The Honors College at Lone Star College offers students like Alejandra Rodriguez a rigorous academic experience that prepares them to attend top four-year institutions. Rodriguez currently attends Rice University.
“I credit the Lone Star College Honors College with developing my academic and research skills that are instrumental in my educational and professional success,” said Rodriguez. “The Honors College is a tight-knit group that has deepened my desire to help others and give back to the community.”
Rodriguez, who grew up in Colombia and immigrated to the United States when she was 14, was raised in a family that valued higher education. She took her first step toward college when she applied for the LSC Honors College as a senior at The Woodlands High School. Rodriguez was accepted through the LSC Chancellor’s Fellow Scholarship, which offered full tuition and stipends.
“I chose Lone Star College and the Honors College because I wanted to be challenged academically and stay close to my family,” she said. “I also wanted to participate in high-level research projects and develop a sense of community, which, thanks to the Honors College, led to my acceptance into Rice University.”
Rodriguez used her newfound skills in research, mentoring and cultural competency to analyze and present findings on numerous topics like medical treatments for postpartum depression and legislation for undocumented students at LSC Undergraduate Research Days. She also took part in a month-long, virtual (due to COVID) international internship through the Study Abroad Association. Rodriguez worked with an engineering company in Spain to explore sustainable ways to extract different types of sweeteners and used the research to create a business model.
“Along with developing academic and research skills, the Honors College at Lone Star College taught me the importance of community, giving back and serving as mentors and support for my classmates,” Rodriguez said. “The Honors College wanted to see me succeed and they motivated me to pursue higher things, dream bigger and explore more.”
The LSC Honors College offers applicants from various backgrounds an opportunity to take their college education to the next level. Students travel and participate in educational and cultural events, service learning projects, conferences and special seminars.
“The Honors College at Lone Star College offers innovative and quality programming that sets high-achieving students up for success to compete globally,” said Katharine Caruso, Ph.D., LSC Associate Vice Chancellor Honors and International Education.
As for Rodriguez, she is a research assistant through the Humanities Research Center Undergraduate Summer Fellowship at Rice University for a professor studying nonbinary ideas in theater and Spanish literature. She will graduate from Rice in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in Cognitive Science with a concentration in psychology and a minor in Spanish and Portuguese studies. Rodriguez plans to become a psychologist and later earn a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.
“There is a huge need for mental health right now, especially in the Hispanic community,” she said. “There are not that many therapists who speak Spanish, so I hope to fill in that gap.”
You can read more about Rodriguez’s experience at LoneStar.edu/News/68288.htm.
Visit LoneStar.edu/HonorsCollege to learn about the wide range of opportunities for those seeking an engaging and challenging education.
Lone Star College enrolls over 80,000 students each semester providing high-quality, low-cost academic transfer and career training education. LSC is training tomorrow’s workforce today and redefining the community college experience to support student success. Stephen C. Head, Ph.D., serves as Chancellor of LSC, the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area and has been named a 2022 Great Colleges to Work For® institution by the Chronicle of Higher Education and recognized by Fortune Magazine and Great Place To Work® as one of this year’s Best Workplaces in Texas™. LSC consists of eight colleges, seven centers, eight Workforce Centers of Excellence and Lone Star Corporate College. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu.