Greetings Phillips Scholars, 

We hope you are all enjoying the start of spring and staying well. To round out Women’s History Month, this bulletin includes stories from three scholars who are studying and working in different STEM areas. We wish these scholars all the best as they continue their studies and embark on their promising careers. As Phillips Scholarship staff, we often read these stories in awe of our community and how much our scholars have accomplished academically and professionally. If you have an update to share with us, please email Amy at alowe@spscholars.org. You can also submit an update through our Alumni Page or join our LinkedIn group to stay connected.  
News from the Phillips Scholar Community
Mia Mandujano is completing her sophomore year at Southern Adventist University in Tennessee. She recently completed an internship with Global Treks and Adventures, which involved visiting Iceland over the winter to collect field data. Her research project focused on how Icelandic DNA can be used in research to treat diseases. Mia is very interested in genetic research and is pursuing work on how understanding certain DNA structures can inform treatments of early psychosis. She plans to complete her degree in Biology in 2024. When she is not at school, Mia is active in her home community of Hartford, CT, where she volunteers at a community organization helping teach ESL to students of various ages.
Sara Melara is graduating this spring with a nursing degree from Simmons University. She is currently taking her preceptorship clinical at an outpatient care facility for those who are underserved in Dorchester. Through this clinical experience, she is learning about how to fight against racial health disparities and how to foster an equitable nursing workforce. During the pandemic, Sara supported local hospitals in need of additional staff by serving as a nursing assistant in COVID-19 units. She will continue in the outpatient setting, as a registered nurse, in the maternal and fetal medicine field before pursuing her Master's of Science in Nursing.  
Meaghan Wiggin is finishing her degree in Civil Engineering and Architectural Studies at the University of New Hampshire. This spring, she is presenting a project at the Marine Energy Collegiate Competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. Her team’s project is a Wave Energy Converter for microgrid island communities in need of renewable energy and clean drinking water. Meaghan is also working on a project on kelp farming to help reduce pollution within the Great Bay Estuary in NH. This project won “Most Impactful Story to Engage Stakeholders” and third place in the Audience Choice Award at New Hampshire’s Social Venture Innovation Challenge. After graduation, Meaghan hopes to become a sustainable and structural engineer, with a focus on providing clean infrastructure through Green Building Design.