Academic Honors and FellowshipsAbout Academic Honors and Fellowships
Our Mission
Grounded in the mission of Academic Programs, USC Academic Honors and Fellowships (AHF) supports students in their pursuit of transformative academic experiences. We offer advisement, programming and resources that encourage the exploration and attainment of high-impact experiential learning opportunities. We partner with USC faculty, staff and alumni to support applicants throughout prestigious fellowship application processes that require evaluation, endorsement and feedback.
Our Vision
To help students construct meaning from their lived and learned experiences, so that they can develop self-efficacy, personal agency, aspirations, sense of purpose, and understanding of one’s self in relation to the world. As such, research and fellowships are valued not for their outcome, but for the enriching insights the process can provide each student.
Our Focus:
Cultivate Success
Visualize multiple pathways towards success
Support cohort models and mentorship
Celebrate achievement journeys
Support Inquiry
Create opportunities for exploration
Partner with faculty mentors
Facilitate access to academic resources
Mindful Advising
Meet students where they are at present
Promote diversity of opportunities
Develop a network of advocacy
Our Portfolio
Signature Academic Events
Our Signature Academic Events invite undergraduate students to explore diverse disciplines, showcase scholarly and creative endeavors, and foster academic and professional growth. Events include the Undergraduate Writers’ Conference and Undergraduate Symposium for Scholarly & Creative Work. Learn More
USC Awards
AHF recognizes the outstanding abilities of its undergraduate students and has created various opportunities to financially support students in their pursuit of interdisciplinary study, global exchange, and civic engagement. Awards include the Academic Achievement Award and Africa Student Fund. Learn More
Commencement Honors
AHF coordinates Commencement Honors for graduating seniors in partnership with USC Schools and faculty committees. Honors include the three USC SCholar Distinctions (Renaissance, Global, and Discovery) Learn More
External Fellowships
AHF supports applicants with individual advising, information sessions, and workshops for select competitive national and international scholarships and fellowships. AHF facilitates campus review committees for endorsement required awards such as Fulbright U.S. Student Program, Rhodes, Marshall and Truman Scholarships. Learn More
Read the AHF Annual Report!
Learn more about our mission, advising philosophy, and highlights from fellowships and awards processes.
Meet Our Staff
Katie Capra is a Higher Education professional with a passion for study abroad and other high impact academic experiences that enrich the lives of students and their communities.
She is a first-generation college and transfer student that earned a B.A. in Spanish from Northeastern University and an M.Ed. in Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs from UCLA. With over a decade at USC and a Fulbrighter herself, Katie’s areas of focus include advising for competitive scholarships such as the Fulbright U.S. Student Program and facilitating campus-wide Signature Academic Events and Honors. Before joining the USC staff, Katie served as Director of WorldTeach Ecuador and Panama.
Lisseth Murillo is a Higher Education professional dedicated to expanding access to fellowships and high-impact academic opportunities for students from all backgrounds.
She is a first-generation college graduate who earned a B.A. in Comparative Literature from UC Santa Barbara and an M.Ed. in Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs from USC. Lisseth began her career at Irvine Valley College in the Office of Student Equity, where she developed equity-centered programming to increase opportunity for historically underrepresented students. She later joined USC as an academic advisor and now serves in Academic Honors and Fellowships. Lisseth’s areas of focus include making fellowship advising accessible, transparent, and empowering, and reducing financial and systemic barriers so students can pursue ambitious academic and professional goals.
