ACCOLADES

The United States National Science Foundation (NSF) awards the Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). This prestigious and highly competitive fellowship is for US citizens interested in completing research at a US Institution.

Nicole was named as an NSF GRFP Awardee for the 2025-2026 application cycle, the award’s most competitve cycle.

Nicole was selected as a Fulbright Scholar for Italy where she will study in SDA Bocconi’s Master of International Healthcare Management, Economics, and Policy program.

As a Fulbright Scholar, she has gained a global perspective on healthcare issues in the medical technology sphere with the aim of bringing an interdisciplinary and holistic perspective to rehabilitation research and engineering innovation.

The Meyerhoff Scholars Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) is a nationally recognized program designed to increase the diversity of future leaders in science, technology, engineering, and related fields, particularly focusing on supporting minority students pursuing STEM careers

Nicole was awarded as a Top Scholar in the Meyerhoff Scholars program as part of the M31 Cohort.

The MIHMEP admission process is rigorous and is designed not only to determine eligibility for the program, but also to ensure that the program aligns with students’ expectations and career goals.

Of the 34 high achieving individuals selected for the MIHMEP 26 cohort, only 6 were selected as speciaized tuition waiver awardees. Nicole was named as a Pharmacuticals & Medical Technology Specialization Tuition Waiver Awardee.

Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Scientists (ABRCMS) has been the premier multidisciplinary conference for supporting all communities in STEM, including those historically excluded in these fields. ABRCMS focuses on academic excellence, career and workforce development for scientists of all career stages

Nicole was designated as a Travel Awardee and Oral presenter for the 2022 ABRCMS. She presented her research in a conference room before three judges with approximately 5 other presenters.

The Neilom Foundation is dedicated to empowering organizations creating change in their communities through innovative tech

While Nicole conducted research at Johns Hopkins University in the IMERSE and HAMR Labs, she was awarded the Neilom Fellowship to fund her research. The program aims to support young researchers who aim to create a positive impact on the world.

The Vivien Thomas Scholars Initiative (VTSI) is dedicated to nurturing, mentoring and connecting the exceptional diverse talent that exists at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and other minority serving institutions (MSIs) to STEM graduate education and future leadership in STEM careers.

For multiple consecutive semesters, Nicole was a Johns Hopkins Vivien Thomas Scholars Initiative Recipient, a fellowship opportunity for MSI students to fund their research.

UMBC’s Grand Challenge Scholars Program is designed for students from all majors who are interested in solving important societal problems, i.e. the National Academy of Engineering’s (NAE) Grand Challenges. Students aquire experiences and skills to create solutions to some of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century.

Nicole successful completed this program by pursuing a variey of experiences—Entrepreneurship, Global Perspectives, Interdisciplinarity, Research, Service Learning—in her choosen theme: Engineering Better Medicines.