An Interview with Dakota MacColl, Lane Honors Program Alum

Before their time in the Honors Program, Dakota considered themselves a nervous first-time college student.

“I spent a lot of time studying alone in the library,” they begin, “I was sort of ‘lone wolfing’ it through college, I didn’t know anybody else that was taking classes with me and I thought that was what I needed to survive the atmosphere college can create. The Honors Program helped change my perspective on the ‘me against you’ competitiveness in the classroom. It gave me a sense of community and made me feel like I had people on my team who wanted to help me succeed, and vice versa.”

Dakota described how they accomplished goals, personally and professionally, with the support of the Honors Program.

“I built confidence around my voice in and out of the classroom, I felt like my voice mattered, and I was able to work with my team to create our Capstone project around female-identifying people in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) jobs. In terms of skill building, the Core Learning Outcomes (CLOs) helped to center my focus academically. Having that kind of focus helped to guide my work and finish projects, where before I may have felt lost or like I hadn’t understood the point of projects.”

Further, we discussed how the Honors Program has affected their university experience.

“I was able to get into the Comparative Literature Department’s Nomad Mentorship Program after pushing myself to write an 8-page essay on my own time. The program allowed me to work with my mentor, Rob Moore, to publish a 12-page essay in the Nomad Journal through University of Oregon. I was also connected with the department head who saw a spark in me and pushed me to join the major, so I gained invaluable mentorship at UO, similar to what I had at LCC.”

Throughout the interview, Dakota emphasized the importance of mentorship in the Honors Program and how it assisted them in self-discovery both academically and personally.

“My favorite part of the LCC Honors Program was the quality of the mentorship I received. I was someone who needed extra help and attention in the classroom to curtail my nervousness and anxiety about how I was doing academically, and often felt left out or unable to succeed if I didn’t receive that. The Honors Program set me up with mentors and work which specifically helped me build individual and team skills. I think that was key in my success and development as a scholar and as a human.”

The Honors Newsletter team is grateful to have the opportunity to speak with Dakota!