TRIO McNair Scholar Plans to Make Education More Inclusive

Ryan Finner, a TRIO McNair Scholar and member of the Black Student Union (BSU), has big plans for the future of inclusivity and accessibility in higher education.

As Black History Month 2026 winds down, InsideEWU interviewed Finner, a senior Africana Studies major, to get his perspective on his soon-to-be-concluded Eastern experience. The biggest takeaway, he says, is the lessons he’s learned as a student and social-justice advocate have deepened his appreciation for the progress made, and the challenges that remain, in improving the experiences of Black collegians.

Finner’s engagement with inclusivity issues began after enrolling in Okera Nsombi’s “African American Cultures and Expressions” class during his freshman year.

“Dr. Nsombi was the foundational changing point in my education,” Finner says, adding that the class helped fuel his already passionate interest in sociology and psychology. It also, he says, laid the groundwork for his deep dive into culture-driven activism, which Nsombi, an associate professor of Africana studies, helped shape through research and representation.

“He was teaching me about a culture that was my own, that I didn’t know about,” Finner says. The realization left him wondering why it was only in college that he’d finally been exposed to Black history in the classroom. Now, Finner aims to correct this pedagogical shortcoming for future generations of underrepresented students, a task he plans to pursue when he begins doctoral studies in sociology at the University of New Mexico next fall.

He’s already made a solid start. Finner founded the Research to Pathways club here at EWU, a student-run organization that provides undergraduates with research opportunities, connections and valuable resources for post-graduation success. Finner also serves as an academic coach for Eastern’s Program Leading to University Success, or PLUS, a program that helps high school kids learn academic success strategies. His PLUS tutoring, he says, has deeply influenced his interest in fostering inclusive environments for students.

“I will definitely miss the EWU community. They’ve helped me broaden my perspective on a lot of topics and also learn a lot more about different things in the Africana studies and cultural departments,” Finner says.

You can learn more about EWU’s Africana Studies program online.

**Story by Rachel Weinberg.