The Lamar University Honors Program presented awards to honors students in recognition of their outstanding achievements at a banquet April 8 in the Mary and John Gray Library University Reception Center. The Lamar Honors Council, comprised of faculty from Lamar’s colleges, awarded certificates and plaques to honors students for excellence in service, leadership and academics.
Meghan Greer of Sour Lake received the 2008 Service Award for three years of volunteer service that included working at hospitals and raising funds for Relay for Life. Rebekah Maxwell of Beaumont received a Certificate of Merit in recognition of her service to the Boy Scouts of America and as a volunteer for the Jefferson County 4-H. Josh Barnes, a Beaumont native, received a Certificate of Merit for his service as a tutor in physics and calculus.
Tony Sarda, a Miami, Fla. senior, earned the 2008 Leadership Award. He served as Student Government Association vice president, co-coordinator of the Peer Mentoring Program and Student Affairs student director. Sarda is a previous recipient of the university-wide Ann Shaw Leadership Award and the Aaron Rose Award as the outstanding student in the college of business.
Certificate of Merit for Leadership awardees include Christine Felix of Port Arthur for freshman leadership; Lauren Wigley Helling of Lumberton for serving as editor of the campus newspaper, University Press; Jessica Byerly of Beaumont as co-coordinator of the Peer Mentoring Program; and Josmery Ramirez of Baytown for serving as president of the Lamar University Rotaract Club.
The 2008 Academic Achievement Award went to Derek Dupre of Orange. He is a joint author of an article on his undergraduate research published in Surface Science. He was selected to present his research at the March meeting of The Texas State University System Board of Regents meeting. Certificates of Merit were awarded to Valerie Juarez, a Mirabeau Scholar from Sour Lake, who is involved in research on communication between robots; Erin Tade, a Nederland native, for her electrical engineering research applying Internet communications technology to communications between the moon and deep space; and Maricela Guerrero from Hamshire for her comparative study of convent life and architecture in Mexico in the 17th and 21st centuries.
Elena Sandovici was named 2008 Honors Program Professor of the Year during the ceremony. She joined the faculty in 2005 teaching honors political science and is presently teaching an honors seminar on “Politics and Fashion.”
