Starting in Fall 2025, the UHD Impact Learning Office (ILO) introduced the new Gator Impact Fellows Program (GIF). This program recognizes undergraduates who have completed or are in the process of completing High-Impact Practices (HIPs), including study abroad programs, internships, undergraduate research, service learning, capstones, grant-funded community engagement projects, or community service. 

Dr. Poonam Gulati, Executive Director of the ILO, discusses some of the many benefits, such as improving graduation rates. 

"What we found is that taking even one or two HIPs significantly increases graduation rates," Dr. Gulati explained. "There's a huge positive correlation between the number of HIPs taken and graduation rates. Students get real-world experiences on top of the learning in courses. They get to get to know their professors better, and they form connections, which I believe is the key to success."  

This positive correlation between HIPs and higher graduation rates is part of what inspired Dr. Gulati and her team at the ILO to create the Gator Impact Fellows Program, to incentivize new students to take a HIP, and to reward those who already have, potentially encouraging them to take more HIPs in the future. 

The benefits of HIPs include developing connections, gaining valuable career skills like teamwork, communication, and critical thinking, and students who participate earn rewards. After they complete three HIPs, two of which may be the same HIP type, students receive graduation cords, certificates, and other awards. 

Perhaps most importantly, the program allows students to enhance their resume through completing HIPs, attracting potential employers or increasing their chances of earning admission to graduate or professional schools. Dr. Gulati speaks from her experience as a former biological sciences professor. 

"In biological sciences, I had a lot of pre-med students," she said. "And I had students come back and tell me from their medical school interviews that their interviewers were so interested in their service learning project that it was all they had time to talk about." 

The Gator Impact Fellows Program is available to undergraduate part-time or full-time UHD students with at least a 2.0 GPA and a grade of C or higher in the relevant courses that include HIPs. 

For more information, contact ILO@uhd.edu or visit the office in person at OMB-S417.