Leadership

Awarded to Honors student who best excels as a leader displaying creativity, innovation, and long-term effectiveness in advancing the mission of the Reaud Honors College and Lamar University

Michael Vu (Class of 2026) excelled as a leader who shares power by putting the needs of others first and helping peers develop and perform as highly as possible.

Michael was inspired by leaders of student organizations who put their organizations before themselves and truly believed in the group’s mission. He was honored to bring this energy and momentum to the Reaud Honors College as Honors Student Association President during his final year as an undergraduate.

Three principles guide his leadership philosophy:

 (1) Lead through the passion you have for the mission of the group that you serve.

(2) Be present for your members.

(3) Make the space you lead safe and welcoming by empowering others to be themselves.

“Being a leader is not about the title, nor about the ‘fame’ that one gets from it,” Michael says. “To be an effective leader is to invest in others and build connections that make the goal possible. This is done through making sure that we build spaces where people feel welcome to be themselves and to give them a voice. The biggest takeaway of my leadership experience at Lamar is to always put others first, invest in others, and to empower others to be their true selves.”

Research

Awarded to Honors student who demonstrates exemplary scholastic work in both academics and research within any field

Sergio Mendez (Class of 2026) produced exemplary scholastic work in both academics and research in his field. Sergio published three peer reviewed articles in: Journal of Photochemistry & Photobiology, A: Chemistry; Inorganica Chimica Acta; and Journal of Molecular Structure—incredible accomplishments for an undergraduate researcher! 

Sergio often collaborated with honors peers while conducting undergraduate research under Dr. Zhifo Guo and Dr. Ashwini Kucknoor.

One of his most memorable research experiences was working with Dr. Guo and three other Honors Cardinals on “Structure Controlled Fluorescence Chemosensor for Detecting Zinc (II) Ion in Aqueous Medium.”

“Our research team worked tirelessly to prepare a research poster for the annual Chemistry Poster Competition,” he says, adding, “The project’s originality lies in being, to our knowledge, the first to utilize an N-amidothiourea-based fluorescence chemosensor for imaging the plasma membrane. This innovation could help future researchers explore cellular processes and disease mechanisms, advancing therapeutic strategies in medicine.” 

Sergio will continue his journey driven by a dedication to service, scientific curiosity, and a commitment to improving lives as a JAMP Graduate pursuing an MD at UTMB.

“The essence of research is working toward something greater than yourself,” he says, adding, “…this part of my journey helped solidify my commitment to medicine. Knowing that our work could one day improve how clinicians understand cellular health gives me hope that I can leave my future patients healthier than when they first walk into a hospital. In the end, research has enriched my life and shaped my career aspirations.” 

Community

Awarded to Honors student who demonstrates an ability to build community between the Reaud Honors College and at least one partner from within the Lamar University community or the greater Southeast Texas area

Jenny Tu (Class of 2025) demonstrated her excellence in selflessly building community, most notably as a Reaud Fellow who collaborated with community partners on service initiatives that addressed local needs, including health awareness and support for vulnerable populations.

“My involvement as a Reaud Fellow and honors student in leadership programs expanded my role in community-building,” Jenny says.

Through the honors college’s Stepping Up initiative, Jenny served on the executive board of the nonprofit Golden Triangle RSVP, working with leaders on event planning and recruitment. In the greater Southeast Texas community, she participated in Youth Leadership Southeast Texas and helped increase awareness of health and wellness issue by serving on Gift of Life’s Youth Council.

She also connected prospective students to opportunities available at the Reaud Honors College and Lamar University by engaging with them as a student host at Cardinal View and other recruitment events.

“My understanding of community has been shaped by change and by the connections I’ve built along the way,” she says. “Growing up in a city of over four million people in China, the community felt large, busy, and sometimes distant. After moving to Southeast Texas and moving to a small town like Silsbee, and then Beaumont, that idea completely changed for me. Community became more personal; something built through relationships and support. I realized that it’s not about how big a place is, but how connected the people are within it.”

Distinguished Senior

Awarded to Honors student who demonstrates exemplary achievement in academics, research, community, and leadership—all with an outstanding attitude

Campbell Fuller (Class of 2025) is a Southeast Texas Legends Scholar who exhibited an exceptional, positive, and professional mindset while working with peers, mentors, and colleagues in academics, research, community, and leadership.

“My time in the Reaud Honors College has pushed me to grow in ways I did not expect,” he says. “It has given me opportunities to lead, but more importantly, it has given me the perspective to understand why leadership matters. Moving forward, I will continue to step into challenges, listen carefully, and work to create progress that benefits others. Over time, I realized that leadership was not something I had to define in advance. It was something I developed by choosing to step into those moments and take responsibility for moving things forward.” 

Campbell’s leadership journey included serving Lamar University’s student body as SGA Vice President and Junior Class Senator and representing students on the Texas State University System Student Advisory Board. As an advisory board member, he represented 100,000+ students across the Texas State University System, advising on tuition policy, student welfare, and statewide higher-education initiatives alongside the Board of Regents. 

He conducted undergraduate research in synthetic organic chemistry, focused on fluorescent probes for cancer diagnostics, which he presented at institutional research symposia and two national conferences. He also served his fellow student researchers as Treasurer for Lamar Undergraduate Research Association.

He helped build community by mentoring Honors Cardinals as an HSA Peer Mentor and by serving as volunteer coordinator for LU’s American Medical Student Association and as Philanthropy Chair and Recruitment Chair for LU’s Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.

His academic achievements include contributing to a collaborative research project examining the impact of artificial intelligence on academic integrity and higher education policy. Conducted under faculty mentor Dr. Melissa Baldo, the project culminated in a peer-reviewed publication in the Business Education Innovation Journal and strengthened Campbell’s skills in interdisciplinary research, academic writing, and critical analysis of technology in education.

Being a positive influence on campus, in our university system, and in our Southeast Texas community empowered Campbell to take advantages of opportunities that earned him the accolade as our distinguished senior of the year!

Honors Faculty of Distinction

Awarded by the Reaud Honors College to instructional faculty in any school or discipline who demonstrates excellence in honors education

Dr. Robert Vallin (Professor of Mathematics) believes that critical thinking involves being able to take things from various sources and put it all together to come up with a coherent solution to a problem.

When teaching honors courses, his philosophy is to amplify the course: through writing assignments, discussing recent articles, and spending time each week on an overarching subject, such as exploding dots or math in the game of SET.

“Dr. Vallin’s creativity as an educator is evident in the development of his Honors Topics course, ‘Beginning Social Magic,’” one of his students said. “This course explored the mathematics and performance techniques behind magic, showing how logic, probability, and sleight of hand can create powerful illusions. It was fascinating to see how mathematical ideas could appear in something as unexpected as magic. The course gave me a completely new perspective on both math and the world around me, and it quickly became one of the most memorable and favorite classes I’ve taken.”

Playing with mathematical concepts is the keystone to his honors courses. “You don’t really know something until you can create with it,” he says. “There is a language, a culture, and a history here, and it is vital to see it all if students are to get the big picture of what they’re learning. For example, students need to speak the language (that’s not an e; it’s an epsilon) and should be able to read mathematical notations as if they are reading an English sentence.”

Dr. Vallin also teaches students the long history behind math—yes, it’s called Pascal’s Triangle, but the number pattern was known long before, in ancient China—and that history is still being written. Math was not all done centuries ago; it is a modern, evolving field. 

Previous Recipients: Honors Faculty of Distinction

Honors Professor of the Year

Awarded by Reaud Honors College students in special recognition of their favorite honors professor of the academic year

Dr. Martha Rinker (Assistant Professor of Psychology) always brings flair and fun to every interaction, creating entertaining memories in the classroom that students carry for the rest of their lives. Her joy for teaching is why our honors students chose her to receive their highest honor for a professor.

She teaches “Honors Introduction to Statistical Methods” and “Honors General Psychology.” She keeps courses fun through her love of bad jokes, B-movies, dogs, and memes. One student nicknamed her the “GOAT—Greatest of All Time.”

She also encourages students to seek out therapeutic escapes that provide stress relief and mental peace. Her sensory-rich meditative space is found whenever she helps the community create and nurture gardens as a Master Gardener and President of the Beaumont Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas.

Previous Recipients: Honors Professor of the Year