| Shining Stars
It’s been a great year for the College of Education (COE). Fatyn Khawaja (’06) was named Texas’ Student Teacher of the Year by the Texas Directors of Field Experience, a professional organization that supervises the placement of future teachers with “hands-on” experiences in the classroom. Khawaja shares the honor with a Texas A&M University student. And COE doctoral student Allegra McGrew was selected as a Barbara L. Jackson Scholar of the University Continuing Education Association, a national organization for college and university educators. The educational leadership major also works full-time for the Fort Bend Independent School District as an instructional technology specialist.
The Crown Goes to...
First she beat out fifty-six contestants to win the title of Miss Houston USA. And for Magen Ellis’ latest and biggest win, the UH student topped the field of 132 women for the coveted Miss Texas USA title for 2007. Along with the honor, Ellis received a new car and gifts totaling more than $100,000. The nineteen-year-old Spanish and communications major will compete for the Miss USA title this spring.
Undergrads Garner Top Honors
Phuc Huynh and Azim Karim are rising stars in the medical and research fields. Huynh, an electrical engineering major, earned $7,500 for his research in electricity and oil conservation, and the title of Goldwater Scholar—one of the most highly competitive national honors available to sophomores or juniors majoring in math, the natural sciences, or engineering who are planning to pursue a career in research. Karim, a biology major, received a two-year $20,000 Foundation for the American Dream Fellowship reserved for promising immigrant students. He wants to become a doctor, specializing in cardiovascular sciences.
MP3 … Can It Go Any Faster?
Award-winning student researcher Clarina de la Cruz thinks your MP3 player could be faster and more efficient. The fourth-year physics graduate student won first place in the 50th Magnetism and Magnetic Materials Conference, along with a $1,000 fellowship, for her solid-state physics research. Her research in magneto-electric properties of multiferroic compounds may lead to the development of a new type of memorystorage device that could be used in computers as a magneto-electric hard drive or for speeding up handheld devices.
Training Future African Energy Execs
Raquel Castro’s dream finally came true. She earned a magna cum laude business degree from a leading American university. Castro enrolled at UH through a unique partnership between the university and ExxonMobil. The company’s Africa Group Upstream Regional Controller’s scholarship program assists promising students from African countries with tuition expenses at UH. Upon graduation, the students are placed in positions in one of ExxonMobil’s Africa-based affiliates. With a UH degree in hand, Castro returned home last summer and is now an accountant for ExxonMobil affiliate Esso Angola. |
