12:37 p.m.
HONORS COLLEGE COMMUNIQUE: AUGUST 2023
Hello from the Honors College! In partnership with Academic Advising, we are sending a
monthly Honors College Communique on the Advising listserv, in which we will send short
updates about:
1. 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:
Honors College has a new Counselor, Jennifer Riddick! Jennifer will be our liaison for the
following colleges: COLFA, HCAP, and COEHD. She will also be our Thesis Coordinator.
Please help us welcome Jennifer to UTSA!
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Hello! My name is Jennifer Riddick, and I am thrilled to serve as one of the Honors
Academic Counselors at UTSA. My mission is to help students craft their own unique
experiential learning experience, create safe spaces to help students discover their
passions, and focus on assisting students in accomplishing all components of the SPICE
learning outcomes.
I was born and raised in the small town of Vacaville, California. I received my B.A. in
Sociology and Anthropology in 2020 from Southern Oregon University and my M.A. in
Postsecondary Educational Leadership in 2023 from San Diego State University. My
professional experience has centered around higher education and student affairs for the
past five years, and I have worked in various institutions across California and Oregon.
My passions include student success, retention, leadership, career development, and
service learning.
In my free time, I love to dance, go to the theater, travel, discover new restaurants for
my food blog, and hang out with my friends and family. Some fun facts about me are that I
am an Avatar the Last Airbender fanatic, I love reality TV (Especially the Bachelorette
and Say Yes to the Dress), and I’ve been a dance teacher for eight years, training in the
styles of tap, jazz, hip hop, and musical theater.
Honors Opportunities for All Students:
The Office of Nationally Competitive Awards supports ALL UTSA students! While the office
is housed in the Honors College, the awards & advising are open to all students. Check
out the website<https://honors.utsa.edu/onca/> for more information on the many
scholarship and fellowship opportunities, including featured awards for graduate study,
employment following graduation, awards for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, study
abroad, research abroad, and foreign language studies. Information sessions are held
throughout the year and can be found on the website<https://honors.utsa.edu/onca/>
as well as Rowdylink<https://utsa.campuslabs.com/engage/>;.
Highlighted Benefit for Honors College Members:
Costa Rica Bound! This summer, the Honors College will travel to Rancho
Margot<https://www.ranchomargot.com/>;, where students spend one week at an
off-the-grid farm learning about ecology, sustainability, and mindfulness. This trip is
tied to a fall Honors course, where students put into practice the activities they engaged
in, in Costa Rica with San Antonio community entities (such as local community gardens,
learning about watershed processes at Confluence Park, and much more!). This program is
open to any major and includes spaces for our first-year students who are just starting
their time at UTSA. The program counts as an Engaged Living experience in the Honors
curriculum. Learn more about the program on our
website<https://honors.utsa.edu/programs/costa-rica.html>;.
Student Highlight: Will Hughes, Senior, majoring in Chemistry in the College of Science,
with a minor in Japanese
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· Top Scholar Class of 2024
• Assistant Executive Director, Top Scholar Student Organization
• Treasurer, Japanese Book Club
• Dogs love me (the feeling is mutual)
• Research investigating organic reaction mechanisms using computational methods
• Janice and Michael Doyle Endowed Research Award in Chemistry recipient
• Spent 2 weeks in Japan as a part of the Honors College Japan Study Abroad
program
• Hobbies: Reading fantasy and mystery novels, lifting, and cooking breakfast
foods (at non-breakfast hours)
• Future Plans: pursue a PhD in Chemistry and perform research in academia
Best Regards,
Alegra Lozano, Director of Counseling, Honors College,
alegra.lozano@utsa.edu<mailto:alegra.lozano@utsa.edu>
Hector Aguilar, Associate Dean, Honors College,
hector.aguilar@utsa.edu<mailto:hector.aguilar@utsa.edu>
Honors email: honors@utsa.edu<mailto:honors@utsa.edu>
Honors advising email: honors.advising@utsa.edu<mailto:honors.advising@utsa.edu>
Honors Experiential Learning Lab:
https://honors.utsa.edu/academics/experiential-learning-lab.html
