Keosha Fulcher is the first UCM student awarded a national fellowship in the Minority Fellowship Program.
Fulcher, a second-year graduate student studying marriage and family therapy, was awarded the Now is the Time: Minority Fellowship Program – Youth, which is geared toward master’s students interested in service to youth, according to an email from Adriatik Likcani, associate professor in the UCM School of Human Services.
“This is a testament of her dedication and contribution to the field as a student and also to the quality of education we provide at UCM,” Likcani said.
The fellowship is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Grace Kabemba, program assistant for the Minority Fellowship Program, said 86 master’s students nationwide applied for the fellowship and 40 of them were accepted.
“I’m not going to lie – I didn’t realize how big it was until Dr. Likcani was like ‘This is a big deal!’” Fulcher said. “Basically it helps me work with diversity and youth.”
Fulcher works at the local emergency shelter and domestic violence outreach program, Survival House, as a caseworker.
“When I do establish rapport with my clients and I’m able to find out what they need from me as a person helping them, I can link them with those resources,” she said. “Sometimes their feedback is like, ‘Thank you, you helped me.’ Sometimes I don’t always get that but when I do, that feels rewarding.”
Likcani said this award exemplifies interim President Roger Best’s “Opportunity in Action” slogan for the university.
“Each student actually has to show they already have done something to contribute to health for minority populations and youth,” he said. “Her encouragement with the domestic violence shelter, the community and our program…these are things that stood out.”
Likcani was awarded this fellowship two years in a row as a Ph.D. student at Kansas State University.
He said with Fulcher’s experience in the field, she’s been able to bring her hands-on knowledge to classroom discussions.
After Fulcher graduates, she will become a national member for the Minority Fellowship Program and will have access to training, resources, networking and conferences.
The fellowship provides $4,000 per year per student to support their school and living expenses in addition to training and conference travel expenses.
