What is your favorite aspect of the Honors community?

The Honors College is nice because it is just a really friendly, supportive community. Even if you aren't necessarily hanging out with your friends in the Honors College, it is really nice to see the same people around campus, at events, and in class. You get to know each other, and you root for each other. It's a good feeling to know that you have the Honors Community believing in you and willing to help out.

What advice would you give a prospective Honors student?

Don't be afraid to ask questions of student leaders! As a prospective student, I was VERY nervous and awkward, and I did not want to bother people. But now that I am on the other side of the process, I know that there are many passionate students who genuinely enjoy talking with and helping prospective students. You're not bugging us....helping new students is fun and rewarding for us!

Why did you choose the Honors College?

I was extremely scared to come to college. I was very worried that I would not make friends or feel comfortable. But within hours of moving in, I felt welcomed and far less nervous because of the Honors College. The small, supportive community feels like a "home base" that I'll always have, no matter how involved I get all over campus.

What is an academic experience - like a book, project, or research paper - that has had an impact on your life?

I have had SO many, so I'll highlight my top 3: 1-- From Fall 2018: my Honors seminar course, Psychology and Rhetoric of Conspiracy Thinking. It was SO MUCH FUN, and extremely interesting. We had such fantastic class discussions. Not only was the topic of interest to me, but I also feel better equipped to understand and question the world around me an appropriate amount, and seek out the right sources and thinking patterns to fight misinformation. 2-- Also in Fall 2018: I applied and was given the opportunity to speak at a TEDx conference on campus. I have always loved public speaking, so it was a dream come true to speak to that audience, in person, live-streamed around the world, and posted on YouTube. I used the platform to raise awareness for a relatively unknown mental illness. I wrote and memorized the speech in just a few weeks, which was really stressful and a little scary, but it was such a great experience and I would love to do it again. 3-- Last semester (Spring 2020), I took Research Methods in Psychology. In that class, everyone must develop their own research project and write a formal paper. My project was in survey format, and my professor asked me to try to get at least 10 responses-- given the pandemic, we figured many people wouldn't be up to participating. I ended up with over 700 responses! My professor was floored, and said that with that amount of data, I should look into publishing. Now, I am hoping to pick the project back up during my last year at Towson and try to get it published, which is extremely exciting given that the project is on an under-researched disorder!

I'm passionate about...

I'm involved with...