Have you ever wondered about the people behind the Temple Honors program? Who and what does it take to make the program run? How did each team member end up here? What are their interests and favorite parts of the Honors community? Learn more about the Honors staff below. 

Honors Director Amanda Neuber, EDU '19, has been with Honors since 2006 when she took a job as an Academic Advisor. Neuber became the Associate Director in 2008, Director in 2021, and earned her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the College of Education and Human Development along the way in 2019.  

Academic Chair Bryant Simon has taught Honors courses at Temple University since 2004 and became our inaugural Academic Chair two and half years ago.  

Assistant Director of Advising Denae Sisco, EDU '2011, arrived at Honors in Spring 2023 from the Student Success Center and is currently working on her Ph.D. in School Psychology through the College of Education and Human Development.  

Assistant Director of Community Engagement Lizzie Yazvac, CLA '16, is a Temple Honors alum and has since made her way back to the Honors community and the College of Liberal Arts where she is pursuing her Master's in History.  

Academic Advisor Shannon Martin first worked at Temple's Center for American Language and Culture while pursuing her Master's in Higher Education at Temple. Martin did a capstone project internship with Honors that led to her applying to be an advisor. Martin is currently working on her Ph.D. in Policy and Organizational Studies from the College of Education and Human Development.  

Academic Advisor Jackie Lopez comes to us from San Diego and ended up in Philadelphia after participating in City Year AmeriCorps. She earned her Ed.D in Reading/Writing/Literacy from the Univeristy of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education. Lopez started at Temple Honors in 2022 and currently works with Next Steps AmeriCorps at Temple in addition to advising.  

Academic Advisor Frank Ur is the most recent addition to the Honors team. Ur previously served as the Resident Director of 1300 South and is interested in getting involved with the Honors Living Learning Community in the residence hall now that he is with Honors.  

Graduate Student Advisor Kacie Hoagland, CLA '17, is also an Honors alum. After pursuing a Fulbright and her Master's in Higher Education at the University of Pennsylvania, Hoagland returned to Honors in 2022 and is currently working on her Ph.D. in Hispanic Linguistics from the College of Liberal Arts.  

Next Steps AmeriCorps Team Leader Addie Boccuzzi joins Hoagland and Yazvac as a Temple Honors alum and is a recent College of Liberal Arts graduate. Boccuzzi was a student worker for Honors for all four years of her time here, and currently serves as the Team Leader for the Next Steps AmeriCorps program. 

 

What interested you most about working specifically in an honors program? 

Amanda Neuber (AN): I only wanted to apply to jobs that excited me! And when I interviewed in Honors, I was so excited to work with our former director Ruth Ost and the incredible students here. 

Bryant Simon (BS): Since arriving at Temple, I have regularly taught classes in Honors and schemed with Ruth Ost, the former director, about new initiatives.  I was drawn to Honors by the students and their dedication and imagination.  I wanted to work here to create new programs, new initiatives and new opportunities for interdisciplinary exploration.  

Denae Sisco (DS): So many things, but primarily, I am a huge nerd and was an honors student myself, so I can relate a lot to what our students are interested in and what they're experiencing. I also think the Honors Program here at Temple matches my personal and professional values very well. 

Lizzie Yazvac (LY): The Temple Honors Program fundamentally changed my outlook on my own life, how I viewed success, and what it means to be happy. I decided that I didn't want to go to law school in my junior year, despite having wanted to go to law school since I was 14. I would have never been brave enough to change my life goals if not for Temple Honors. 

Shannon Martin (SM): What really got me excited about working in the Honors Program was how much the staff genuinely cared about the students. One of my favorite quotes when I joined the team is, "We take our jobs very seriously, but we don't take ourselves very seriously." I wanted to be part of a team that valued innovation, cared about students, and knew how to have a good time doing it. 

Jackie Lopez (JL): I loved the opportunity to be able to both advise and teach Honors students. I wanted to be able to guide and support students in planning out their coursework and was intrigued with the Honors REACT First-Year Seminar course and being able to be part of Honors students' first semester of college as well as co-teach with Peer Instructors. 

Frank Ur (FU): Honors students are a fantastic group of students to work with. They have drive and are always willing to learn and grow. Honors is so unique with its approach to student learning and success as it takes a more holistic approach and really emphasizes learning and growth for students. 

Kacie Hoagland (KH): I was interested in working with Honors because of the amazing opportunities it provided me as a student. It's a collaborative space full of passionate and creative students, and it's been wonderful to help them find the path that's right for them at Temple and beyond. 

Addie Boccuzzi (AB): I worked for Honors all four years of undergrad as a student worker, and I got to witness first-hand all the incredible work that is done by this office to support students individually and programmatically. I don't think I could work in just any Honors Program, but I'm very proud to have a spot in this one.  

 

What is your favorite part about Honors? 

AN: My favorite part of Honors is the people that I work with and for, and that includes my staff and students. I wouldn't be able to be in this environment for as long as I have been without the people and culture that we have. 

BS: Two things. The staff.  And I love sitting in my office in the Huddle listening to the debates about international politics and whether or not ketchup goes on mac and cheese. 

DS: My favorite thing about Honors is that we're all enthusiastic and creative about our interests and the interests of our students. We're just nerds who get to nerd out freely. It's the best! 

LY: I am a huge nerd, so my favorite part of Honors is the courses. Never again in your life will you have access to such brilliant faculty sharing their passions with you. It's just really, incredibly cool. 

SM: My favorite part about Temple Honors has to be the incredible sense of community and the genuine care that everyone shows for each other. It's not just an academic program; it's a tight-knit crew that fosters an environment of support, collaboration, and shared growth. Plus, the warmth and camaraderie make every day enjoyable.  

JL: The people! I was immediately drawn to and have been energized by the Honors students, Honors staff, and faculty. Every person has their unique story, interests, and willingness to nerd out and be true to themselves. It's a joy and privilege to be part of the Honors community. 

FU: So far, my favorite part about Honors is the community that is fostered on all levels. Whenever I go into the Huddle or the Lounge, I see students working with and supporting one another. That is not something you see everywhere. Also, seeing how driven students are to enhance not just their education but also their experience at Temple is so fun to witness on a day-to-day basis. 

KH: My favorite thing about Honors is how much we encourage intellectual curiosity and learning for the sake of learning. There's a lot of pressure on college students to receive good grades, participate in extracurriculars, and find competitive jobs and internships. But at Honors, we try to focus on a lot more than that for both our students and ourselves. 

AB: My favorite part of Honors is the values that this community shares. I have met the most incredible people over the years. Everyone is so passionate about this community and so proud to have been a part of it. It's so heartwarming to know that this program has touched so many lives and has maintained the principle of "collaboration over competition."  

 

Do you oversee any student organizations, Honors or otherwise? 

AN: I oversee the Honors Forum and HATT, the Honors Ambassadors to Temple. 

BS: I work with Honors Forum, the Honors Oversight Committee, and the Summer Study Abroad Program in Merida. 

DS: I recently took on the advisor role in Honorables of Color and will be joining Shannon in leading the Honors Peer Mentors program. 

LY: I work with our Media Team and the Honors Activities Board.  

SM: Currently, I oversee Temple Honors Appalachia (THA), the Honors Peer Mentors (HPMs) and the Peer Instructors for REACT. Outside of Honors, I am the Faculty Advisor for Temple Red Cross and Students Helping Students organizations.  

JL: I currently advise First Gen Honors. Additionally, I am the Campus Administrator for Next Steps AmeriCorps and faculty advisor for Temple University Philippine American Council (TUPAC). 

AB: I am the faculty advisor for Honors Community Outreach.  

 

If you could be there for any historical moment, what would it be? 

AN: My first thought was to attend Lilith Fair. It was a concert tour and music festival in the 90s with an all-female line-up, created as an alternative to the more male dominated festivals. It was organized by Sarah McLachlan and featured Paula Cole, Indigo Girls, Jewel, Tracy Chapman, MISSY ELLIOT - all my favorite, formative 90s artists and teen Amanda dreamed of going.  

BS: As a faithful citizen of South Jersey, I would like to have attended the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City in 1964 where Fannie Lou Hammer pressed for civil rights and equal representation, or to have been at the No More Miss America Pageant Protest on the Boardwalk in 1968 where feminist activists burned bras and copies of Ladies Home Journal in a 55-gallon "freedom bin." 

DS: I'd have to say the one that calls to me most is the moment Hip Hop was created - when DJs figured out how to infinitely loop the breakbeats on jazz and soul records to create a brand-new genre of music, that had to be a magical moment! 

LY: Mount Auburn Cemetery, the first garden cemetery in the US, was consecrated on September 24, 1831. Joseph Story, an Associate Supreme Court Justice and the cemetery's first president, gave an incredibly beautiful speech about death and nature, and I would love to have witnessed it in person. 

SM: Silly answer: I want to go back to the height of the Twilight/Hot Topic/vampire era. The early to mid-2000s was a special time for book lovers. I went to many midnight book releases at Barnes and Noble. It was nerdy and fun and silly and such a good time with my sister and friends. 

JL: In the early 1920s, my great-grandfather was sponsored by the U.S. and Philippine government to attend graduate school in the U.S. I would've loved to have traveled with him on this journey to learn more about him as a person and his dedication to his work in education especially since I have such a deep interest in education and love my family! 

FU: I think I would want to be at the exact tree when the first day of fall happened and watch the first leaf of the first day of fall change color. Fall is my favorite season and I think that would be such a cool, surreal, and magical moment to experience. 

KH: I would go back to when the Eagles won the Super Bowl in 2018. I was living in Spain at the time, and I've never loved and missed Philly as much as I did then. Obviously, I was happy to be living in Spain, but if I could have flown back for that week, I would have. 

AB: My first thought was the Defenestration of Prague, imagine the energy in that room! But I'm not totally sure that's a great idea safety-wise. The other one I can't stop thinking about is when Arsenal won the Premier League in 2004 after an undefeated season, so let's go with that.