiments.”
As a result, Ball returned to school and pursued a
bachelor’s degree in psychology part-time while
working. From there he continued until he completed
his Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology. He acknowledges
that he was a very different student this second time
around. He had found a purpose for being in school
and wondered aloud about what difference it would
have made had he had the mentoring that would have
helped him to have a more fulfilled and focused
undergraduate experience. What he is certain about is
the value and privilege of a college education. “I have
no patience for these kids whose parents sacrifice for
them to be here and they don’t take it seriously.” As a
first generation college student, he has a keen
awareness of the benefit of a college education. “It is a
privilege, not a right.”
Welcome Home!
Surviving Your College
Student’s Visit
Even though you missed them and you are looking
forward to having everyone under the same roof
again, know that even in this short amount of time
away, you will have a different person at the table this
Thanksgiving. Your young adult is adjusting to a new
life, new responsibilities, new relationships, new
roommates, and new freedoms -- all at once. She will
appreciate your support, rather than criticism, through
this changing time. Recognize that while she may be
going through many changes, in the long run, she will
probably maintain many of the core values that you
instilled in her.
Find great tips
http://parentingteens.about.com/od/collegeinfo/a/c
ollege_student.htm
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