San Diego State University
Weber Honors College
Fiscal Year 2024-2025
Dear Donor,
Thank you for your generous support of our students. Because of you, they are engaging in transformative experiences—from groundbreaking research and career-building internships to creative work in communities near and far. They’re not just learning; they’re leading.
This year, your support has helped us expand our interdisciplinary curriculum with courses like The Economics of Climate Change, Neuroscience in the News, and The Ethics of Artifcial Intelligence. These classes are preparing students to tackle real-world challenges with clarity, compassion, and collaboration. Your generosity also fuels meaningful faculty-student partnerships in both research and community service—turning knowledge into action.
The results speak for themselves: our graduates are heading of to incredible futures, pursuing advanced degrees at top universities and launching careers in art conservation, aerospace engineering, accounting, global research, nonproft work, and more.
We are proud to have you as a partner in shaping the next generation of leaders and changemakers.
With heartfelt thanks,
Stacey Sinclair, Ph.D. Director Weber Honors College
Propelling the SDSU Community Forward
Stephen L. Weber AVID Alumni Scholarship
The Stephen L. Weber AVID Alumni Scholarship provides vital support to students in the Weber Honors College who completed an AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) course during their senior year of high school. This scholarship opens doors for hardworking, college-ready students from the AVID program—many of whom are the frst in their families to attend college.
By supporting their academic journey within the Weber Honors College, the scholarship afrms their potential and eases fnancial pressures, enabling them to focus fully on their studies and thrive in a rigorous honors environment. It helps students reach their full potential as scholars and future leaders, while also strengthening the bridge between AVID and SDSU—reinforcing the university’s commitment to access and academic excellence.
Richard Daniel L’Heureux Global Citizen Scholarship
The Richard Daniel L’Heureux Global Citizen Scholarship was established to honor the legacy of Richard Daniel L’Heureux, a respected Weber Honors College student whose life exemplifed curiosity, compassion, and global engagement. This scholarship supports Honors students in pursuing meaningful international experiences that broaden their worldviews, deepen their academic learning, and foster cross-cultural understanding.
By reducing fnancial barriers to study abroad, the scholarship empowers students to become more empathetic, informed, and globally minded citizens—carrying forward Richard’s spirit of exploration and connection.
This year, the scholarship enabled a student to study at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid—one of the oldest and largest universities in the world, founded in 1499—where all instruction is delivered in Spanish. Additional recipients spent the academic year in Sydney, Australia, and the spring semester in Rome, Italy, further extending the scholarship’s global reach and providing students with transformative educational experiences in diverse cultural and academic settings.
Thriving in the Aztec Experience
Audrey Jullien, Class of 2026
Class Level: Undergraduate Student College: Weber Honors College Major: Business Administration
Audrey Jullien was selected as a Panetta Congressional Intern through the competitive and prestigious Panetta Institute for Public Policy.
She interned for Congressman Ken Calvert in Washington, D.C., during the fall 2024 semester. In this role, she conducted policy research, drafted memos, and contributed to preparing briefs and constituent communications. She attended briefngs and hearings, engaged in policy discussions, and analyzed proposed legislation to support the ofce’s initiatives. Audrey also provided personalized tours of the U.S. Capitol and managed front-end ofce communications.
This experience deepened her understanding of the federal legislative process and strengthened her skills in research, communication, and public service—reinforcing her commitment to meaningful policy work.
Audrey was honored as a Panetta Congressional Intern, where she excelled in policy research and legislative work, gaining invaluable experience and strengthening her passion for public service and meaningful impact.
Isaac Hendrix, Class of 2025
Class Level: Undergraduate Student College: Weber Honors College Major: Chemistry
Isaac Hendrix graduated summa cum laude in May 2025 with a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry, along with minors in interdisciplinary studies and jazz.
While excelling academically, he served as a supplemental instruction leader, conducted research in Dr. Yong Yan’s lab, and interned at Blossomhill Therapeutics in medicinal chemistry. Isaac presented at three conferences and coauthored a publication in the Journal of Organic Chemistry titled “Merging of Two Photoredox Cycles with One Perovskite Catalyst Achieving Dual Functionalization: NHeterocyclization and Site-Selective Bromination of NArylamines.”
A BRIDGES Scholar and the Chemistry Department’s Outstanding Graduating Senior, Isaac will begin a Ph.D. in Chemical Biology at UCLA this fall.
“Isaac, summa cum laude Chemistry graduate and BRIDGES Scholar, excelled academically, led instruction, researched photoredox catalysis, published, presented at conferences, and will pursue a UCLA Ph.D.
Mia Martinez, Class of 2025
Class Level: Undergraduate Student College: Weber Honors College Major: International Business
Mia Martinez graduated summa cum laude in May 2025 with a degree in international business and minors in Spanish and interdisciplinary studies. She was awarded the Henry Janssen Outstanding Student Prize by the Weber Honors College for her exceptional contributions to scholarship, leadership, and service.
At SDSU, Mia served as a resident advisor and led the PreLaw Society as president for two years. She founded Whittier Youth GSA, a community organization supporting LGBTQ+ youth, and completed three legal internships, including one with the American Bar Association’s Immigration Justice Project.
A BRIDGES Scholar, Mia will begin a Master of Science in Global Business Development this fall and plans to enter law school in 2026 to continue her work in advocacy and legal reform.
“Mia, graduated summa cum laude and honored with the Henry Janssen Prize, led, founded, and inspired—poised to advance global business and law in pursuit of meaningful change and justice.
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Celebrating Shared Success
Statistics of Interest
The average GPA of Weber Honors College graduates was 3.7 and 89% of them graduated in four years or less. Nearly 20% of these graduates are frst generation college students.
Recent Highlights
Kathy Sweetman, administrative coordinator of the Weber Honors College, has been named the 2025 recipient of the National Collegiate Honors Council Award for Administrative Excellence. Nominated by Dr. Stacey Sinclair, director of the College, Kathy’s eleven years of dedicated service have greatly impacted students, faculty, and the honors education mission. This prestigious award highlights the Weber Honors College as a national model of academic and administrative excellence.
Seventeen new Honors courses were taught this year: Neuroscience in the News; A Century of Plastic & the Way Forward; Life Beyond Earth; Beyond Wonder Woman: Exploring 100 Years of Feminism in Comics; Gender and Sexuality in Asia, Past and Present; Swift Allusions: The Literary World of Taylor Swift; Beyond Sufering: The Philosophy and Psychology of Stoicism; Leadership and Civic Engagement; Adolescence and Media Action; Heroines: The Social Ethics of a Strong Female Lead; Adventures in Screenwriting; Peace, Power, Confict Resolution and Negotiation; Life Design: Crafting Your Future; Intuitive Eating; Arts-Based Strategies for Answering Critical Questions; An Interdisciplinary Exploration of Music; and The Relational Self and Social Media. Innovation in curriculum development is essential to preparing students to think across disciplines, adapt to a rapidly evolving world, and approach complex problems with creativity, cultural awareness, and purpose.
Honors classes include co-curricular opportunities that foster mentorship and collaboration with instructors and community partners, bridging theory and practice across diverse felds. These included service-learning at the Uptown Community Services Center, where students addressed food insecurity and homelessness by preparing meals, assembling hygiene kits, and distributing resources—while examining urban inequality (HONOR 413). In HONOR 113, students visited the Otay Landfll to study plastic waste’s environmental impact and joined a San Diego River cleanup with the River Park Foundation. HONOR 313 students visited the San Diego Museum of Art’s East and South & Southeast Asian galleries to deepen cross-cultural and gender analysis. A civic engagement course partnered with San Diego CoastKeeper for a Mission Beach cleanup. These experiences refect the transdisciplinary ethos of the Weber Honors College—where mentorship, academic inquiry, and public impact intersect.
Elevating Impact
From award-winning leadership to innovative courses and real-world impact, Weber Honors College continues to set a national standard for excellence in honors education.
Marta Miletić, Ph.D.
Title: Assistant Professor, Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering College: Weber Honors College & College of Engineering
Achievement: Dr. Marta Miletić was awarded the NASA Space Tech Catalyst Prize, which recognizes individuals and organizations that promote efective best practices in supporting underrepresented and diverse space technology innovators, researchers, technologists, and entrepreneurs.
As a Weber Honors College Community Engagement Fellow, Dr. Miletić mentors honors students, helping them develop critical skills such as project management, refective writing, ethical community engagement, and efective communication. These skills prepare students to lead with purpose, both in and beyond the classroom.
Dr. Miletić shared, "Being recognized as a winner of the NASA Space Tech Catalyst Prize is not only a personal milestone, but also a powerful afrmation of my commitment to fostering diversity and inclusivity in space technology. This award symbolizes both an acknowledgment of my past eforts and an exciting opportunity to further drive meaningful change in the industry.”
“Being recognized as a winner of the NASA Space Tech Catalyst Prize is not only a personal milestone, but also a powerful afrmation of my commitment to fostering diversity and inclusivity in space technology.
Faculty Achievements
James Murren, M.S.
Title: Lecturer
College: Weber Honors College & Political Science Achievement: James Murren has been awarded the Darlene Shiley Honors Faculty Fellowship Award for his outstanding teaching in the Weber Honors College.
He will apply the funding from this award toward his participation in the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) program in Bangladesh in January 2026.
James was accepted into this competitive program, titled “Navigating the Bangladesh Paradox: The Dichotomy of Development,” where he will engage with faculty, government ofcials, non-governmental experts, and industry representatives to explore the reality of climate change in one of the world’s most vulnerable nations as it works to develop its economy.
A Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Honduras, 1997-99), James brings over 15 years of practitioner experience to the classroom in the felds of international environmental and agricultural development. His experience includes watershed management in Honduras; household energy procurement in Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Brazil; post-harvest storage in West Africa; agricultural assessments in Paraguay and the Republic of Georgia; climate change and agricultural education in Guinea; and capacity building and business planning with farmers' associations in Central America. James teaches two courses, Global Environmental Issues and Global Food Security, for the Weber Honors College.
Honored with the Darlene Shiley Fellowship, James Murren will bring his global expertise to Bangladesh in 2026, advancing climate education and international engagement for Weber Honors College.
Thierry Devos, Ph.D.
Title: Professor, Psychology College: Weber Honors College & College of Sciences
Achievement: Dr. Thierry Devos has been awarded the Darlene Shiley Honors Faculty Fellowship in recognition of his outstanding teaching in the Weber Honors College.
This fellowship will support Dr. Devos' upcoming sabbatical at the University of Auckland, where he will collaborate with Professor Chris Sibley and his research team.
During his sabbatical, Dr. Devos will expand his methodological and theoretical expertise in the study of ethno-cultural diversity and implicit intergroup biases, including stereotypes and prejudice. Their research will focus on developing statistical profciency in analyzing longitudinal data and exploring two key motivational drivers of prejudice: social dominance and uncertainty reduction. The skills and insights gained through this work will directly enhance Dr. Devos' Honors course, The Psychology of Diversity and Multiculturalism.
Dr. Devos shared, "This award means a lot to me! Teaching for the Weber Honors College is always very rewarding, but I also appreciate that my teaching activities are recognized through this award. As always, thanks for your continued support!"
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Congratulations to Dr. Thierry Devos on receiving the Darlene Shiley Honors Faculty Fellowship—an exciting opportunity to advance groundbreaking research on diversity and enrich student learning.