Something Old, Something New

The event serves as their formal introduction to the program, as they meet the cohort members that they'll spend the remainder of their college years with. Making the intimate program even smaller, students are placed into their mentor groups, where they can seek advice, friendship and resources from their upperclassman mentor throughout the year.  

"I feel a lot more comfortable than I did before Freshman Fete," finance freshman Angelina Pham said. "I was scared to go into this big room and say 'hi' to new people, but after I met everyone, I felt like I could talk to them easily and be welcomed." 

During the event, students also meet Bauer faculty and staff, extending the opportunity for one-on-one interaction with college leadership from the start. 

"I got to meet the head of the academic program that I want to go into, which I didn't know would happen," Deacon Myatt said, who plans on applying for the No. 1 ranked Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship.  

While the University of Houston welcomed a record number of freshmen, topping 7,000 for the first time, students shared that Bauer Honors makes a big campus feel more approachable. This year, 82 new freshmen joined the program. 

"Bauer Honors helped me tremendously as a commuter," accounting freshman Brookelyn Gonzalez said. "It helps me find a sense of community when there's such a big population that surrounds me. It's helping me find what I want to be involved in and some close friends that I know I'll have for a while." 

Closing the Chapter 

For the first time this fall, Bauer Honors seniors spent a morning reflecting on the past three years at the inaugural Senior Brunch event.  

In between marking off bingo boards and writing notes, seniors Aigerim Sagi and Vada Schneider shared how they first met in their freshmen mentor group and how their friendship has blossomed since.  

"Our group's first social was a casual hangout at Cougar Grounds, and we all started talking to each other," Schneider said. "That's when we got closer. We especially clicked when half of our mentor group participated in a freshman business plan competition. That project together really bonded us." 

"The closest friendships I've made have been from Bauer Honors during freshman year," Sagi said. "At first I didn't see the point in the required events, but now that I'm a senior and I'm a mentor myself, I understand that these events create an encompassing culture." 

Both students agreed that the years flew by and that they've created close bonds with their classmates. By kicking off senior year at the brunch, they said they plan to make the most of their time leading up to graduation.