Your monthly newsletter highlighting some of the important announcements and opportunities within the Honors College. 

Dear Student,

Welcome to the third issue of Honorable Mentions, a monthly newsletter that will catch you up on some of the important developments within the Honors College. This newsletter is written by honors fellows Emerson Tully and Matthew Kelley.

 

HONORABLE MENTIONS, Volume 1, Issue 3

 

Honors Signature Seminars

Honors Signature Seminars are inquiry-based interdisciplinary courses that push the boundaries of any individual major on campus. HONR.3000-level Honors Signature Seminars are open to Honors students from any major at any level. Other than Honors status, there are no prerequisites. These are upper-level courses, but no pre-requisite disciplinary knowledge is required. These seminars can be used to satisfy Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) requirements. Some of these seminars can also satisfy your H3 graduation requirements.

Because we are frequently developing and prototyping new Honors Signature Seminars, the University Catalog does not have detailed descriptions of each unique signature seminar. Instead, go to https://www.uml.edu/honors/program/honors-seminars.aspx to learn more about all of the honors seminars available to you.

A Conversation with Those Who Teach Honors Seminars

From John Feudo, Vice Chancellor for University Advancement & Global Engagement.

What do you hope students get out of your seminar HONR 3300: Experiencing Philanthropy and Nonprofit Management, Wednesdays from 3:30-6:20 p.m.?

John Feudo: “Lowell has one of the highest concentrations of nonprofit organizations in the Commonwealth, and our students have a long history of getting engaged with local, worthy causes. Our hope is this seminar will educate students on the value and function of these nonprofits, while inspiring them to learn more about the important role of the organizations within our community. We want the students to become more knowledgeable about philanthropy as well, because thanks to a generous grant from a local foundation, students will be given the opportunity to actually direct this grant to one of the Lowell nonprofits.”  

What makes teaching honors seminars unique from the other courses you teach?

John Feudo: “I teach a Professional Communications class in the Manning School of Business. It's mostly class lectures to teach students how to write and speak more effectively. This Honors seminar will be more hands-on, giving students a chance to research local organizations and give one lucky NPO a $10,000 grant to help fund their good work. Not many students will ever have that opportunity.”

How can these seminars set up student success here at UMass Lowell and beyond?

John Feudo: “I've worked in nonprofits for nearly my entire career. There is a strong sense of personal and professional reward that comes from working day in and day out to help others in need. For example, as UMass Lowell's Vice Chancellor for University Advancement, our team focuses on helping our students and faculty succeed. Students who become engaged with nonprofits and philanthropic initiatives learn skills that can prepare them for many different career scenarios.”

 

From Johnathon Silverman, Chair of the English Department

What do you hope students get out of your seminar HONR 3300: Honors Writing Studio, Mondays and Wednesday from 2:00-3:15 p.m.?

Johnathon Silverman: “I hope they begin to develop lifelong strategies for working on long-term projects. My seminar is geared toward developing the variety of strategies we need to succeed in bringing a project, whether it is an honors thesis, a novel, or a marketing plan to fruition.”

What makes teaching honors seminars unique from the other courses you teach?

Johnathon Silverman: “I think the Honors Seminars really value interdisciplinary work, which is important because in the world after college, almost all problems need many different points of view to address.”

How can these seminars set up student success here at UMass Lowell and beyond?

Johnathon Silverman: “I think this class, of all the classes I have taught, is really about this particular question! When faced with a long-term project with no immediate deadlines, one has to learn to find a way to work steadily and fruitfully on it, because our brains know that missing one day does not present immediate consequences, but missing multiple days does!”

 

Utilizing Your $4,000 Immersive Scholarship:

UMass Lowell’s Immersive Scholars Program awards high-merit, early-action students with $4,000 for work in research on campus or out in the community, or to apply towards a study abroad program. This award can be used after the student’s first year, starting May 18, 2025, beginning with summer research or study abroad programs. Students who have received the $4,000 Immersive Scholarship have until the end of their second year (May 22, 2026) to utilize this unique opportunity. If not used prior to the end of a student’s second year, the award is forfeited.

A student who used their Immersive Scholarship to study abroad with the Honors College this past summer in San Sebastian, Spain, said, “This program allowed me to encounter an abundance of new experiences, companions, and memories. I am grateful for the Immersive Scholars Scholarship for allowing me the opportunity to travel and improve my view of what it is to live, to follow my passions, pursue my goals, and persevere through possible obstacles. This experience was the best of my life, and I am not saying that lightly.”

Author Event with Julian Zabalbeascoa and Mateo Rull Garza on Dec 2nd at 5p.m.:

This Monday, December 2nd, author and Honors College instructor and staff member Julian Zabalbeascoa will be in conversation about his debut novel What We Tried to Bury Grows Here with recent Honors graduate Mateo Rull (’22) in O’Leary 222 at 5 p.m.

What We Tried to Bury Grows Here was published this November 12th by the esteemed independent press Two Dollar Radio. They publish only six books a year, books that, according to their website, are “too loud to ignore.” Zabalbeascoa’s novel was thirteen years in the making and is a hauntingly beautiful and masterfully crafted work that explores the Spanish Civil War. Through the eyes of two protagonists, Isidro and Mariana, the novel portrays the violence and struggle to preserve humanity in a country torn apart by war.

Copies will be available for purchase at the event. There will be a signing following the conversation with Rull Garza and a Q&A with the audience.

 

Getting to Know Mateo Rull Garza

When Mateo Rull Graza arrived at UMass Lowell as a psychology major, he found a work-study job that sparked his interest in the Biology Department. There, he met Assoc. Prof. Nicolai Konow, where he was introduced to Konow’s work with axolotls, the “Mexican salamanders” that the Aztecs worshipped as avatars of the god Xolotl. Not long into his college career, in the spring of his sophomore year, Rull Graza was able to publish a paper as lead author, with Konow and Jacob Solomon (’17), that touched upon the mechanisms of food processing in aquatic axolotls.

During his time at UML, Rull Gaza won the Excellence in Undergraduate Research Award, the Biology Department research award in 2022, and attended the UMass Lowell Student Research and Community Engagement Symposium in 2021 and 2022. “I was fortunate enough to be in an environment that supported my curiosity and my ideas, as well as my research initiative,” expressed Rull Garza when asked how he felt the UMass Lowell environment helped him grow and learn.

 

End of Semester Honors by Design/Suitable Challenge

The Honors College is hosting an End of Semester Survival Toolkit Challenge taking place from November 1st until December 16th, 2024. The final Fall 2024 semester Honors by Design/Suitable Challenge assists you with building a toolkit of resources and strategies to complete your fall semester successfully.

Complete 4 of the End of Semester Survival Toolkit Challenge activities between November 1-December 16 to receive an Honors College Sticker and be entered in the Grand Prize Raffle.

Find your options at https://app.suitable.co/institution/3683/activities/397779

Honors Informational Peers

The Honors Informational Peers (HIPs) lead enrichment activities for fellow honors students, answer questions about course scheduling and honors requirements, and help create a stronger sense of community for the nearly 2,000 honors undergraduates currently enrolled at UMass Lowell. Don’t be hesitant to reach out to the HIPs. They are here to help you and guide you! Now, let’s meet some of the team!

The Honors Information Peers (HIPs) at the UMass Lowell Honors College host After Hours events in the Allen House on Monday through Thursday from 5–9 PM. During these events, students can meet with HIPs to ask questions about honors classes, schedules, and more. HIPs also work to bring new programs to the Allen House and build connections. Stay tuned!

And now we would like to introduce you to several of this year’s HIPs. We will be featuring several HIPs in each Honorable Mentions newsletter this year.

 

Get to Know Your HIPs

Name: Janessa Chateauneuf

Hometown: Nashua, NH

Major: Psychology

Year: Freshmen

Hobbies: Drawing, Writing, Gaming, Cooking

Favorite thing about UML: Dorming, Teachers

Clubs and organizations: Psych Club

Favorite thing about honors: Study spaces

Future Goals: Successful

Fun Fact: I am double jointed on the thumb.

Name: Amiya Cudjoe (aka Mia)

Hometown: Brockton, MA

Major: Mechanical Engineering

Year: Freshmen

Hobbies: Drawing, Art, Coding, Sleeping, Outdoor Adventures.

Favorite thing about UML: Meeting new people

Clubs and Organizations: Makerspace, Rocketry, RHSA, D&D, Volleyball

Favorite thing about honors: “I enjoy how the Allen House has a very homey face where I can relax and study. This program can also provide so many opportunities I will be able to do. I can also engage in a community with like minded people.

Future Goals: Being a lab researcher at Lincoln Labs, Continue making connections, friends and networking.

Name: Tristin Henson

Hometown: South Hadley, MA

Major: Biology

Year: sophomore

Hobbies: Drawing, Writing, Videogames, Hikes

Favorite thing about UML: River walks, Honor Seminars, Rec Centre.

Favorite things about Honors: Honors seminars(GOT class), announements on activities in Lowell, the people working with honors.

Future Goals: Graduating, being able to help lessen the impacts of climate change for people, animals and the environment.

Fun Fact: “My favorite movie is Spirited Away by Studio Ghibli (the food looks amazing in the movie).”

Name: Maya Pandit

Hometown: Burlington, MA

Major: Nursing

Year: Senior

Hobbies: Dance and Yoga

Favorite thing about UML: Endless opportunities to get involved on campus

Clubs and organizations: Nursing student ambassador, Alpha Lamba Delta

Favorite thing about honors: Events that we host as HIP’S

Future Goals: To be a nurse

Fun Fact: I took dance lessons for 14 years

Warm regards,

Your Honors Team