With much of the university, the McNeill Academic Program has adjusted to be a remote program this year. The program started this virtual format over the summer as we met our incoming students, and this fall with our welcome, challenge course, and power hours all being held over Zoom. While not ideal, we are offering students new ways to build community even at a distance. We are constantly evolving to ensure students are adapting and adjusting to college in the best way possible.
During our virtual Welcome celebration on Sept. 10, McNeill Academic Program alumna Jacqueline Mora Manzo spoke to our students about the importance of community, and that the knowledge we bring from our communities can shape valid research questions, that this information has a place in current scholarly work. Jackie shared that her community helped her through hardships and successes that led her to pursue a Ph.D. Jackie noted that her friends and mentors within McNeill played a big role in her academic career.
About Jacqueline Mora Manzo
CU Boulder Alumna
McNeill Program Alumna
Ph.D. Student, Ethnic Studies, University of Colorado Boulder
M.A., San Jose State University- Chicana and Chicano Studies, 2020
B.A., University of Colorado Boulder- Ethnic Studies, minor in Education, 2016
Jackie’s research focused on the resiliency of youth, more specifically, youth of color, and how community cultural wealth and ventajas become vital in youth seeking forms of liberation and how mentoring can be transformative. She plans on continuing her research with youth and criminalization and incorporating the experiences of youth in the Boulder County area.