UHCL announces Wanalee Romero as Minnie Piper Award nominee
Every year at the University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL), a prestigious award is given to one distinguished professor nominated by students and peers. Wanalee Romero, lecturer of literature, has won this year’s 2018-2019 Minnie Stevens Piper professor nomination to represent UHCL for the state-wide award.
The Minnie Stevens Piper Award was established in San Antonio in 1958. Piper started the foundation to give recognition to professors all across Texas who show exceptional achievements throughout the course of the school year. Across Texas universities’ nominees compete against each other for the state award. The Piper foundation is going to announce the winner May 1, 2019.
Romero went to the University of Texas, where she received her bachelor of arts degree in English with a minor in history. Romero earned her master’s and doctorate degrees in American literature at Northwestern University. Currently, she teaches the first-year seminar, expository writing, and American literature at UHCL.
“I was a ‘non-traditional’ and first-generation student,” Romero said. “That means that I started university in my early thirties, and I was the first one in my family to pursue/complete a post-secondary degree. So I felt keenly out of place in the classroom where everyone was younger than me and most of whom had been better prepared to be there.”
Because of her experience, while she was a student at the university, Romero said she is always alert to students’ sense of belongingness on campus and in the classroom.
“I am also passionate about helping students be prepared for their intellectual development,” Romero said.
UHCL’s Piper Award Committee is made up of students and faculty charged with the selection of one professor, out of all the nominated professors, who shows outstanding greatness and merit in teaching. The professor selected then represents the university in the annual competition for the Minnie Steven Piper Award.
Nominations are submitted by students and teachers who want to nominate someone for the honor. Many faculty members and student were not surprised that Romero won the nomination and had many good things to say about her.
“I think Dr. Romero is a dedicated professor whose sincerity, depth of knowledge and passion for the classroom shines through in all that she does,” said Shreerekha Subramanian, department chair of liberal arts and associate professor of humanities. “She is a star and I am so joyous for her to be our Piper Nominee. I hope she can be our star-Hawk who soars all the way up through the echelons to be the best in the state.”
Romero uses her cultural background to show a diverse ideology to be inclusive to her students.
“Her teaching philosophy is about inclusion, accessibility, and lifelong learning,” Subramanian said. “I believe her desire is to bring all our diverse students into the university community so that they can partake of what it means to be a citizen of a global humanity. She also happens to be one of the kindest and most radiant people I know. Our students and our colleagues at our university are lucky to count her as one of our own.”
Izuh Ikpeama, biology major, took Romero’s first-year seminar class and is one of the students who nominated Romero.
“Dr. Romero has transformed this class into not only a critical thinking seminar but an introduction into college as a whole,” Ikpeama said.
Romero said she prides herself on the success of her students, she loves transforming student’s lives and helping them realize their dreams.
“I’ve worked with many collaborators across the University, my colleagues in HSH and faculty in all of the colleges to design a First-Year Seminar Program, including Peer Mentor and Common Reader programs, that successfully transitions UHCL’s unique student population to university study at our campus. Earning this nomination means to me that the University recognizes the importance and value of our work,” Romero said.
