First-generation college graduate, Jordan Ortman earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology in May 2021 from 麻豆国产AV. Initially, he didn鈥檛 know if college was right for him. However, he persevered and became a trainee in the Monarchs Maximizing Access to Research Careers (M-MARC) now known as Undergraduate Research Training聽Initiative for聽Student聽Enhancement (U-RISE). He is on the path to pursuing a doctorate degree and Ortman credits his upward path to success to all of the faculty and mentors in the U-RISE program and the Department of Psychology at 麻豆国产AV. 聽

Ortman grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado and is the oldest of seven children. 鈥淚 wasn't sure if聽I was really cut out for college,鈥 said Ortman.聽鈥淎nd coming from聽a family who has zero college graduates,聽it was like I聽didn't even know where to start.鈥

He decided to start at Pikes Peak Community College in Colorado, and he did well his first year. However, his family moved to Virginia upon completing his first year. He was able to transfer to Tidewater Community College and finished聽his last two semesters聽in Virginia Beach.

鈥淚 told myself that if I'm going to聽go into all this debt to pay for school then I'm going to put聽the work into it,鈥 said Ortman.聽鈥淚 ended up having a couple of good semesters at TCC聽and for聽the first time ever in my life,聽I had a 4.0 GPA.鈥

Proud of his accomplishments, he made another decision about which university to attend. 鈥淚 had聽heard great things about 麻豆国产AV, and it聽offered exceptional value for the cost of attending college essentially,鈥 said Ortman.

Unsure about how to navigate higher education, he was apprehensive at first. 鈥淚nitially, college was so scary because it was聽something completely new and different and I just felt like I聽didn't really have any guidance,鈥 said Ortman. 鈥淏ut one of my Psychology professors suggested that I reach聽out to the M-MARC (now called U-RISE) program because they help individuals who might face challenges in pursuing a research career by supporting them early in their path.鈥澛

After Ortman met with Chemistry Professor and M-MARC Co-Principal Investigator Alvin聽Holder, Ph.D., 鈥渋t was immediately聽apparent to me that he truly had the best intentions聽in mind for his students.聽He really wanted us to聽succeed,鈥 said Ortman. Ortman explained the fact that he was a first-generation student with limited means. He was accepted as聽a trainee in the second cohort of the program.聽Unsure of how to get involved in research,聽Holder and the M-MARC program became the guiding force to Ortman鈥檚 involvement in psychology research.聽 聽聽

As an M-MARC trainee, Ortman rotated through several labs in 麻豆国产AV鈥檚 Department of Psychology. While feeling out different labs, Ortman had a chance to participate in Assistant Professor Abby Braitman鈥檚 Alcohol Studies lab. This led him to start working on research projects, and his interest in research took off. While working in Braitman鈥檚 Lab, Ortman also had the opportunity to do research work at the Eastern Virginia Medical School.

He was getting his footing under him in doing undergraduate research but then the COVID-19 global pandemic hit. 鈥淲hen Covid聽first came聽around everything went virtual and聽I'm sure I'm not alone in this,聽but I hated it,鈥 said Ortman.聽鈥淚 really think that face-to-face interactions are more meaningful.鈥 But he persevered and continued doing research despite of the social distancing guidelines surrounding COVID-19.

Even his summer undergraduate research experience was altered in 2020. 鈥淭he intentions were that we were聽supposed spend the summer at another university, work in another lab, and have the final product聽be a research poster but that ended up being virtual for me,鈥 said Ortman. 鈥淢y summer research experience was with聽Brandeis University where I worked in聽Dr. Hannah Snyder's lab聽who was connected with the M-MARC program and that was a really awesome experience as well,鈥 said Ortman.聽Due聽to the nature of psychological research,聽Ortman was able to stay on task and do survey research despite the COVID-19 restrictions.聽

At the start of his second year, he returned to 麻豆国产AV (virtually) but fully involved in poster presentations and remote conferences as part of M-MARC.聽Also, he was taking part in a plethora of professional development opportunities. 鈥淚 was not as professional as I needed to be, and I wasn't refined as I should have been,鈥 said Ortman.聽鈥淚 think the M-MARC program聽helped me take baby steps to聽incrementally build up to where I聽needed to be, and that was like what聽was really important for me.鈥 聽聽

After graduating from 麻豆国产AV in the fall of 2021, Ortman applied to a clinical psychology doctoral program, and he applied to 麻豆国产AV鈥檚 Master of Psychology program. 鈥淚 did get accepted into聽the master鈥檚 program at 麻豆国产AV, but the program聽was expensive,鈥 said Ortman. However, he did not get into a clinical psychology聽Ph.D. program. 鈥淚t's聽more competitive than medical school, and they have about a two percent acceptance rate,鈥 said Ortman.聽However, he did not give up on pursing research in the field of psychology.

鈥淏ut after completing 麻豆国产AV and everything with M-MARC,聽I wouldn't trade聽that experience for anything else because it has been invaluable,鈥 said Orman. 鈥淚 really fell in love聽with the idea of doing聽psychological research.鈥 That love blossomed into a pathway for him to carve out a career in the field.

With the help of Holder, Ortman did a post-baccalaureate at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio for a year and worked for a second year there. Ortman knew he was ready to reapply to a doctoral program after gaining more research experience.

The second time around, Ortman applied and was accepted into a doctoral program. In the spring of 2024, he began a doctoral degree at the University of Central Florida in their Ph.D. program in Psychology.

鈥淚 really don't think I聽would be where I am today without it (M-MARC),鈥 said Ortman.聽鈥淚t really did have an extremely significant impact on聽my trajectory through academia,聽which ultimately ended up with me being聽in the Ph.D. program that I'm currently in.聽

Ortman is thankful for everyone in the M-MARC program who set the foundation for him to take part in聽research experiences.聽鈥淗aving the M-MARC program聽pair me with a great mentor聽and in a great lab was essential,鈥 said Ortman.

This is his advice to Monarchs interested in working in the current U-RISE program: 鈥淚t's an intensive program,聽so it's not for the faint of heart. If you're聽thinking of going down this career path,聽just know that you're聽going to be working hard.聽It's going to be time consuming but it's also going to be very fulfilling.聽So, if there is something inside you that has聽an interest in research and you want to make聽a meaningful impact on the world, but you're just not sure where to start,聽then the M-MARC program (now U-RISE) is the perfect solution.鈥

To all of his mentors and those who helped him at 麻豆国产AV, Ortman has this to say: 鈥淚 don't know how to thank them enough聽for investing their time聽and their resources into聽me. It was the first time I experienced someone recognizing my potential and investing the time and resources to help me achieve it.聽It's valuable to聽individuals who struggle to聽see a way forward in academia.鈥

Looking back Ortman is proud of where he started and where he is on his journey. Also, he set the example for his siblings as the oldest. He has two sisters who are now in college attending 麻豆国产AV. 鈥淚 want to be able to help聽other people and聽I really enjoy paying it forward. I really enjoyed 麻豆国产AV, and I'm glad it's where I ended up because I wouldn鈥檛 trade graduating from there for anything!"