As the new director of , Dr. Emily Sandoz knows firsthand the impact the program can have on students小蝌蚪APP 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.
小蝌蚪APP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,小蝌蚪APP Sandoz said.
Sandoz has been a faculty member in the 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP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小蝌蚪APP檚 degree in psychology and their master小蝌蚪APP檚 degree in psychology, both from UL Lafayette. They received their doctorate from the 小蝌蚪APP of Mississippi before returning to Lafayette to work as a professor and clinical psychologist.
小蝌蚪APP淓mily小蝌蚪APP檚 work as a clinical psychologist and the work that they do with students on campus is phenomenal,小蝌蚪APP said Dr. Bobbie DeCuir, dean of , which includes the Honors Program. 小蝌蚪APP淭heir mentorship across campus has changed the lives of many students.小蝌蚪APP
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.
小蝌蚪APP淢y favorite tradition in Honors is Honors seminar,小蝌蚪APP Sandoz said. 小蝌蚪APP淚t小蝌蚪APP檚 a student-run course where at the beginning of the semester, students pitch an idea that they小蝌蚪APP檙e passionate about or that they小蝌蚪APP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.小蝌蚪APP
Since the Honors Program小蝌蚪APP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小蝌蚪APP檚 job is being a good listener.
小蝌蚪APP淢y job is to listen to students, seeing how we are or aren小蝌蚪APP檛 meeting their needs,小蝌蚪APP said Sandoz. 小蝌蚪APP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.小蝌蚪APP
Sandoz said they were thrilled to have the opportunity to lead the storied program and help shape its next chapter.
小蝌蚪APP淚t小蝌蚪APP檚 exciting to come back during this period of rebuilding,小蝌蚪APP Sandoz said. 小蝌蚪APP淲e get to honor tradition, but also make changes that respect where our students are today.小蝌蚪APP
Photo caption: Dr. Emily Sandoz is the new director of the UL Lafayette Honors Program. Photo credit: Paul Kieu / 小蝌蚪APP