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!

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 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 as well as Rowdylink.

Highlighted Benefit for Honors College Members: 

Costa Rica Bound! This summer, the Honors College will travel to Rancho Margot, 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. 

 

Student Highlight: Will Hughes, Senior, majoring in Chemistry in the College of Science, with a minor in Japanese

·  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

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

Honors email: honors@utsa.edu

Honors advising email: honors.advising@utsa.edu

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