High school senior, Kristin Hebert, joined the Showcase of Southeast Texas marching band this fall as a feature twirler – one of the most prestigious positions in baton twirling. It’s an honor that she has dreamed of reaching since the age of four and was able to achieve sooner than expected, thanks to the Lamar University Texas Academy of Leadership in the Humanities program.
TALH is an early entrance college honors program for high school juniors and seniors. All students accepted into the unique program receive full-tuition scholarships for up to 15 credit hours per semester and get to live on campus to finish out their last two years of high school.
“The Texas Academy is an amazing opportunity for gifted and talented high school aged students to take advantage of rigorous academics, innovative research and scholarship, and service-leadership opportunities while getting college tuition FREE for up to 60 credit hours” said Tilisa Thibodeaux, dean of the Reaud Honors College.
Upon acceptance, all TALH students are enrolled in LU core curriculum courses and can participate fully in LU campus activities, sporting events, clubs, and organizations. Thibodeaux said, “Academy students are involved in band, intramurals, innovation projects, leadership seminars, and all other wonderful opportunities offered by student organizations, faculty, and staff at Lamar University.”
Hebert applied for the program just before her junior year at Nederland High School and said it was a life-changing decision.
“Being at Lamar University through the TALH program has given me great opportunities” she said. “Without joining TALH, I would not have been able to be the feature twirler this year. The most impactful thing about the TALH program is getting to be around other high school students who have similar goals and aspirations as my own.”
For more information about the program, visit
www.lamar.edu/talh.