Jonas Scholars Alumni

Nowai Keleekai, BSN

Columbia University

Ms. Keleekai holds a BSN from Ohio State University. She entered the program in 2005 but had to take a leave of absence in 2009 for personal reasons, which set her back considerably in her goal to become an HIV-AIDS researcher with a specialty in health disparities. Recently, she has done a remarkable job as the Student Recruiter for TRANSIT, a HRSA-funded program to recruit and retain underserved minority students into health disparities research careers. Ms. Keleekai’s dissertation will focus on the mental health needs of HIV-infected prisoners.