RHC Accolades
HONORS CARDINALS:
Making LU Proud Since 1963
Oldest Honors Program in TSUS
The Reaud Honors College holds the distinction of being the oldest Honors Program in the Texas State University System (TSUS). Twenty students registered for Fall 1963, the first-ever semester of the Honors Program. Approximately 300 students are enrolled in the Reaud Honors College each year.
Accolades: Present to 2020
Meet RHC's Associate Dean
In Fall 2025, Dr. Shannon Jordan joined the Reaud Honors College as Associate Dean. Dr. Jordan is known for her dedication in mentoring and teaching Honors Cardinals, and we are excited for her to join our team! Read her bio to learn more about Dr. Jordan.
Honors Peers Elect HSA Officers for 2025-26
Honors Student Association is the #1 student organization all Honors Cardinals should join! Student leaders collaborate on creative ideas that will foster bonds within the honors community. For the 2025-26 academic year, honors peers elected Michael Vu, Bilal Alani, and Saad Mohammed to lead HSA as President, Vice President, and Secretary/Treasurer; Carsen Barrett and Blaine Isom, Intramural Sports; Alyvia Ott and Kinsey Tran, Peer Mentoring; and Jenny Tu and Brianna Brottem to lead Student Government Association as RHC Senator and HSA Representative, respectively.
Honors Cardinals Elected as SGA Leaders
The 爱神传媒 student body elected five Honors Cardinals to be their voice in the Student Government Association for 2025-26 academic year: Campbell Fuller (Vice President); Kathy Nguyen (Secretary-Treasurer); Ashton Burch (Chief Justice); Bianka Paciorek (Justice); and Lauren Rosetta (Justice). The Honors Student Association elected Jenny Tu as Reaud Honors College Senator and Brianna Brottem as HSA Representative.
JAMP Statewide Shout-out for Pre-Med Junior
JAMP Director Nina Gonzalez gave a statewide shout-out for Biology Pre-Med junior Mohamed Irhabi: “His dedication, intellect, and vision reflect the heart of what JAMP and our partners strive to support: Texas students committed to improving health outcomes through innovation and service,” she said of Irhabi.
During Summer 2025, Mohamed Irhabi was in Qatar conducting groundbreaking research as a David J. Beck Fellow in collaboration with Weill Cornell Medicine. His project will contribute to the search for non-invasive diagnostic tools for neurovascular disease.
During Summer 2025, Mohamed Irhabi was in Qatar conducting groundbreaking research as a David J. Beck Fellow in collaboration with Weill Cornell Medicine. His project will contribute to the search for non-invasive diagnostic tools for neurovascular disease.
Service-Learning Tradition Continues in Peru
During Summer 2025, MedLife President Natalie Dickens and Secretary Brianna Brottem (also Honors Student Association SGA Representative) spent nine days in Lima, Peru, assisting with medical care at mobile clinics. This service-learning trip was first ventured in 2022, led by HSA Peer Mentor and Peer Mentee duo.
Press Club of SETX Recognizes Stepping Up
In June 2025, at the 2024 Excellence in Media Awards, the Press Club of SETX gave special recognition of our Stepping Up: Civic Leadership initiative. Shout-out to Daisy Calero Estrella, Estrella Balderas, Grace Roy, and Alyson Vu who participated in the award-winning episode featured on 91.3 KVLU. The Reaud Honors College coordinated with our Stepping Up partner, Southeast Texas Nonprofit Development Center, and KVLU, an NPR affiliate station broadcasting from LU campus, to promote our student civic leaders who make a positive community impact every year at local nonprofits.
Beck Fellow Hired by Beck Research Leadership
Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering graduate Ryan Shugart has accepted a position as an Embedded Systems Engineer with Emerson Automation Solutions near Austin.
As a David J. Beck Fellow, during Summer 2024, he learned Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) embedded systems from scratch, dove deeply into coding with VHDL and Verilog, and discovered how working with Intellectual Property cores can assist in building complex systems more efficiently. His work as an FPGA engineer with Emerson Automation Solutions was guided by the leadership of Charles Eastberg and his team in the greater Austin area, as well as his LU advisor Dr. Koji Hirano.
As a David J. Beck Fellow, during Summer 2024, he learned Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) embedded systems from scratch, dove deeply into coding with VHDL and Verilog, and discovered how working with Intellectual Property cores can assist in building complex systems more efficiently. His work as an FPGA engineer with Emerson Automation Solutions was guided by the leadership of Charles Eastberg and his team in the greater Austin area, as well as his LU advisor Dr. Koji Hirano.
Inspirational Leadership & Highest GPAs-NEW Awards!
Honors Cardinals demonstrate outstanding qualities in these five pillars of success: character, leadership, service, contribution, and scholarship. At our Spring 2024 graduation celebration, our dean paid tribute to our Honors Students of the Year and Honors Faculty of Distinction for the first time! Our Honors student body also continued our rich tradition of recognizing the Honors Professor of the Year.
Other notable Reaud Honors inspirational leaders at LU include: Ryan Shugart (2025 recipient of the C. Robert Kemble Award); Lea Walker (2025 recipient of “Program of the Year” for Sophisticated Visionaries Student Business and Entrepreneur event); and Alex Tran (2025 recipient of Outstanding Student Organization of the Year for Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers). Reaud Honors College students are also regularly recognized as Seniors of Significance and honored with the Otho Plummer Award for graduating with the highest GPA in their graduating class.
Other notable Reaud Honors inspirational leaders at LU include: Ryan Shugart (2025 recipient of the C. Robert Kemble Award); Lea Walker (2025 recipient of “Program of the Year” for Sophisticated Visionaries Student Business and Entrepreneur event); and Alex Tran (2025 recipient of Outstanding Student Organization of the Year for Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers). Reaud Honors College students are also regularly recognized as Seniors of Significance and honored with the Otho Plummer Award for graduating with the highest GPA in their graduating class.
Semester Exchange in France and Spain
Three McMaster Study Abroad Scholars expanded their academic horizons during semester-long sojourns: Mary Wernig at Universidad de Alicante in Spain (Fall 2024) and Brynn Trove (Fall 2024) and Nataly Magana (Spring 2025) at the Rennes School of Business in France.
CARDS Robotics Place in World Competition
Five Honors Cardinals had a super busy month in May 2025, writing papers, taking finals, and…building robots. We are so proud of their CARDS Robotics team placing 20th in the collegiate VEX U division at the VEX Robotics World Championship. Bobby Barton, Tristin Bell, Klein Davis, Bryce Feldhausen, and Reese Rodgers competed against teams from more than 60 countries, including Paraguay, China, Canada, Puerto Rico, Libya, and Egypt.
First Annual RLI Olympics
In April 2025, Reaud Fellows from the Reaud Leadership Institute held the first annual RLI Olympics in the RHC Courtyard. Reaud Leadership Institute mentors and mentees faced off to discover who would be crowned a legend. Mentor Logan Morris and Mentee Spencer Cheng achieved Olympic glory with First Place.
Challenging Our Understanding of the World
Reaud Honors College students consistently conduct undergraduate research as David J. Beck Fellows, Presidential Fellows, McNair Scholars, SURF Fellows and O.U.R. Grant Recipients.
During 2025-26 academic year, Honors researchers presented topics that improved the fields of dance, politics, consumer education, gender relations, film studies, cardiovascular health, organic chemistry, marine biology, and neurodegenerative disease at the Spring 2025 and Fall 2024 O.U.R. Expos. Six Honors Cardinals won awards for undergraduate research and senior design projects:
“Best Reaud Honors College Research” - Karen Figueroa for project “Letter to Myself”
“Best Sexual and Gender Equality (SAGE) Research” – Alexa Heng for project “Navigating Sexual and Emotional Communication in Generation Z University Situationships”
“Leadership Appreciation” – Sergio Mendez for his leadership as President of the student org Lamar Undergraduate Research Association (LURA)
“First Place Overall” at COE’s Senior Design Symposium – CircuitGear Masters with Team Lead Ryan Shugart for their firefighting robot that can autonomously search and navigate a room, find the source of a fire, and then extinguish it.
“Second Place: Undergraduate Research” – Estrella Balderas for McNair research on a possible alternative to titanium to prevent the by-products and negative aesthetic effects of titanium dental implant corrosion.
During 2025-26 academic year, Honors researchers presented topics that improved the fields of dance, politics, consumer education, gender relations, film studies, cardiovascular health, organic chemistry, marine biology, and neurodegenerative disease at the Spring 2025 and Fall 2024 O.U.R. Expos. Six Honors Cardinals won awards for undergraduate research and senior design projects:
“Best Reaud Honors College Research” - Karen Figueroa for project “Letter to Myself”
“Best Sexual and Gender Equality (SAGE) Research” – Alexa Heng for project “Navigating Sexual and Emotional Communication in Generation Z University Situationships”
“Leadership Appreciation” – Sergio Mendez for his leadership as President of the student org Lamar Undergraduate Research Association (LURA)
“First Place Overall” at COE’s Senior Design Symposium – CircuitGear Masters with Team Lead Ryan Shugart for their firefighting robot that can autonomously search and navigate a room, find the source of a fire, and then extinguish it.
“Second Place: Undergraduate Research” – Estrella Balderas for McNair research on a possible alternative to titanium to prevent the by-products and negative aesthetic effects of titanium dental implant corrosion.
English Junior Wins Best Scholarly Essay Award
The 2025 Edition of Pulse Magazine recognized English junior Savanna Peveto-Kreatschman’s “The Harlot Wears Scarlet: Symbolism in Chauncer’s ‘The Canterbury Tale’” as the “Best Scholarly Essay.” English and Biology graduate Claudia Cooper was also recognized for her editorial leadership.
In Winners Circle with Cheer Squad
In Spring 2025, Psychology sophomore Kye Ana Washington and the entire LU Cheer squad made it to the winners circle! 爱神传媒 Cheer Team crushed it at the National Cheerleaders Association Competition in Daytona, Florida—taking home a 3rd place win! What an incredible first year for Kye Ana! Previously, in Fall 2024, she also earned recognition as “Cheerleader of the Game.”
Leadership Wins for Two at TIPA 2025
Graduating Communication Journalism senior Maddie Sims earned four awards personally and led, as University Press Editor, the student staff to win a collective 33 awards. Among her awards were “First Place: Headline Writing” and, for her leadership of UPbeat magazine, “First Place: Overall Excellence General Magazine.” Also at TIPA, Communication Journalism freshman and Texas Leadership Scholar Rayna Christy was elected student body secretary for the statewide organization for 2025-26.
Track Star Wins Gold Medal
During 2024-25, LU cross country and track athlete and Biochemistry Pre-Med junior Ashton Rainey won two first-place finishes in 3000m, at the Howie Ryan Invitational (9:48.09) and the SLC Indoor Championships (9:44.98), with the latter making her a Gold medalist. She also earned a silver medal in 10000m with the Southland Conference Outdoor Second Team.
Model UN Excels at NMUN, Earns Top Award
In April 2025, Reaud Honors Model UN delegate earned “Best Position Paper” at the National Model United Nations Conference in New York City, under the guidance of Dr. Maria Vallejo. Political Science senior Toni Lopez Maldonado’s paper presented solutions proposed by El Salvador, the smallest country in Central America, that would promote sustainable production and consumption patterns and also close the financing gap to achieve the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. In advance of the competition, Toni was assisted with research for his paper by his Honors Topics MUN classmate George Godsi.
Super proud of all our student diplomats who represented El Salvador: Tiolu Akinwunmi (Graduating Electrical Engineering senior); Faith Cheng (Nursing sophomore); Toni Lopez Maldonado (Political Science senior); Bianka Paciorek (Psychology sophomore); Blake Pena (Biochemistry Pre-Med sophomore); Jenny Tu (Exercise Science senior); and Michael Vu (Human Resource Management and Finance junior).
Super proud of all our student diplomats who represented El Salvador: Tiolu Akinwunmi (Graduating Electrical Engineering senior); Faith Cheng (Nursing sophomore); Toni Lopez Maldonado (Political Science senior); Bianka Paciorek (Psychology sophomore); Blake Pena (Biochemistry Pre-Med sophomore); Jenny Tu (Exercise Science senior); and Michael Vu (Human Resource Management and Finance junior).
Junior Builds Home in Cherokee Nation
During Spring Break 2025, Environmental Science junior Drake Rothenberger spent Spring Break building a home in Tahlequah, the capital of Cherokee Nation. A service leader both on campus and off, Rothenberger has dedicated his Spring Break twice to help LU peers build homes for Habitat for Humanity.
Exercise Science Student Named TSUS Kuempel Scholar
In Spring 2025, TSUS awarded its highly competitive Edmund P. Kuempel Scholarship to Exercise Science sophomore Kayla McKinley. She received a $5,000 scholarship based on her academic achievement and demonstrated commitment to community service. She was chosen for her LU leadership in student organizations, including as a Stepping Up civic leader with the SETX Food Bank, and her undergraduate research on lung function and vaping under Dr. Shannon Jordan.
Texas Legislative Interns Head to State Capitol
During the Spring 2025 semester, four 爱神传媒 students—including two Reaud Honors students—contributed to the lawmaking body of Texas as interns at the State Capitol in Austin as part of the Texas Legislative Internship Program (TLIP). The Reaud Honors College manages 爱神传媒’s TLIP cohort in partnership with the Department of Political Science, with sponsorships provided by Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis and the Beaumont Foundation. Meet our TLIP Interns.
Young Farmers Scholar Helps Hometown Rodeo
Mechanical Engineering sophomore and Young Farmers Scholar Trey Ames built a custom fire pit over Winter Break for his local chapter of Young Farmers to be raffled at his hometown rodeo in Dayton in May 2025. Trey has also shown great leadership this year as a College of Engineering Ambassador. Some of his recent accomplishments include: leading a volunteer clean up at the Humane Society of SETX in February as Engineers Without Borders President; going “Home for the Holidays” during Winter Break to inspire future engineers at Dayton High School; and helping at various COE events throughout the year, most recently, COE’s Spring 2025 Career Fair.
First Honors Cohort of Texas Leadership Scholars
In Fall 2024, the Reaud Honors College welcomed the first cohort of Texas Leadership Scholars (TLS). Founded by the THECB in 2022 by 18 member institutions, the TLS program provides leadership development by helping students: connect with peer and professional networks and mentors; participate in unique leadership development programs; and receive opportunities for undergraduate research and study abroad experiences. Meet our Texas Leadership Scholars.
RLI Doubles Its Student Leaders in Second Year
During the 2024-25 academic year, the Reaud Leadership Institute (RLI) doubled in size—nine more students joined the inaugural class of Reaud Fellows. Launched in Fall 2023, this highly selective program offers leadership development, global influence, and experiential learning opportunities to help students grow into catalysts for change. The Minor in Honors Studies supports the mission of the Reaud Leadership Institute by engaging students in a unique multidisciplinary set of courses focused on developing their leadership and critical thinking skills. Meet our Reaud Fellows.
Student Org Campus Leaders
Honors Cardinals help create a vibrant LU by forming student organizations. Reaud Honors student leaders often lead organizations to top awards, most recently: Lea Walker (2025 recipient of “Program of the Year” for Sophisticated Visionaries Student Business and Entrepreneur event); and Alex Tran (2025 recipient of Outstanding Student Organization of the Year for Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers). Recent notable recognitions for those with strong ties to RHC: Created by HSA Peer Mentor and Mentee, Medlife was named LU's Outstanding Student Organization of 2022; Created by Reaud Honors Cardinals brothers, Blockchain Student Society was named LU's New Student Organization of 2022; Created by Reaud Honors Cardinals, 爱神传媒 Hispanic Society was named LU's New Student Organization of 2021.
Stepping Up Service Leadership on KVLU! - Community & Industry Partnerships
In Spring 2024, four Reaud Honors civic leaders shared their nonprofit board experiences on an episode of KVLU. Since 2017, nearly 50 students have contributed to local nonprofit boards, with 10 students serving during the 2024-2025 academic year. Through Stepping Up, the Reaud Honors College partners with local nonprofit organizations to provide students an insider's look at the nonprofit sector; networking, leadership, and organizational guidance through interactions with the board; and opportunities to contribute to community development through nonprofit activities.
Model UN Excels at Lone Star, Clinches 6 Awards
In November 2023, Reaud Honors Model UN delegates earned six awards at the Lone Star MUN Conference in Richardson, Texas, under the guidance of Dr. Maria Vallejo. Outstanding Delegation was awarded to Russia – Security Council delegates Dakota Emerson and Drake Rothenberger. Outstanding Position Paper and Distinguished Delegation: Brazil – UNESCO - Michael Vu. Distinguished Delegation: USA – Security Council – Kevwe Onakpoya. Delegate Choice and Honorable Mention: Brazil – World Health Assembly – Grace Roy and Dylan Pardo. Read more in LU News.
High Honors from Texas's First Higher Education System
During the 2023-2024 academic year, Kelvin Elgar followed in alum Katey McCall's footsteps as he voiced the LU student's perspective while serving his appointed role as student regent for TSUS Board of Regents. The prestigious TSUS Regents' Student Scholar Award is regularly given to Reaud Honors College students, most recently to Biology Pre-Med senior Zaid Mohammed. Meet Reaud Honors Cardinals recognized as TSUS student leaders and scholars.
Reaud Leadership Institute Launches
In Fall 2023, Reaud Fellows made history as the inaugural students in the Reaud Leadership Institute. Supporting the mission of the Reaud Honors College’s Minor in Honors Studies, RLI engages students in a unique multidisciplinary set of courses focused on developing their leadership and critical thinking skills.
Innovation ColLABoration - Introducing Local Youth to STEM through the GSMP
Starting in Summer 2023, the Reaud Honors College has an ongoing collaboration with the Texas Academy to administer the Governor’s Summer Merit Program (GSMP) at 爱神传媒. Called Innovation ColLABoration, the program is a STEM summer camp funded by the Texas Workforce Commission that brings middle school and high school students to campus to learn about STEM academic and career pathways. Community partners include: Southeast Texas Workforce Solutions, College of Arts & Sciences, College of Engineering, DOW, Motiva, Valero, Exxon, Centers of Port Management, Center of Midstream Management, Integrated Power Services, BASF, CP Chem, Junior Achievement, Neches Federal Credit Union, and Total Energies.
Honors Students Collab to Bring Robotics to SETX
In Spring 2023, the Reaud Honors student-led Robotic Cardinals brought VEX Robotics to LU campus, a robot-building competition that encourages SETX community members of all ages to be part of the future generation of robotics. This was a dream come true for seniors Ryan Shugart and Christine Osborne, who created LU's first ever robotics club as freshmen.
Reaud Honors Reality Stars on Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime shared the remarkable stories told by five Reaud Honors scholars-turned-reality stars. In Spring 2023, campus watch parties for “The College Tour” viewed the students’ experiences as: a STEM scholar; first-generation student; a student success leader; undergraduate researcher; and, of course, as a Reaud Honors College scholar. Representing some of the best of Cardinal Nation, each of our Honors Cardinals provided a glimpse into the welcoming and accepting home provided by 爱神传媒.
Top Scholars Banquet Inaugural Event
To foster camaraderie among our high-achieving scholarship students, the Reaud Honors College hosted its first Presidential Scholarship Banquet in Spring 2023. Beginning with the third banquet, in Fall 2024, the college expanded the ceremony as the Top Scholars Banquet to include recognition for all of our most exceptionally strong academic students, who include Presidential Scholars, Southeast Texas Legends Scholars, and Premier Scholars.
LU's First Tech Conference
Organized by Reaud Honors alum Thanh Nguyen and his brother Tien, Block Party 2023 entered the history books as LU's first ever tech conference. Industry leaders and cutting-edge workshops shared the latest developments, trends and challenges of Web3 and blockchain technology.
HSA's Biggest Service Event - Reaud Foundation's Bicycles and Bibles
During Winter Break 2022, nearly 40 Reaud Honors students gave back to the community by volunteering with HSA at the Reaud Foundation’s Bicycles and Bibles annual holiday program. An ongoing service project for HSA, this Winter Break Honors Experience has grown into HSA’s biggest volunteer event.
Honors Scholars Day Inaugural Event
In Fall 2022, the Reaud Honors College hosted the inaugural showcase of everything honors at Honors Scholars Day. Honors students shared what they have created during their time at LU, including collaborative engagements with Partners in the Parks, Study Abroad, O.U.R., McNair, Stepping Up Service Leadership, LU student organizations, and more.
HSA Peer Mentor Bond Leads to Mobile Clinics in Peru
In Summer 2022, MedLife students took their first service-learning trip—to Lima, Peru. LU’s MedLife chapter got its start from a partnership between HSA Peer Mentor Mackenzie Savage and HSA Peer Mentee Amber Maredia and was ultimately founded by five Reaud Honors students in February 2020, prior to campus closing for the global pandemic. The group’s two years of local community service led to the MedLife crew raising enough funds to travel to Peru’s capital city to provide hygiene, education, general medicine, OB-GYN, and pharmacy treatments at free mobile medical clinics.
Creating Distance Education Programming
On behalf of the Center for Resiliency, in support of a USDA Grant, Reaud Honors College students created distance education programming to benefit rural schools and communities. Learn more about the Summer 2022 research project.
Cancer Experiential Learning Program
Reaud Honors students shared their idea for reimagining Honors education at the National Collegiate Honors Council Conference in Orlando by showcasing their work in our college's Cancer Experiential Learning Program, led by honors alumna Dr. Lindsey Minter during the global pandemic. The team served cancer patients by collaborating with multiple universities. They presented their project at LU's —the first students ever to participate in the summit—and at our college's first Honors Scholars Day, in 2022.
White House Recognizes HSA
The White House and AmeriCorps recognized the Honors Student Association with the President's Volunteer Service Award in Spring 2021. HSA student leaders continue to strengthen community bonds by providing experiences that promote the growth and development of their honors peers.
Moot Court History
A team of Reaud Honors students made Moot Court history in 2021 by advancing beyond what any other LU team has done. Students scored #1 Best Advocate at the University of Texas Dallas Invitational Moot Court Tournament, #8 Best Advocate in the nation at the American Moot Court Association National Championship Tournament and #11 at Texas A&M's regional tournament. Recognized as one of the top 15 programs for Oral Advocacy in the nation, LU's Moot Court is a popular program among honors students seeking advocacy experience.
Solving Complex Global Issues
The Reaud Honors College's Model United Nations program regularly earns recognition for its student delegates, including awards for Distinguished Delegation and Outstanding Position Paper. Model UN empowers honors students to proactively rise to the challenge of solving complex global issues and to make an impact on enabling all people to live in dignity.
Youth Voice for Community Nonprofits
Our college's Stepping Up: Service Leadership Initiative empowers students to apply what they have learned in the classroom toward creating activities and solving problems within the community. The success of our unique experiential learning program led to our college's participation in a National Collegiate Honors Council Conference roundtable. Our honors students and staff offered guidance on how honors colleges could set up their own program by partnering with a consortium of nonprofits.
Promoting Cardinal Pride
They proudly promote Cardinal pride at 爱神传媒, both officially as LU Ambassadors and unofficially as the super fan Peckers who liven up the student section at games.
Voice in LU's Student Government Association
The Lamar student body regularly elects Reaud Honors College students to be their voice in Student Government Association, most notably during 2021-2022, when a cohort served as president, vice-president, senior class senator and sophomore class senator. Every year, Reaud Honors students proudly serve their LU community in SGA leadership and committee roles.
Civic Leaders at LU and Beyond
Reaud honors students give back to their LU community as tutors, summer camp leaders, peer health educators and more. They also contribute to the greater community and gain valuable on-the-job experience as interns in various fields.
The Reaud Honors College invites you to learn more about our honors alumni, faculty, and student Changemakers in Cadenza magazine.
Reaud Honors College • P.O. Box 10968 • Beaumont, TX 77710 • ph (409) 880-2294
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