evolve - Spotlight
evolve is an academic support program that provides retention-based support services for female students, especially our transfer population. We want transfer females to value their undergraduate experience and finish at Sam Houston State University. evolve is comprised of four component programs that provide holistic educational experiences and opportunities in support of our mission to help students evolve as scholars, as women and as professionals.
evolve participants will develop a sense of community and belonging, along with receiving specialized academic support services for their success in integrating into the SHSU experience. We hope to help them grow into a life of service by living out our University motto coined by our namesake, “The Measure of a Life is its Service.”
Read more on the impact that this new program has already had on the lives of two transfer female students, Andrea Velarde and Haleigh Thibodeaux. For more information visit evolve.
Andrea Velarde is a senior who transferred in Fall 2019, after attending both The University of Houston (UH) and Lone Star College.
I left UH partly disappointed with my experience—I never felt I fit in as a transfer student. Starting fresh at SHSU gave me a glimpse of hope that I would find success with my transfer. My first semester was a bit rocky, so I let it be my “settling in” semester and found confidence that the spring semester would be better. My experience exceeded those hopes when I joined the newly-founded Student Advisory Council (SAC) for evolve, a support program at SHSU for female transfer students.
Through attendance at the SAC meetings, I was given the opportunity to meet other transfer students on my same path. We discussed everything from campus life to using offered resources. Although the SAC was a short-term program used to jumpstart the actual programming, I continued participating in evolve as an Ambassador over the 2020-21 school year. As an Ambassador, I was matched with mentees for whom I have been able to help ease transfer concerns, from navigating campus to how to find and use all the resources SHSU has to offer. I have met many transfer students and developed new friendships.
I can’t wait to see the next generation of Ambassadors and the mark they make at SHSU. So, if this post resonated with you, as a transfer female student, reach out & join the program!
Haleigh Thibodeaux is also a senior at SHSU. Haleigh has been involved with evolve since February 2020 as a Student Assistant and an Ambassador.
Over the past few months, I have seen evolve grow, exceeding initial expectations, with already about 60 women, and 12 Ambassadors. Each evolve participant is matched with an Ambassador responsible for providing help when needed. Through my experiences, I have been able to connect transfer female students to multiple resources available at SHSU, such as the Academic Success Center, the Student Money Management Center, and more.
Within evolve, participants are required to work through four “components” for which their experiences satisfy program requirements: Intentional Relationships, University Experiences, Service Engagement and Academic Enrichment. evolve hosts events regularly that give participants ways to engage in at least one of the different components.
One of my favorite events was the evolve open house in September. Over box lunches and desserts, participants had the opportunity to mingle with other ladies in the program and meet new faces. This was my first meeting with one of my mentees; we talked about my evolve experiences and planned a campus tour.
Another event evolve hosts is the Evolution Speaker Series, at which different successful women speak about their experiences in life and their careers. (This program complements the Intentional Relationships component). Our first speaker was Victoria White, SHSU staff member and evolve advisory board member. Victoria discussed cultivating a culture of honor and how to integrate that into our everyday lives.
Being part of evolve allows me to connect with and support peers with my experiences at SHSU. I am grateful to be given the opportunity to help with the program and I can’t wait to see how much we grow!