Trevor Thrasher Awarded Dr. Saundra Yancy McGuire Outstanding SI Leader
May 21, 2022
BATON ROUGE – Trevor Thrasher, LSU chemical engineering senior, received the Dr. Saundra Yancy McGuire Outstanding SI Leader award in recognition of his leadership and service to the Supplemental Instruction program.
Thrasher dedicated six semesters to the SI program. SI is a series of weekly study sessions led by a student who has previously excelled in the course. As an SI Leader, he works with faculty to reinforce course material and help students practice new skills, apply course-related content and interact with classmates. Thrasher also serves as an SI Mentor, helping new SI Leaders transition into their role.
Matthew Mattox, the Center for Academic Success associate director of academic support, said Thrasher sets the bar high for his students, which is necessary for chemistry SI Leaders.
“Trevor expects a great deal from his students, pushing them to perform at their very best in each session,” Mattox said. “His students leave both his sessions and the course with a sense of confidence in their abilities and a deeper understanding of the material.”
“I give my students hard questions because the exam should be the easiest part of any course,” Thrasher said. “By the time you get there, you should be able to just apply it and go through it.”
Thrasher worked under Dr. Elzbieta (Elizabeth) Cook each semester. He credits her for making his job easier.
Cook, who was previously Thrasher’s instructor, encouraged him to apply for the SI Leader position because of his thought process while solving chemistry problems.
“He was not thinking as much about whether his answers were correct, though they mostly were,” Cook said. “Rather, he was thinking through the process of arriving at an answer as a whole. I figured that Trevor would be an ideal guide to other students for how to approach and pursue solutions to a problem without giving an answer away. That approach is the cornerstone of the philosophy and success of the SI program at LSU."
Thrasher graduated in May 2022. He hopes to attend medical school in 2023.
Dr. Saundra Yancy McGuire served 10 years as director of the Center for Academic Success. During her tenure, CAS became nationally and internationally recognized. The Outstanding SI Leader award honors McGuire's accomplishments at CAS and her impact on LSU’s campus and students.
Thrasher received $200 for having key characteristics displayed by McGuire: love of learning and teaching, leadership, service and scholarship.
The LSU Center for Academic Success helps students achieve the higher levels of learning necessary for academic success in college and beyond. CAS offers free services such as tutoring, Supplemental Instruction, Academic Coaching and various academic programs and online services. The LSU CAS is internationally recognized for nearly 30 years of work in student learning and metacognition and is one of only two learning centers in the country twice certified by the National College Learning Center Association as a Center of Excellence.
Media Contact: Olivia Landry and Deborah Layzell
Center for Academic Success
225-578-1968
olandr8@lsu.edu and dlayze1@lsu.edu