Student life winners

By Cynthia Isabel Zelaya Ordones | Photo courtesy of Arwa Hasnain

Best RA

Arwa Hasnain

When Arwa Hasnain decided to become an RA at CV2, she was certainly motivated to apply because of the free room and board, but what really made her pull the trigger was remembering an inspirational RA she’d had as a freshman.

A hard-worker with an excellent sense of humor, she is the poster child for attracting the energy you project.

Unlike other RAs, she has no horror stories of exploding microwaves or catty behavior amongst her residents. They treat her and their home with the same respect she treats them. If anything, she’s had a significant amount of positive experiences. She recalls one late night in particular, wandering into one of the lounges to find a group of her residents (all theater majors) working away at a project. Unprompted, she decided to wander back to her dorm and bake them cookies as a pick-meup. The students were touched, thanking her not only for the cookies, but for being one of the best RAs they’d ever had.

She understands the power of community, acknowledging how much she depended on older/ wiser mentors to get through as an underclassmen, inspiring her to become that figure for those that came after her. She encourages people to join an organization and stick with it, trusting that your found family will guide and support you so you may pay it forward later on.

If you want to become an RA, go for it. Arwa notes that everyone goes in with at least a little bit of imposter syndrome, but the important thing is having an open mind and being prepared.

Best On Campus Place to Work

M.D. Anderson Library

Everyone knows that M.D. Anderson library is one of the best places to study on campus, but did you know it’s also a great place to work, at least according to students.

Voted Best On Campus Place to Work by students the chill vibes carry over from studying students to the students who work there. Whether it be helping students find books, displaying their knowledge of the Dewey Decimal System or using down time to study, look to see if the library is hiring if you’re looking for a place to work on campus.

Aaron Corsi

Along-time favorite of students, student publications, and Houstonians alike, Aaron Corsi has been voted this year’s best professor.

A UH alum himself, it’s only fitting that he would come back to teach at the same campus he walked during some of his formative adult years.

He’s a busy man between teaching and serving as brewmaster at the Houston staple 8th Wonder (to which he is also a co-founder). And yet, he’s still found time to begin to pursue his doctorate in Molecular and Environmental Plant Science at Texas A&M.

In other words, he still knows what it’s like to be a student. The court of public opinion agrees, seeing as few students complain about excess work, frivolous expenses on materials, or overlycomplex lectures. Corsi boasts a healthy 4.8 on RateMyProfessor.com and a 2.0 on difficulty.

Although his classes won’t leave you tearing your hair out in rage or considering dropping out of college to pursue a YouTube career, you do have to show up to class. Be present, participate, pay attention, and do what you’re asked. The rest is all about having fun and learning something new. And boy, is there fun to be had when classes include Beer Appreciation and Alcohol Production.

Students see him as inspirational, relatable, and easy-going. So if you’re looking for a class to fill a hole in your schedule, consider Corsi’s, the UH student body highly recommends it.

By Cynthia Isabel Zelaya Ordones | Photo courtesy of University of Houston

Best Bar or Pub

8th Wonder Distillery

Coincidentally, the 2021 Coogs Choose Best Bar or Pub was none other than 8th Wonder Distillery, which was co-founded by Best Professor Aaron Corsi.

Founded in 2018, the distillery is located at 2202 Dallas Street and has a wide selection of Houston based beers. The distillery also offers herbal and hard seltzers that they created.

8th Wonder offers beer to-go 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. everyday and is open noon to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 8 p.m. Sundays.