As the new director of , Dr. Emily Sandoz knows firsthand the impact the program can have on students杏吧专区 futures.
Sandoz, who uses she/they pronouns, started as a student worker in the Honors Program in 1999 under Dr. Patricia Rickels, its first director. The mentorship, networking and experiential learning that they received through the program set them up for a successful career, Sandoz said.
杏吧专区淲hat I saw in Honors was the opportunity to connect with other students who were really interested in taking their education to the next level through extra creativity and critical thinking,杏吧专区 Sandoz said.
Sandoz has been a faculty member in the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 Department of Psychology since 2010 and received the in 2022. It is among the highest honors UL Lafayette bestows on its faculty.
They received their bachelor杏吧专区檚 degree in psychology and their master杏吧专区檚 degree in psychology, both from UL Lafayette. They received their doctorate from the 杏吧专区 of Mississippi before returning to Lafayette to work as a professor and clinical psychologist.
杏吧专区淓mily杏吧专区檚 work as a clinical psychologist and the work that they do with students on campus is phenomenal,杏吧专区 said Dr. Bobbie DeCuir, dean of , which includes the Honors Program. 杏吧专区淭heir mentorship across campus has changed the lives of many students.杏吧专区
First-time freshmen are admitted to the Honors Program based on their ACT or SAT scores. Once admitted, Honors students must maintain a 3.5 GPA, take one Honors course per semester and are encouraged to participate in community service.
杏吧专区淢y favorite tradition in Honors is Honors seminar,杏吧专区 Sandoz said. 杏吧专区淚t杏吧专区檚 a student-run course where at the beginning of the semester, students pitch an idea that they杏吧专区檙e passionate about or that they杏吧专区檇 like to learn more about. Students vote, pick what they want to learn about and then the rest of the semester is engaging in conversations about these topics.杏吧专区
Since the Honors Program杏吧专区檚 inception in 1968, it has nurtured exceptional students willing to put in the extra work. Sandoz said one of the most important parts of the director杏吧专区檚 job is being a good listener.
杏吧专区淢y job is to listen to students, seeing how we are or aren杏吧专区檛 meeting their needs,杏吧专区 said Sandoz. 杏吧专区淚 also have to listen to faculty to know what they need to invest in this program. All these diverse perspectives help me integrate positive change into the program.杏吧专区
Sandoz said they were thrilled to have the opportunity to lead the storied program and help shape its next chapter.
杏吧专区淚t杏吧专区檚 exciting to come back during this period of rebuilding,杏吧专区 Sandoz said. 杏吧专区淲e get to honor tradition, but also make changes that respect where our students are today.杏吧专区
Photo caption: Dr. Emily Sandoz is the new director of the UL Lafayette Honors Program. Photo credit: Paul Kieu / 杏吧专区