Lone Star College Honors College students Alissa Boxleitner, Joseph Flores and Joel Reyes received the Dennis Boe Award from The Great Plains Honors Council (GPHC). The GPHC sponsors the annual Dennis Boe Award to highlight and recognize outstanding scholarly work by the honors program/college students of its member institutions.

“Lone Star College Honors College undergraduates were the only students in the region to receive this award this year,” said Dr. Katharine Caruso, LSC associate vice chancellor, Honors and International Education. “The recognition by The Great Plains Honors Council is a testament to the incredible work these students put into their research projects.”

The award honors the late Dr. Dennis Boe, former director of honors at East Central University.

2021 Boe Award winners in the Under-60 credit hours category were:

• Alissa Boxleitner, LSC-Montgomery: “Hypersexualization at Middle School Dances: An Analysis of Self-Presentation in Pen15 and Big Mouth.”
• Joseph Flores, LSC-CyFair: “Submit to Sin: Contextualizing the Roman Empire in Augustine's Detailing of Sexuality in Confessions.”
• Joel Reyes, LSC-Tomball: “Band-Aids Don't Fix Bullet Holes: A Pentadic Analysis of Emma Gonzalez's 'We Call B.S.' Speech.”

“The Honors College at Lone Star College is designed to meet the needs of high-achieving students seeking to improve their college transcripts,” said Caruso. “Students are encouraged to develop projects and coursework based on their own interests and career goals. They develop analytical, communication and leadership skills that help them succeed no matter which future academic or professional career they choose.” 

Applications are now being accepted for fall scholarships. Click here to learn more about The Honors College at Lone Star College.

“I was inspired to write this paper when I was watching Pen15 (a television comedy series that depicts middle school life) and was reminded of my own middle school dances' awkwardness,” said Boxleitner. “It started as a very broad analysis, but with guidance from the Honors College faculty became much more focused.”

“I learned that the research process and experience is hard work yet fun,” said Flores, a two-time recipient of the Dennis Boe Award. “After learning I was up for the award again, I was out to prove that I could sustain quality work throughout my time at Lone Star College.”

“The biggest takeaway I have garnered through this experience is that no matter how old you are, no matter how many semesters of college you have been in, or what walk of life you come from, anyone has the capacity to participate and engage in meaningful, scholarly research,” said Reyes.

In addition to the three award recipients, 44 LSC Honors College students were accepted to present their semester-length research projects at the conference which was held virtually earlier this month.

Lone Star College Honors College students received the Dennis Boe Award from The Great Plains Honors Council which recognizes outstanding scholarly work by the honors college students of its member institutions. Pictured (left to right) are Alissa Boxleitner, Joseph Flores and Joel Reyes.

Lone Star College offers high-quality, low-cost academic transfer and career training education to 93,000+ students each semester. LSC is training tomorrow’s workforce today and redefining the community college experience to support student success. Stephen C. Head, Ph.D., serves as chancellor of LSC, the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area with an annual economic impact of nearly $3 billion. Lone Star College consists of seven colleges, eight centers, eight Workforce Centers of Excellence, Lone Star Corporate College and LSC-Online. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu.