Why Honors? 
Honors 375 - 1/17/2023

The biggest reason I previously stayed honors was for validation. After a rough high school career, between the pandemic and other life events, I needed confirmation that I could be a good student. The honors program did that for me. Getting that acceptance email told me that some external source believed I had the capability to go above and beyond what was expected of me. That was enough to bring me into college with a good attitude and high hopes. But, most importantly, it sparked a year of self-love and discovery. Almost everything has changed since I got that acceptance letter, and I couldn’t be happier or more grateful.

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After learning about what the honors program was, I got involved in anything and everything I could. In my first semester, I joined student government, speech and debate, Pinky Swear PACK, took eighteen credits, and overwhelmed myself, sometimes with things I didn’t even enjoy. I was trying to overachieve in order to receive validation. I learned very quickly that being in honors doesn’t mean I need to pack my schedule. Honors is a platform for doing things I’m passionate about and deepening the meaning by reflecting on them.

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As I worked through Introduction to Honors, I started to think about what activities I wanted to reflect on later in my college career. I realized that I would much rather reflect on something I was passionate about rather than something I did just for my resume. In fact, I wasn’t sure I even could reflect on something I didn’t enjoy and wasn’t passionate about. I started to cut activities from my schedule and spent more time on the things that mattered to me. Slowly but surely, my honors plan of study fell into place.

Now, the biggest reason I’ve stayed in honors has evolved. Through focusing on my passions, I’ve learned that the only form of validation I need to thrive comes from myself. Honors encourages me to explore and pursue activities that are meaningful to me, and I know it will continue to do so through my last year of college. I stay in honors because I know I will continue to get to know myself, and I will be a better person and scholar overall. I will leave better prepared for my future, not because I will have a great resume, but because I will know who I am and what my passions are. I’m excited to see what is to come and how those passions will continue to evolve as a begin to reflect on them.