I joined the Honors College my first semester of college. And since then it has given me so many fantastic opportunities, so long as you take advantage of them. I'll be frank, I joined Honors because of the scholarship associated with it. I stayed, though, because of the community of like-minded people it has surrounded me with and the scholarship too, obviously.

I didn't do much with Honors besides going to the required meetings to get priority registration (a blessing in disguise) my Freshman year. Adjusting to college life in my hometown found me wanting to go to campus, do what I needed to do, and leave. No more, no less.

At the end of my Freshman year, though, officer elections for the next year began and no one self-nominated for the position of Main Campus Secretary. So I thought, "Well dang, if no one wants it, I'll take it #resumebuilder."

When the next year started, all I could think was what a terrible situation I had gotten myself into. I had to go to every meeting. I had to go to events. I had to socialize. Then, when I started going to the meetings and going to the events, I realized that they weren't near as bad as they seemed. I got along great with people I assumed I wasn't going to like. I did, though, so much so that I stuck with the same position the next year (this year).

Honors also requires that we do these things called Contracts in our upper division courses. Basically, they are semester long research projects that we do in conjunction with one of our classes and professors. They sound super daunting and increasingly horrifying as the realization that you're going to have to start doing them approaches, but, in reality, they're actually really fun. I got to do one on William Faulkner's characterization of matriarchs. It sounds super nerdy, but if you find something you really enjoy, then it's easy to accomplish. I'm also about to start my thesis. Oh, the possibilities!

Honors also really promotes studying abroad and community service and personal development. They encourage us to do interdisciplinary work, so that we aren't one-sided. They give us opportunities to present at local, regional, state, and national research conferences. They make sure that any opportunity that could possibly be available for us is available to us.

The Columbus State University Honors College has made my college experience what it is and will continue to be until I graduate and for that I am more appreciative than words can describe.

Thank you, Honors College.