This past May two College of Education Alumnae were presented awards from the Honors College in recognition of their efforts and achievements during their time at the University of Houston.

Corrine Green

Having gone through many Gifted and Talented (G&T) programs growing up, Corrine Green entered college interested in why some students were labeled as G&T but still performed poorly in school. This fascination led her to focus her research on student motivation and curriculum for gifted students.

All Honors College students are required to complete a thesis in order to graduate.  Green focused her research on the life satisfaction of students attending Webster Academy Visions in Education (WAVE), a magnet program for gifted students in the Clear Creek Independent School District.  Students were grouped into three categories based on the decision to attend the school:  students who independently made the choice, students who made the decision along with their parents, and students whose parents made the choice for them.  Green discovered that students who independently made the choice to attend WAVE school instead of their home campus had a higher life satisfaction than the students whose parents forced them to attend.

Winning this award is no small feat. “The Senior Honors Thesis Awards recognizes graduating seniors whose theses have been judged as truly outstanding,” says Jennifer Asmussen, Coordinator of Nationally Competitive Scholarships for the Honors College.  For many students, the Senior Honors Thesis is the crowning achievement of their undergraduate education. “An independent research or creative project is very different from the kind of work completed in a standard class. Good students learn to take tests and write papers assigned by an instructor; but for the over 50 students who this year pursued a thesis, they had to do much more. These students conceived of and refined their project; developed a way to explore and solve this question; and executed and defended the project in front of a committee of University faculty.”

“The outstanding thesis award is such a gift,” says Green, “because it reinforced to me that my efforts are truly above average.  I did not expect to receive the award, and now I realize that made significant improvements in my learning and writing skill over my undergraduate career.  Now I feel like I can reward myself for time well spent.” 

Green cites her HDFS minor as allowing her to create the crucial connections in education not offered through the psychology department in order to complete her research. “My mentors not only required academic rigor from me, but they also offered a safe space to ask questions to receive assistance as needed,” says Green.

One of her mentors, COE Director of Undergraduate Studies Andrea Burridge,  said of Green, “Corinne’s initiative and drive are exceptional.  In her thesis, she asked important questions with real implications for the schools.  In fact, when the school district approved her proposal, they asked that she expand her study to all of the GT magnets in the district.  For an undergraduate to form that kind of relationship is exceptional.   It has been a joy to work with Corinne over the last three years.”

Green will start graduate school at Purdue University this fall. Continuing in the vein of research begun here at the University of Houston, she will pursue a doctorate in Gifted Education to further study the motivation of gifted students and programming for gifted students with the goal of creating and administering a gifted magnet school post graduation.

Mercedes Anderson

The Honors College Areté Award is one of the highest accolades they bestow, and College of Education student Mercedes Anderson is the 2015 recipient.

"It is our sincere belief that all of our students contribute significantly to the life of the Honors community.  The Areté Awards recognize individuals who have involved themselves in the life of the College in extraordinary ways,” says Brenda Rhoden, Director of Student Affairs for the Honors College. “These are persons who have gone beyond the call of duty in their service to the Honors College and the University; individuals who have displayed—consistently and remarkably—the capacity to act for the good of our community. Our honorees have unfailingly demonstrated their pride in their adopted home through their acts of compassionate leadership.”

Anderson has proven, both in the College of Education and out, that she meets these ideals and more.  

“Mercedes Anderson is the ideal university student,” says PHLS professor Sam McQuillin. “She's brilliant, focused, and kind, and she leaves a trail of success and generosity wherever she goes. I look forward to seeing the impact that she has in her career.”

Anderson credits the College of Education as partially responsible for her success. “I loved the fact that the classes had discussion-based aspects that allowed us to get to know our fellow COE students,” says Anderson. “The teachers were all very knowledgeable about the subjects they taught. I appreciated the fact that we had a practicum and internship built into our degree plans. The practicum and internship gave me a great deal of hands on experience that really made my resume stand out when I applied for graduate school.”

Anderson graduated this past May and is now a research assistant in the Counseling Psychology department at Arizona State University. In the fall, she’ll enter ASU’s doctoral program.

“This award made me feel like I truly left an impact,” says Anderson. “It’s great to receive an award that shows how appreciative the faculty and staff of the Honors College are of my contributions, and it’s also a representation of all the wonderful people I met doing research and mentoring.”