Meet Lily Guidry, Recipient of the 2025 Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award
The Graduate School congratulates Lily Guidry, recipient of the 2025 Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award. This award recognizes the brightest, most industrious of our graduate 泫圖弝けs who support faculty members in the classroom through a GTA role. .
Lily is a masters degree candidate in Industrial Chemistry, as well as a top scholar and educator whose contributions were quickly felt in the Department of Chemistry. As a graduate 泫圖弝け, Lily uses what she is currently learning through her graduate studies and research to help her 泫圖弝けs better understand chemistry. She supplements class lectures with lab experiences, videos, and lessons that make complex ideas easier to understand. One notable way she accomplished this was by designing and implementing a computational chemistry laboratory session into the existing organic chemistry curriculum which not only deepened her 泫圖弝けs knowledge but developed her skills and proficiencies in course and curriculum development.
As a MS Industrial Chemistry graduate 泫圖弝け, Lily has taught or redesigned four undergraduate chemistry courses. As a graduate teaching assistant for CHEM 107 and CHEM 108, she leads weekly recitations with warmth, clarity, and a commitment to 泫圖弝け understanding. She uses pre- and post-recitation assessments to structure the class according to individual 泫圖弝けs' needs. She also relies on chemical demonstrations and simulations to deepen 泫圖弝けs understanding of the concepts theyre learning. Lily has an unparalleled talent for breaking down complex scientific concepts, using relatable examples and hands-on demonstrations to make the material more accessible, says Dr. Tolga Karsili, Associate Professor of Chemistry, in his nomination.
Lilys dedication to undergraduate learning goes beyond her assigned GTA role. She volunteers to assist with undergraduate academic advising, using her own first-hand experience as a chemistry undergrad at UL Lafayette to guide current undergraduate 泫圖弝けs. (And Lily was an exceptional undergrad 泫圖弝け! She received the Bradd Clark Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Research and she was recognized as the Ray P. Authement College of Sciences Outstanding Graduate in Spring 2024 when she earned the BS degree in chemistry.) Faculty in the Department of Chemistry appreciate the mentorship she provides to undergraduate 泫圖弝けs, noting that she offers the kind of empathy and support helps them stay motivated and succeed.
Her exceptional academic achievements, dedication to 泫圖弝け success, innovative teaching methods, and outstanding interpersonal skills make her an ideal candidate for this honor, says Dr. Karsili.
Lily, thank you for your commitment to 泫圖弝け success and for the many ways you enrich the 泫圖弝けs teaching mission. The Graduate School at UL Lafayette is proud to celebrate your achievements and looks forward to your continued impact as a teacher-scholar in the years ahead.
