Chapter Spotlight: Honors Program

The UL Lafayette Alumni Association has a brand-new Alumni Chapter—the Honors Program Alumni Chapter. Alumni Chapters are alumni organizations whose membership base is derived from a specific college, major, or interest group. The Alumni Association currently has over 25 Alumni Chapters and is continuously expanding its list to add new chapters to the mix.

Started in December of 2020, the Honors Program Alumni Chapter was established by Dr. Julia Frederick and Ryan Winters with the University Honors Program. They hope this new Alumni Chapter can continue to grow. They also plan to hold events such as panels in the future with alumni and different organizations.

Victor Bermudez, president of the Honors Program Alumni Chapter, said that the University Honors Program has been special for him and his academic journey. "When I was in honors, I found a place where I [could] talk about ideas and topics. Some of them were fun, and it was always there to give us a better foundation of the world," Bermudez said. "I find a lot of people will benefit from honors because it's a great program at [UL Lafayette], and they are doing a lot of great things," Bermudez said. Bermudez noted that their chapter is doing more engagement to get students interested in the Honors Program Alumni Chapter. The chapter currently has a Facebook group that people can join to stay up to date with the chapter.

The University's Honors Program offers undergraduate students a series of opportunities for excellence and creativity in the form of exceptional courses, independent study, colloquia, research, and internships. Students who are a part of the Honors Program find their place among a large but intimate community of scholars in every discipline. They support intellectual freedom, celebrate individuality, and hope each graduate will become a life-long learner.

Like others, Bermudez was a part of that special group of students who came together to share common goals and beliefs—and now, as he leads the Honors Program Alumni Chapter, he hopes to help bring in others like himself. He's excited about what's next with the chapter. "We have a lot of great people here," Bermudez said. "We have a lot of people interested, so it seems like we are on the right track," Bermudez said.

If you're interested in joining the Honors Program Alumni Chapter, you can join their Facebook group or email Victor Bermudez at ulhonorsalumnichapter@gmail.com for more information.

Photo Caption: Judice-Rickels Hall, home to the University's Honors Program. Judice-Rickels Hall was named for the Judice Family who donated the land to the University and Rickels for the couple who guided the Honors Program for so many years—Drs. Milton and Pat Rickels. Photo credit: Courtney Bergeron / University of Louisiana at Lafayette