The UH community is big on volunteer service, but Jerry
Evans thought the students, staff, and faculty could do
more.
So, he and his wife, Gil, began
Cougars for Kids—providing
local hospitals with volunteers to assist sick children
and their families.
“I wanted to make an immediate impact with hospitals
and kids. I wanted to come in and show these sick kids
that people care and want to make their stay happier and
better,” says Evans, instructional assistant professor
of technology.
Cougars for Kids has been a UH-endorsed
program since November 2007. Volunteers read, play games,
and provide arts and crafts to the children at the Texas
Children’s
Hospital, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Shriner’s
Hospital, Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, and
The Methodist Hospital.
“The joy I receive from volunteering is irreplaceable.
Working with this program is truly a life-changing opportunity.
I’ve loved every minute of it,” says volunteer
Nicki Raimondo, sophomore public relations major.
Evans plans to expand the program into elementary and,
maybe, secondary schools.
Spreading
the Wealth
Beginning this fall, a $750,000
grant from one of the world’s largest energy companies,
BP America, will help the University of Houston recruit
and offer scholarships to students in engineering, the
sciences, mathematics, and business.
Spread over three years, the BP Scholarship/Fellowship
will be distributed to the Cullen College of Engineering
($170,000/year), the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
($55,000/year), and the C.T. Bauer College of Business
($25,000/year) to fund a variety of existing programs aimed
at recruiting students.
The grant will help fund a series of one-week summer camps
to promote engineering to high school seniors, scholarships
to attract National Merit Scholarship finalists, and a
program to encourage high school students and business
students to specialize in the energy sector, to name a
few.
With the talent and diversity of
the university’s
student body and the effectiveness of recruiting programs
already in place, UH is an attractive recruiting base for
BP America, which has had a prominent presence on campus
for more than thirty years.
Music
to My Ears
The Moores School of Music is one of the nation’s
premier music schools—producing professional performers
who are primed for success. Vocalist Ashlyn Rust, a graduating
master’s student, nailed the audition of a lifetime
and impressed legendary tenor and Los Angeles Opera director
Placido Domingo. Rust’s crisp soprano and charismatic
delivery garnered a residency in Los Angeles Opera’s
noted Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program as well as
a role in three of the company’s main stage productions
including the U.S. premiere of The Fly. Another success
story is doctoral student Hector Agüero Jr., who was
tapped as the Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra (FBSO) music
director after an extensive international search. He will
conduct the orchestra, represent FBSO to the community,
and coordinate its musical programming.
American
Dream . . . a Reality
Arman Jahangiri (’08) has always dreamed of becoming
a neurosurgeon combined with the roles of a physician advocate,
policymaker, and educator. Now that dream is one step closer
to becoming a reality. He is one of twelve recipients of
the 2008 Merage Foundation American Dream Fellowship, a
nationwide scholarship for exceptional immigrant students
who have the potential to contribute to their new homeland.
Before heading off to medical school this fall, Jahangiri
plans to travel to Trinidad and Tobago on a medical mission
to assist with obstetric and gynecological surgeries.
One
Step at a Time
UH’s Chapter of the National Society
of Black Engineers (NSBE), along with alumni and collegiate
members from chapters around the region, went door-to-door
sharing the benefits of obtaining an education. Deemed “A
Walk for Education,” NSBE
members and other volunteers handed out information on
financial aid, the ACT and SAT, scholarships, and the GED.
Walkers targeted homes and two apartment complexes in Houston’s
Fifth Ward. The effort, held annually since 2002, got its
start with UH student Kay Babineux. Moved by a speech on
declining enrollment of blacks in colleges, she proposed
the walk to NSBE’s Southeast Texas chapters. The
idea has grown into an annual regional program. The city
rotation includes Houston, Philadelphia, Pa.; Lexington,
Ky.; Milwaukee, Wis.; Los Angeles, Calif.; Hartford, Conn.;
and Toronto, Canada.
Pharmacy
Produces Leaders
The College of Pharmacy prepares
its students for leadership in the healthcare industry.
With that in mind, the Texas Society of Health-System Pharmacists
honored pharmacy doctoral student Ann Marie Prazek with
the Glenda Lawson McRee Pharmacy Student Award. In addition,
Delta Delta, the UH chapter of coed pharmacy fraternity
Kappa Psi, received the Province VII Chapter of the Year
and Best Chapter Report awards. Members Thomas Key and
Kyana Stewart were elected Province VII chaplain and secretary,
respectively. The college also took the top two spots in
the student category of the Clinical Skills Competition.
Jacob Hall and Ngocanh “Jennifer” Phan took
first place, while Elizabeth Franz and Jim Getchell landed
second place. Getchell also earned an Honorable Mention
in the Disease State Management Competition.
