HONORS COLLEGE COMMUNIQUE: August 2025    

          

Hello from Honors College!    

    

In partnership with Academic Advising, we are sending a monthly Honors College Communique on the Advising listserv, in which we will send updates about:           

          

1.                  Honors news, updates, and advising information   

2.                  Honors opportunities open to all students        

2.                  A highlighted benefit of being an Honors College member        

3.                  A student highlight from your advising areas        

4.                  Contacts within Honors for more information        

    

Honors News:           

We recently welcomed our new Top Scholars, Terry Scholars, and Texas Leadership Scholars at our Incoming Scholar Orientation and Retreat. This cohort of 45 incoming Honors students will participate in premier scholarship programming and mentorship throughout their time at UTSA.  

 

         

 

 

National Science Foundation Fellowship: Four UTSA students were awarded graduate research fellowships from the National Science Foundation. Three of which were UTSA Honors College students. Congratulations to our Honors College Students Joshua Lazaro, Athena Santi, Angelica Ramos, and the rest of UTSA students who were named as Honorable Mentions! Four from UTSA earn prestigious National Science Foundation fellowship | UTSA Today 

 

 

Pictured: Angelica Ramos pre at the 2024 Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists. 

 

Honors Academics:         

 

Honors Counseling – Students can meet with any available Honors Counselor, either by dropping into the Honors office (GSR 2.210) or requesting an appointment by contacting us at honors.advising@utsa.edu. Beginning the first day of classes, the Honors Counselors will return to the Experiential Learning Lab, GSR 1.204.  

 

Honors College and Course Program of Study (CPOS) Reminders  

Students can pursue Honors without affecting CPOS or delaying graduation. In fact, the entire Honors curriculum can be completed with just 1 additional credit hour—and the HON seminars are not required. 

·         Only 4 required Honors courses: 

o    HON 1000 (0 credit, 8-week, online) 

o    *HON 2301 (1 credit, 8-week, online) 

o    *Honors CSH 1213 (core curriculum course) 

o    Honors WRC 1023 (core curriculum course; waived with ENGL 1302 credit) 

·         The rest of the curriculum is experience-based, allowing flexibility through courses or co-curricular activities. 

·         *Flexibility in the curriculum includes approved substitution options for HON 2301 and Honors CSH 1213. 

Special Notes: 

·         Honors courses can count as free electives (if applicable to the degree) 

·         Could be used as substitutions for upper-division electives (if applicable) 

·         If taking 12 CPOS-eligible hours, Honors courses beyond that are still counted 

Bottom line: Honors works with your degree plan—not against it! Examples of CPOS scenarios can be found here. 

 

Honors Course Highlights:  

 

Now Open: New section of CSH 1213, Elementary Chinese and Russian 1, and an Honors Seminar class on the Orality and History in the 21st Century! 

·             Available sections of Honors CSH 1213: 

o    Storytelling for Life, CSH 1213.015, CRN 28748, TR 10-11:15, traditional in-person 

o    Mediterranean Memories, CSH-1213-13H, CRN 28742, TR 2:30-3:45, traditional in-person 

·             Elementary Chinese- CHN 1014.01H, CRN 26643, MWF 9:00am-9:50am, traditional in-person (Substitute for CSH 1213)  

·             Elementary Russian- RUS 1014.01H, CRN 26642, MWF 9:00am-9:50am, traditional in-person (Substitute for CSH 1213)  

·             Orality and Literacy 21st- HON 3313.004, CRN 28204, TR 11:30am-12:45pm, traditional in-person (Counts for Honors Experience)  

  
Have students who need courses? We still have some great Honors seminar courses that are still open (note: some may require instructor permission). Check out our course descriptions: honors.utsa.edu/academics/courses.html 

 

Honors Opportunities for All Students:         

 

Honors Strategist Program: Eastside Community Development - This 10-week program (Sept. 19–Nov. 24) allows students to work in teams of 3–4 as consultants for Eastside community organization SAGE. Teams will develop innovative recommendations on one of three focus areas: 1) supporting small businesses, 2) preserving culture and heritage, and 3) promoting community development without displacement. Students will receive mentorship from SAGE staff, UTSA faculty, Honors College leaders, and the Najim Center, while participating in skill-building workshops. The program concludes with team presentations to a panel of judges, with an award for the best proposal. 

 

Benefits: Selected participants will serve as paid consultants for SAGE, earning $800 over 10 weeks (10 hrs /week), with a chance to win an additional award for the best solution. You’ll gain hands-on experience, build project management skills, and grow your professional network with community leaders and business owners to help boost your career readiness. 

Requirements: 

·         Open to all honors undergraduates, any major 

·         Must commit 10 hrs./week for 10 weeks 

·         Mandatory attendance at meetings and final presentations (documentation provided for class conflicts 

Deadline to Apply: August 25, 2025 

Students can apply here: https://forms.office.com/r/a3CCLYQJWA 

 

Highlighted Benefit for Honors College Members:         

 

Honors has grants to provide funding for students who are engaged in experiential learning activities. The Experiential Learning Award (ELA) is a special grant, that awards students up to $500 for activities related to their educational and professional development. The ELA is offered once a semester, during the fall and spring semesters, and students can apply for each one. https://honors.utsa.edu/scholarships/honors-experiential-learning-award.html  

 

Honors has scholarships for new students, current students, for study abroad, research, internships, and and more! Check out the award calendar for more information. https://honors.utsa.edu/scholarships/honors-awards-calendar.html  

 

Student Highlights:      

 

     

  

Congratulations to our Honors Student and Top Scholar, Ricky Pagnozzi, for participating in the NSF REU site "Translating Research in the Psychological Sciences to the Real World" at Rice University.  

    

 

Best Regards,         

Alegra Lozano, Director of Counseling, Honors College, alegra.lozano@utsa.edu                   

Hector Aguilar, Associate Dean, Honors College, hector.aguilar@utsa.edu       

        

Honors email: honors@utsa.edu        

Honors advising email: honors.advising@utsa.edu        

Honors website: https://honors.utsa.edu/   

Honors Experiential Learning Lab: https://honors.utsa.edu/academics/experiential-learning-lab.html