During his first semester as a freshman in fall 2021, Finance major and May 2025 graduate Iker Pelcastre felt like he was getting lost in the shuffle. “You may meet people in your intro classes, but as you progress into higher-level classes, you don't see them again because they are in majors different than yours,” said Pelcastre.
That all changed when Pelcastre joined the Honors Program that spring, thanks to Catherine Howard, Ph.D., Interim Honors Program Director and Senior Lecturer of English. “She helped guide me. She's the reason I joined ‘Honors’ in the first place. She gave me that opportunity.”
“In the Honors Program, you get to see the same people throughout your four years and that just fosters close friendships.” He met his girlfriend and some of his closest friends in the Honors Program. “Plus, my peers challenged me academically and intellectually.” He also enjoyed the required volunteerism, including mentoring students and being a team leader.
Pelcastre served on the search committee for the new Honors Program Director, Dean Kostantaras, Ph.D., Associate Professor of History, who started in the position during the summer of 2024 and already has big plans for the program, including increasing its size and visibility. Kostantaras brings a wealth of knowledge to the position, having previously worked at the honors colleges of Northwestern State University in Louisiana and the University of Illinois at Chicago.
"The Honors Program is for students who are seeking to get the most out of their undergraduate education,” said Kostantaras. “It really offers special opportunities and encouragement for students in every discipline to cultivate their skills and interests”
Kostantaras has his eye on elevating student research within the Honors Program by providing opportunities for more interaction with UHD’s exceptional faculty coupled with presenting research at conferences. He is also interested in establishing relationships with other programs and promoting study abroad. “An Honors Program benefits from being very outward looking and developing connections with other institutions. We would love to see our students have more opportunities to work with their peers in other parts of the country and the world.”
Kostantaras added that they are in the early stages of developing those relationships and are particularly excited about the connection they have made with the University Honors Program of Tilburg University in the Netherlands. Kostantaras also mentioned plans for a new study away opportunity in Spain for the summer of 2026 that includes an internship option.
“I always say this, but you know, our job is to create opportunities for our students to be great,” said Kostantaras. “That means providing them with lots of new and novel ways to grow as scholars, innovators and community leaders. It is truly the most rewarding part of my job.”