Tag: Noel Cortez

Toastmasters: A new graduate student club

OLLU now has an officially recognized Toastmasters charter/club, “Toasting at the Lake.” 

Toasting at the Lake provides a unique opportunity for graduate students to come together and work on their personal and professional development.

To join, fill out the form at the following link: https://forms.office.com/r/xDpQhkij2D

The Toastmasters is an excellent opportunity to enhance leadership skills, gain confidence in speaking publicly, and build personal and professional networks. Elizabeth (Liz) Lopez will serve as the chapter’s president and work with Noel Cortez to launch the club. For more information about Toastmasters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=383gehepo8M

For questions or information about the first meeting, please contact Liz at ealopez19fl@ollusa.edu. Consider joining Toasting at the Lake!

OLLU holds successful Three Minute Thesis competition

OLLU held the first Texas regional Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition this past weekend in the Sueltenfuss Library. The event was a rousing success.

Sponsored by H-E-B, 3MT featured graduate students from universities across the state, presenting academic research within a three-minute time limit while vying for a $1,000 prize.

Chahat Upreti, a University of Texas at Dallas graduate student in biology, claimed the first-place award on Saturday with his presentation: “Curbing the spread of antibiotic resistance.” 

Jenn Snedker of Sam Houston State finished second. Khushi Gupta, also of Sam Houston State, won the People’s Choice Award. Two OLLU Leadership Studies students, Liliana Gomez and Todd Pope, were finalists.

The Department of Graduate Student Services, under the leadership of OLLU graduate student Noel Cortez, hosted the competition, which provided graduate students a platform to showcase their academic research. 

Teri Castillo, City Councilwoman, District 5, spoke to the students on Friday and was a sponsor of the event. Students from more than a dozen colleges and universities networked and attended a job fair.

OLLU to host Three Minute Thesis competition in November

OLLU will serve as host for Texas’s first-ever Three Minute Thesis Competition (3MT) on Nov. 3 and 4, a regional competition that will feature master’s and doctoral-level students from across Texas showcasing a broad range of academic research from different disciplines.

Students will present their research with just one static PowerPoint slide. They are limited to three minutes. A panel of judges will decide on the winners. Cash prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place.

Participating schools include Baylor, Texas Christian University, University of the Incarnate Word, St. Mary’s University, the University of Texas-Dallas, Angelo State, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, St. Edward’s and Sam Houston State.

Five OLLU students have agreed to compete in the event, which is sponsored by H-E-B. OLLU encourages more students to compete. 

If you would like to compete, contact Noel Cortez, Director of the OLLU Graduate Student Center, at nocortez@ollusa.edu

Graduate Student Ambassadors offer mentoring, guidance

Formed this summer, the inaugural class of Graduate Student Ambassadors is helping graduate students with orientation while offering mentoring sessions and coordinating professional development workshops.

Noel Cortez, a doctoral student in Leadership Studies and Director of Graduate Student Services, created the Graduate Student Ambassadors.

“This program seeks to form a dynamic network of motivated graduate students who will function as mentors, guides and pillars of support for their fellow scholars,” Cortez said. “The Graduate Student Ambassadors will play a pivotal role in curating workshops and fostering an environment that promotes professional growth and mentorship.”

There are 12 Graduate Student Ambassadors. During the fall semester, the Office of Graduate Student Services will host a meet-and-greet. For more information, contact Cortez at nocortez@ollusa.edu

Below: Graduate Student Ambassador Sandra Rosas, online doctoral student in Social Work.