The UTSA Honors College is a diverse family of 1,700 hardworking, achievement-oriented, conscientious students. Our experiential approach helps students of all majors become leaders, develop as professionals, and intellectually achieve beyond coursework. We help students build the courage and skills to exceed their expectations, accelerate upward mobility and transform their futures, and help them emerge as global citizens who will flourish in their careers.
Honors College students can visit the Experiential Learning Lab without an appointment to meet with counselors and staff to discuss Honors-related questions. Alternatively, students can email Honors.Advising@utsa.edu.
Named a Gates Millennium Scholar in High School, Houston resident Jay'Len Boone found his home in San Antonio at UTSA, where he participated in the Citymester program, which included an internship placement at Geekdom. Jay'Len founded his own organization, Sustainable Youth in Action, which equips students to engage in environmental advocacy, awareness, and activism. As a senior at UTSA, he was named United Nations Association - USA Youth Observer. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania with a Master's of Science in International Education Development, Jay'Len founded Black Joy Ave, a social impact streetwear brand.
Caille Paulsen was selected as a UTSA Honors College Top Scholar in the Spring of 2018. A 2022 graduate, she filled her time at UTSA with a diverse array of opportunities, joining ichthyological research labs in her department and interning with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in Corpus Christi. In May 2019 she traveled in the first Honors College Trailblazing the National Parks study away program, which investigates landscape, history, and cultures of six national parks. These experiences formed the foundation for the rest of her university experience, learning how to have fun while pursuing goals, learning resilience and environmental stewardship, and taking home incredible experiences of the national parks. She now works as an aquatic biologist for the San Antonio River Authority.
From the Dallas area, Ana-Sofia Gonzalez studied Global Affairs and Spanish at UTSA. As an Honors College student, she founded the UTSA student organization Women in Leadership and studied abroad in Spain and Mexico. As a junior, she participated in the UT-System Archer Fellowship in Washington D.C., interning at Refugees International while taking coursework in policy. Ana-Sofia was named an English Teaching Assistant in 2020 in the Fulbright Student Program. She spent 10 months in Colombia teaching English and is now a teacher in San Antonio SAISD through Teach for America.
Joshua Chaj Ulloa is 2023 Chemical Engineering graduate. From Warren High School in San Antonio, Josh joined the UTSA ESTEEMED Program, a National Institute of Health federally-funded training program for students pursuing research careers in biology and biomedical engineering. He conducted research under the mentorship of Dr. Jing Yong Ye on photonic crystal biosensors that can detect cancers and cardiovascular diseases. As a sophomore in 2021, Josh was one of four UTSA students named Goldwater Scholars, the premier scholarship for undergraduate researchers in the country. In 2023, Josh will enter the joint medical and electrical engineering Ph.D. program at the California Institute of Technology.
Natalie is one of forty students in the Top Scholar Program, a four-year premier scholar program that helps develop students into award-winning, academically talented, and exceptional servant leaders. Top Scholars exemplify leadership, knowledge, and service. A Public Health major, with minors in Computer Science and Biology, Natalie was recently admitted to UT Dell Medical School. Natalie combined her two academic areas, and with the help of Honors College development funding, developed an app that tracks vaccinations.
Arlae Gamez Luna is a political science major in the Terry Scholar program, a four-year merit-based scholar program funded by the Terry Foundation. Arlae was admitted to the Honors College as a transfer student from San Antonio College. Before coming to the US, she spent 10 years in Mexico in a convent working with migrants. At UTSA, Arlae conducted research with UTSA faculty on educational policies for migrants from the Northern Triangle of Latin America. Arlae was named a Gilman Scholar to study abroad in Germany, and while her program was canceled because of the Covid-19 pandemic, she was named a recipient of the Fulbright Student Program. She is currently in Germany in a Master's of Social Work program.
The UTSA Honors College has a curriculum designed to amplify students’ professional and personal development through internships, community-based service learning, cultural exploration abroad and at home, undergraduate research, and skill development. You can support students in their pursuit of an exceptional education.
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