Computer Science McNair Scholar found future in academia through CWU

Kiyrah Keith’s decision to attend Central Washington University came after completing her associate’s degree at Olympic Community College.

In her hunt for an institution to help her finish her bachelor’s degree, she found herself touring the CWU campus in early September, and it was then that she discovered a campus she knew she could call home.

“Labor Day was definitely a hectic time to visit Ellensburg, but since everyone was at the rodeo, the campus was empty,” Kiyrah said. “I just walked along the river with my dog and completely fell in love with the campus. I moved in three months later.”

A puzzle lover with a passion for interesting mathematics, Kiyrah always had her eyes set on a computer science degree, but she felt wary about transferring away from the close-knit atmosphere of a community college. She learned soon enough that those fears were unfounded.

“I was a little nervous going in, since community college has those small class sizes and deep connections with your professors,” Kiyrah said. “I was very pleasantly surprised that that same attitude existed here at Central. The computer science department is kind of small, and everyone knows everyone. By the time we got to senior year, we were all doing capstone projects together, and I’ve really enjoyed that collaborative group atmosphere.”

As she progressed toward her bachelor’s degree, Kiyrah learned about the McNair Scholars program from a friend in the Astronomy Club, and realized that her future in academia might not be limited to her undergraduate degree. She threw herself into the program, and it wasn’t long before she began to reap the benefits.

“I just kind of barged into their offices and begged them to let me join,” Kiyrah said. “With that, I was able to produce a research proposal, get a faculty mentor, and get paid to conduct research over the summer. I presented that research at SOURCE this year.”

The McNair Scholars program focuses on providing students from underrepresented or first-generation backgrounds with the resources and support they need to go beyond their bachelor’s degree in academia. For Kiyrah, this meant rethinking her whole approach to her education.

“When I got to Central, I just wanted to get through the two years to get my bachelor’s, then go from there,” she said. “I did not think about grad school, nor did I really know anything about it. As I talked to the professors and the McNair program, I started to realize that taking my education further was really the move for me, because I love learning and I feel like I’ve just started to reach the beginning of the really interesting stuff.”

Now, at the recommendation of her professors and with the support of the McNair Scholars program, Kiyrah is headed to Texas A&M University to pursue her PhD in computer science with full fellowship funding, opening up a whole world of practical applications for her inquisitive attitude and rapidly developing skillset. She aims to work at finding new inroads for cutting-edge computational methods in a broad variety of fields.

“I got into computer science because I love math, and I love puzzles,” Kiyrah said. “What I’m really hoping to do is to find different disciplines to apply my skillset and love of puzzles to, in order to help in as many different branches of science as possible.”

Looking back, Kiyrah credits her instructors and peers with creating an environment designed to help her thrive.

“They’ve done such a good job of not only encouraging me but also pushing me out of my comfort zone when I needed it,” she said. “I was glad that they got to know me well enough to know both my strengths and my weaknesses, and to help me work on both.”

With a rewarding career in her sights and a supportive network of peers and mentors by her side, Kiyrah knows her future will be bright.

“I’ve felt so comfortable here, and I think it’s good that I’m excited to push out of my comfort zone now,” she said. “Central has given me an excellent foundation to build my career on.”