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Hixson-Lied Success Scholars Newsletter
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Please enjoy our newsletter containing featured articles written by the scholars with information on student organizations, tips for summer break and stories from our graduating seniors!
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Graduating Seniors: Robert Vargas
By Robert Vargas, Hixson-Lied Success Scholar
My name is Robert Vargas and I’m very excited to be graduating from UNLV this May. My undergraduate degree will be in Biological Sciences with a double minor in Psychology and Neuroscience. I was also part of the Honors College at UNLV that provided an amazing curriculum for much of my general education. As a Hixson-Lied Scholar, I had a great four years of experiences in the program. I really enjoyed being a peer mentor for COLA 100E students and gained so much insight from the students in each section.
Being part of such a great support system with my fellow Hixson-Lied scholars reemphasizes what the community environment strives to be. In addition, being a UNLV student was a great experience and I enjoyed being a part of such a diverse campus. Following graduation, I plan to apply to medical school and hope to become a physician in the state of Nevada.
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UNLV has taught me that Nevada is a state where one can prosper in almost any field and that one can almost achieve anything here due to the growing nature of our economy. I hope to give back to UNLV in my career and aspire to someday work in education to help the next great minds of our world grow in their development. I’m so thankful to be graduating as a Hixson-Lied scholar and am thankful for this amazing program that has given me the resources and support to call myself a UNLV Alumni this May.
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Graduating Seniors: Jeanne Soriano
By Jeanne Soriano, Hixson-Lied Success Scholar
My name is Jeanne Soriano. I am a second-year Hixson-Lied scholar. I will be graduating in May 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies and Business Management minor. My four years at UNLV was definitely a rocky experience for me. Other than difficult classes, I struggled financially and socially. It was difficult for me to find a balance between school and working to pay for bills and school as well.
The Hixson-Lied Success Scholars Program helped me stay on the right track for graduation. My family at Hixson-Lied taught me numerous skills that have helped me survive my last two years at UNLV, such as time management, leadership, and social skills. I felt I was lacking these skills because I was just too focused on trying to pay for school and survive on my own. I will forever be thankful for this scholar program. They have made a huge impact on my UNLV experience that I will always carry with me after I graduate.
After graduation, I plan on taking a year off to focus on a full-time career in Human Resources.
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It is on my agenda to attend graduate school at the Lee Business School because I am adamant on receiving my Master of Business Administration.My long-term goal is to have a career in Human Resources Management and I think a UNLV MBA will help me in achieving this goal one day.
My favorite part about UNLV is its diversity! I have met so many different people here. We all have different opinions, different ideas, different backgrounds, and different lifestyles. I have become more open-minded throughout the years because of UNLV’s diverse environment. I think it is the one characteristic that makes UNLV unique from other universities. I am proud to be a UNLV Rebel!
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The Intersection: UNLV's New Multicultural Resource Center
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By Joel Jimenez, Hixson-Lied Success Scholar
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is one of the most diverse universities in the United States, being ranked #2 in ethnic diversity by the U.S. News and World Reports. Walking through campus, there are students from all over the world, speaking different languages, and engaging in discussions from their own and unique cultural perspective.
During lunchtime at the Student Union, one can hear students speaking in a vast variety of languages, ranging from English to distant foreign dialects that not many people know. This amazing diversity that UNLV has is one of its major strengths, as students can learn from different perspectives and points of view. However, despite the vast amount of diversity UNLV has to offer, the university did not have a center for students from different cultural backgrounds to meet and learn about the many resources available to them. But now, through lots of hard work and planning, a new center for students is here: The Intersection.
The Intersection is an Academic Multicultural Resource Center for students from different backgrounds to meet and learn about the many resources available throughout campus. UNLV is an extremely large campus with more than 30,000 students, where 57% of them report being part of a racial or ethnic minority and 31% being first-generation college students. In such a large and diverse university, sometimes it can get difficult and overwhelming to find the many resources available.
At The Intersection, students can stop by to ask for help and meet new people from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. The Intersection will ensure students have all they need for a successful academic career, ranging from mentoring to fun activities.
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In addition to the academic support, The Intersection will provide a place where students can get together and discuss their differences to learn more about each other and gain a sense of belonging to the university. At The Intersection, students will be able to make friends while learning about all the different resources such as The Hispanic Scholarship Fund, the Multicultural Programs for STEM and Health Sciences, the Council of African American Professionals, the American Indian Alliance, and many more.
To better understand what The Intersection is about, during the grand opening on April 21st, in an interview with Executive Director Dr. Harriet Barlow, she described how “The Intersection is a space for students to come and gather where they can also engage in conversation. It’s a safe space.” During the grand opening, the atmosphere of a safe space was already present. There were a few students already engaging in conversation with staff and other faculty members. It is a small and very welcoming office where the motivation and dedication of the staff can truly be felt. Dr. Barlow also described how “this would be a space that would primarily focus on navigation as well as assisting particularly first-generation and students of color; however, this will be a space for everybody.” The Intersection is not meant to be an exclusive place for certain individuals, but a place where everyone is welcome regardless of race, gender identity, or any other form of social classification. Finally, Dr. Barlow encouraged students to stop by and learn about the many resources available. The Intersection is located on the first floor of the Student Union, Room 121.
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By Lidia Wossen, Hixson-Lied Success Scholar
“The UNLV Community Garden is the place on campus to create a sense of community, learning, and sustainability among students, faculty and staff through the common goal of producing 100% organic, natural harvests.” Since it first opened in the fall semester of last year, the garden has been a place of hidden treasures. With weekly festivities, the garden is a place for all members of the community.
The Community Garden is located right next to the Rebel Recycling Center and the entrance is by the Stan Fulton Building Parking Lot. The garden is not only home to 41 raised beds and 100% organic soil but also offers curriculum opportunities, event space availability, community networking opportunities, and offers a great space sustainable for an art showcase.
Events are held quite frequently to allow students, their families and the community to get involved with the garden. Over Easter weekend, the Community Garden hosted a Jr. Farmer Day. This was a specially designed event for the “little rebels” of the family. The day consisted of fun and learning with a garden egg-hunt and tour, planting demonstrations, and art sponsored by the Guerrilla Artz Foundation.
The foundation aims to create art that serves the community garden, introduces children to gardening and allowing artists the opportunity to create art on reclaimed materials. They hope to make this an annual event! If you missed the event, don’t worry because the garden hosts many other events throughout the year.
Feeling stressed out from work, midterms, finals week, or just life in general? Then Sun, Yoga and Music is the answer for you! Hosted by Tamara Kinoshita of the Reset Project, repair, rejuvenate and reset with yoga in the garden followed by a casual morning of gardening with a great group of new friends and music from Pablo Habitual. This event can typically be found on Sunday mornings.
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After a long morning of relaxation, join the Reset Project in one of their amazing events at the garden. The Reset Project is a healthy lifestyle events company based in downtown Las Vegas. Their events are designed for people to create positive sustainable change in their culture and thereby live more authentically. People and cultures can truly only create these changes by accepting and moving forward with it on physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual levels. By using their five-step methodology of move, balance, dream, create, and eat, their events will help make those changes. The garden and the Reset Project tend to team up quite often with multiple events and volunteer opportunities.
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To find out more information about the different events or to see when the events will take place, you can refer to the UNLV Community Garden Home Page. Connecting to the garden through Facebook also provides information about upcoming events. This also allows people to interact with others, receive tips on growing plants, or see who might be in attendance at a specific event. If you have further questions on the garden, you may contact Elissa Lafranconi at [email protected].
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By Jensen Radley, Hixson-Lied Success Scholar
If you are currently enrolled or have taken a first-year seminar course, then you probably won’t be surprised when I say that getting involved on campus increases the chances of success in college. Think about it. Being involved not only provides one with a sense of belonging, but it also serves as a great way to escape the stresses and frustrations we may face daily as college students. There are over 300 Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) here at UNLV. They range anywhere from professional development to video gaming, to spreading awareness of different cultures.
As a student in the athletic training education program (ATEP), we are encouraged to join the Rebel Athletic Training Society (RATS). In this organization, members are provided opportunities to develop leadership skills, build connections with other professionals in the athletic training community, and gain more experience by participating in and hosting several events that help to spread awareness about the athletic training profession.
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One recent event hosted by RATS was the “UNLV Athletic Training Night” held in March. During the UNLV Athletic Training Night, people were able to walk through the Lied Athletic Complex and learn about what exactly an athletic trainer does by listening to several guest speakers along with interacting with students currently in the athletic training program. Although this RSO is only for specific majors, there are many other organizations that allow any and all students to join.
How can you find out about different RSOs? Luckily, there is a very convenient and simple website to help you with just that. At the Involvement Center, you can find all the RSOs on campus. Each one comes with a description of what the organization is about and how to join. You can search for a group based on a hobby, interest, or even a specific major. For example, there are 7 different RSOs that are specific to hospitality majors. There are also groups whose focus is student health such as Healthy Rebels or UNLV Active Minds. Other types of RSOs promote culture. Some of those are the `Ewalu Club (Ewalu) and Black Student Organization (BSO).
No matter what interests you, there are always ways to get involved at UNLV. What if you can’t find an RSO that has what you’re interested in? Create your own! On the involvement center website, there is the RSO Manual under campus links that explains how to start your own RSO.
Be different. Be daring. Be diverse. Get involved.
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Summer Break is Coming Up!
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By Bridget Manguiat, Hixson-Lied Success Scholar
With Spring Break gone in a blink of an eye, we have arrived to the final sprint toward finals week. I would first like to start off by congratulating everyone for making it this far this semester despite all those times you felt like you were going to drop to the ground, have an emotional breakdown and give up. You’re here now, you didn’t give up, and you’re almost there. You made it. You’re one step closer to that finish line you set up for yourself at the beginning of your journey in college.
Despite how slow it may feel, summer is racing toward us at an unbelievable rate. Summer break begins on May 16th. So just what does summer entail? For some, it means dancing in sand by the ocean, going out of state or the country to be with family, or maybe it simply means being able to take more naps. There are plenty of fun activities and personal care routines that you can choose to implement during your much-deserved break. There is no doubt that you deserve free time and relaxation time.
Before summer officially comes around the corner, try to take into consideration what you can do to help build the necessary skills, or opportunities you might need in the upcoming future. I know it can be quite stressful, and at times the urge to put it aside until next semester is strong, but it may be the only time you have to explore your horizons. This is especially important for sophomores and juniors heading into your next year of study. Depending on your major, you may or may not have internships required of you. Even if you do not, perhaps you might want to consider looking for possible internships that will help you on your road to your career.
There are plenty of other programs on campus to consider if you find yourself with some free time this summer. For art majors, there’s the art bridge program—a teaching program in which you go to elementary schools and help teach kids some art. It is open to dance, film, visual arts, and music majors! It’s a great opportunity for Fine art majors to share their talents and passions with the kids of the community. It is also a wonderful opportunity to experience teaching. The best part about it? A little extra income!
In addition to internships, perhaps finding a job on campus can help build your connections. Online, HireARebel is a great place to explore campus organizations that are hiring right now. Perhaps your summer goals can be as simple as building healthier habits. The student recreation center is another great place you might want to consider looking to work at.
For education majors, consider the UNLV/CSUN Preschool as a possible opportunity for your upcoming required trainings. The UNLV/CSUN Preschool has practicum programs that are helpful for those looking to teach in secondary schools in the future. It’s a great opportunity to hone in on your skills as well as acquire the necessary hours you might need for your degree.
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If you find yourself behind on credits or are looking to decrease your credit load in the fall, definitely seek to speak to your advisor about taking summer classes. Find out what classes are available. Summer registration has already opened as fall registration has appeared before us for this year, but it’s not too early to see what you might be able to think about taking next summer. Your advisor can help you come up with a rough class plan for the next few semesters to help act as a guide map.
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Lastly, volunteer opportunities are always available. Student Engagements is available on the third floor of the Student Union if you have any questions about clubs or upcoming events. On WebCampus, under resources, you can also explore their web-page to look for clubs that might peak your interest. It does not have to be specific for your major; perhaps you just want to be a part of something. Regardless of your reasons, it’s worth the investment.
As you can see, there are so many wonderful things you can consider doing to help build yourself up. Whether you wish to improve your skills, hone what you consider your weaknesses, build connections, and overall have fun this summer, do all of the above! Remember, you can still have fun and accomplish your summer plans. Throwing in a bit of academic productivity can’t hurt! You’ll have fun and grow. I hope that you all do well on finals and have a wonderful summer! Remember, you’re almost there. You can do it!
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Ms. Christina M. Hixson graduated from high school in Clarinda, Iowa and moved to Omaha, Nebraska to attend business school. She later went to work for Mr. Ernst F. Lied , a car dealership owner in Omaha and in 1960 she joined Mr. Lied in Las Vegas, Nevada as his assistant. After Mr. Lied’s death in 1980, Ms. Hixson became the sole trustee of the Lied Foundation Trust and turned the Lied Foundation Trust into one of the largest foundations in the state of Nevada at that time. Ms. Hixson has a special understanding of young people who, like her, came from a challenging family background and are willing to work hard.
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Mr. Ernst F. Lied was born in Columbus, Ohio and attended the University of Kansas for two years, where he played on the golf team. He ultimately graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1927. Mr. Lied became a Buick dealer in Omaha, Nebraska and later his dealership was ranked third in the country for the number of cars sold. Mr. Lied established his charitable foundation in 1972, and upon his death in 1980 at age 74 nearly his entire estate funded the Lied Foundation Trust. Lied Foundation Trust has enhanced the capabilities of many schools and enriched the quality of many lives!
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*All photos used are original, can be found on unlv.edu, UNLV social media or have references indicated
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