Courtney Houston ’16 is this year’s recipient of the Lonnstrom HEOP Excellence Award. The Syracuse, NY native will receive her bachelor’s degree in English.
This $5,000 award was established by Doug Lonnstrom, ’66 Ph.D., professor of quantitative business analysis, and his wife, Cris, to assist an HEOP student after graduation. It is intended to assist graduating students with establishing themselves after graduation and may be put toward transportation, moving and living expenses, tuition, and book costs. Lonnstrom established the award in 2014, in recognition that many program students, despite being high achieving, do not have the financial means necessary to pursue opportunities available following graduation.
After graduation, Houston will be moving to Miami, Florida to pursue a position with City Year., a national program that places college graduates in struggling urban school systems to support their students. Houston was selected because of her community engagement, academic achievement, and her leadership skills. While at Siena, she spent a semester studying abroad in Costa Rica, was the team manager of the S.O.L.I.D. step team, a writing tutor for both the Writing Center and HEOP; an HEOP peer mentor; an HEOP admissions tour guide; the HEOP summer program Head Counselor in the summer of 2016; and a student lobbyist for financial aid for four years.
"I am really happy and very appreciative of all the support I have received," said Houston. "This award will help me get started on my new life in Miami and it will help me further my career goals to become a certified childcare worker. Providing childcare for low income parents is essential in helping parents, especially women, pursue full-time employment."
