Student of the Week

Awards/Honors

Dean’s List-First Honors, 2005-present
University Scholar
Alpha Lambda Delta National Freshman Honors Society, 2006
Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, 2007
Golden Key International Honour Society
Gamma Sigma Alpha National Greek Honor Society (founding member), 2007
National Scholars Honor Society, 2008
Who’s Who Among American Colleges & Universities, 2008.

Visit the archives to view previous student profiles.

Jessica Frances Allen, 21, plans to graduate from The University of Texas-Pan American with a Bachelor of Science degree in communication disorders and a minor in psychology in May 2009. She graduated from the Oratory Athenaeum for University Preparation as valedictorian of the class of 2005. While attending UTPA, Allen has managed to maintain a 4.0 GPA. As a collegian, she has completed 3000+ hours of community service. She is an assistant district director, coach, and judge for the Private Schools Interscholastic Association (the Texas private school equivalent to UIL). She is a member of the University Honors Program and in the process of completing her undergraduate thesis. She also serves on the Executive Board of Delta Zeta as academics officer (since 2006) and has developed and implemented an academics program based on metacognitive skills and learning personalities that helped raise the chapter’s cumulative GPA a half-point in one semester. She is also a member of the National Student Speech-Language and Hearing Association and the UTPA Leadership Academy.

What are your plans after graduation?

I hope to remain at the University for my graduate studies in speech-language pathology and occupational therapy. My career goal is to work as a recreational speech and occupational therapist in the nursing home environment.

Do you plan to stay in the Valley?

I’ve always loved to travel, but I also love coming home. It is my earnest desire to remain in the Valley. We live in such a beautiful place, just on the line between urban and rural. Our culture demands friendly dispositions, family-centered priorities, and welcoming homes. It’s hard to find that anywhere else.

What has your education done for you?

My education has brought me one step closer to areté, the Greek concept of human excellence. It’s proven to me that thinking outside the box can and does inspire a whole generation of students to be creatively innovative.

How do you feel about your UTPA experience?

Some people come here for practical purposes alone. I had at least a dozen colleges recruiting me every week during my last two years of high school. I chose UTPA. It was a friendly campus with very qualified professors, surrounded by the community I wish to serve. Hence, my education is phenomenal. My memories are rich and colorful because I made them so. I wouldn’t trade this experience for the world!

What is your best tip for success?

Find an interesting organization on campus and join it! I can’t imagine what my collegiate life would have been like without the love and opportunity that Delta Zeta has brought me. I hate admitting that I’d have come to school and spent all other time thinking, living, breathing my studies. But in my organization I found purpose and the drive to be not only a great student, but an even greater person. My grades have not faltered, and I am infinitely happier and more qualified to enter graduate school and/or the working world.

What advice do you have for college-bound students?

Start paying attention to your learning personality and style. Know how you learn best and cater information to your own personal system. Studying will become more efficient and recalling material will be to your advantage. Fundamental skills like these can keep you grounded when everything around you seems to be changing.