Webinar: Spring 2025 UH Graduate School Orientation by UH

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Spring 2025 UH Graduate School Orientation

About

Welcome!

It gives us great pleasure to welcome all of our incoming graduate and professional students to the University of Houston. You are now part of an exceptionally promising and diverse group of scholars.

Join us on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, at 10:00 am for the graduate orientation webinar hosted by the Graduate School. Please note, that this orientation is for all newly admitted graduate and professional students, but it is separate from any college/department/program orientation.

Register to confirm your attendance by Friday, January 3rd.

We look forward to meeting you and welcoming you to the University of Houston campus.

Agenda

Opening Session / Orientation Overview
Academic & Administrative Information
Student Panel

Presenters

Graduate School

Dr. Sarah Larsen

Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School

Dr. Sarah Larsen is vice provost and dean of the Graduate School at the University of Houston, where she plays a pivotal role in shaping graduate education and fostering academic excellence. Dr. Larsen holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University and has built a distinguished career as a researcher, educator, and academic leader. Prior to joining UH, she served in various leadership roles at the University of Iowa, where she worked to advance graduate education and foster interdisciplinary collaborations.

Under her leadership, UH’s Graduate School has focused on providing students with the resources they need to excel both academically and professionally, ensuring that they are prepared for leadership roles in academia, industry, and beyond. Dr. Larsen has previously served as Chair for the Association of Texas Graduate Schools and she currently is a member of the Council of Graduate Schools Advancement Advisory Committee. Dr. Larsen is a member of the Board of Trustees for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

Dr. Larsen also serves as a professor in UH’s Department of Chemistry. She is a fellow of the American Chemical Society, of the Royal Society of Chemistry and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Previously, she served as Senior Editor for the Journal of Physical Chemistry.

Her commitment to student success, faculty mentorship, and cross-disciplinary collaboration has helped elevate the University of Houston’s standing as a premier destination for graduate students.

Shari Corprew

Director, Graduate School

Shari Corprew joined the University of Houston in January 2011 with the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid. After working with scholarships and grants for almost 5 years, she joined the Graduate School in December 2015. During her time with the Graduate School, she has provided strategic vision to serve graduate students and has strengthened communication within the UH community. She is responsible for managing the Graduate School’s Finances and Operations.

Dr. Tashemia Jones

Assistant Director, Academic Affairs

Dr. Tashemia Jones is currently the Assistant Director of Academic Affairs in the Graduate School. She graduated from Texas Tech University in 2018 earning a Doctorate in Higher Education Administration. Dr. Jones has over 17 years of higher education experience including student activities, student conduct, underrepresented students, and first-time in college students to name a few. Her passion has always been student success and creating innovate ways to enhance the overall collegiate experience for all students. She continues to gain knowledge in post-secondary education with the hopes of becoming a college dean and Vice President of Student Affairs in the future.

Fitzgerald Smith

Associate Director of Graduate School Admissions

Fitzgerald Smith serves as Associate Director for Graduate Admissions, a role which allows him to facilitate the application process to many of our renowned graduate programs and oversees many of the administrative processes related to admissions. He joined the University of Houston Graduate School in 2015 out of a passion for fostering personal growth and development through higher education. Fitzgerald is also experienced in the realm of international education and loves working with students from various cultural backgrounds. He also serves as a main point of contact for all admissions related questions for both students and colleges.

Funda Sahin, Ph.D

Ombudsperson for Graduate and Professional Students

Dr. Funda Sahin is an Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management at the University of Houston. She earned her Ph.D. in operations and supply chain management from the Mays Business School, Texas A&M University. She also holds an MBA degree from Texas A&M University and BA in accounting and finance from Marmara University in Turkey.

Her teaching and research interests are in operations and supply chain management. Dr. Sahin is passionate about the University of Houston community and student well-being. Over her career, she worked with graduate students in a wide variety of roles ranging from teaching graduate courses, directing graduate student research, coordinating the Bauer Supply Chain Management Doctoral Program, serving on numerous committees related to graduate student education, and graduate student policies to mentorship. The knowledge and experiences she accumulated over the years through these interactions helped her better understand the concerns and difficulties that graduate students may endure. These insights assist her in her Ombudsperson for Graduate and Professional Students role.

Sandra Yan

Psychologist

Dr. Sandra Yan is a licensed psychologist with 7 years of clinical experience in various settings including university counseling centers, correctional facilities, and outpatient hospital/clinics working with the adolescent, young adult, and geriatric populations. She has experience providing individual, group, and couples therapy, administering neuropsychological assessments, providing outreach education and consultation, and supervising graduate students. Sandra’s approach is an integration of Cognitive Behavioral and Interpersonal Therapy, aiming to provide students a culturally mindful non-judgmental space to explore and process their experiences as well as introduce tools to overcome perceived barriers. Her interests include training and supervision, stress management & adjustment, anxiety, depression, emotions regulation, relationships and family, emerging adulthood, and identity exploration & development.

Carolina Hernandez

Student Success Librarian

Carolina received a Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a Master of Arts degree in Media Studies from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in French from Rutgers University.

Reginald Brazzle

Director, Student Fin Aid

Carl Gordon

Associate Director, Scholarships and Financial Aid

Aynaz Shafiesabet

Graduate Student

Akash Bhatt