Capstone Reflection 

Coming out of High school, I knew I wanted to be at Lone Star, I did not apply to any other school. However, the Honors College was something I was unsure if I wanted to do. Similarly, I was unsure if I wanted to apply to be a Chancellor’s Fellow, if I did attend the Honors College. That uncertainty of the Honors college stuck with me through the two years I have attended. My favorite classes were my non honors classes and I despised any event mandatory for me to attend. The Honors College space never felt like a community or an inviting group I wanted to be associated with. When first joining the Honors College, we are taught the Honors Code, to promote academic excellence, exemplify leadership, uphold integrity, foster dignity, and exhibit pride through service. The first two codes sum up my experience over the past four semesters, allowing me to grow not only as a student but in my personal life and goals. 

Research is the biggest part of the academic life of an honors student, with the first honor code stating honors students will “promote academic excellence through scholarship, intellectual curiosity , and the pursuit of knowledge.” The summer before my first semester, research was the most daunting aspect of my next two years. Finding that open ended research question, with something that inspires myself in order to drive curiosity, I knew would be a problem for me. Growing up I never had a career goal or a hobby that I loved so much that surrounded my life. Nothing researchable was interesting to me, and that made creating research questions the worst part of the entire research experience. Semester one, I was in Honors Texas Government. Government allowed me to talk about my interest in business, however in a way I did not believe in. In that paper I discussed the issues with the oil and gas industry here in Texas, and how big companies, such as Exon are key drivers in shifting to climate friendly energy sources. I felt I was putting on a mask of my true feelings. Talking about climate change is not something I am interested in, however, I knew that is what my professor wanted. Similarly, semester three in Honors federal government my paper dove into the gender wage gap. As a female going into business, this wage gap is still prevalent, but not something I genuinely care about. During these two projects I felt my lack of interest shined through my writing.  Going into the second semester of writing research papers, the dissane I felt for my topics lessened greatly. Music Literature and Speech gave me a creative outlet, truly driving into my research. When a researcher genuinely enjoys their topic, the level of writing shifts, and the amount of curiosity grows. This was reflected by being nominated by my speech professor to give a speech at CAC, Communicating Across Curriculum.  

Writing research in the Honors College was drastically different from High School, and I do not think it would have been possible without the support the college provides. My first semester I learned so much about writing in the Research Seminar class. The small group of students I was around allowed me to work one on one with Dr. Caruso, teaching me how to ask professors for help and workshopping papers. The knowledge I learned here carried into my writing for the next three semesters. But, other support systems, such as research methods and forums seemed to waste my time. Lots of the information and activities were overlapping and seemed unnecessary. Valuable time I could have spent writing my paper was spent sitting for three hours, not paying attention, looking at an example, or doing something completely unrelated to what I need help with. Students not doing all three support systems probably do not see that wasted time, however, forcing cohort students to attend all three created a desire to not have the scholarship. 

The first non academic focus for honors students is leadership, through “actions as well as words.” This is my favorite honors code. The Honors College system is built to provide students with opportunities other first and second year college students are not given. It creates a student led organization that brings support from students to students, providing a community where every thought is accepted. The peer mentor program as a first year was vitale for me to feel a part of this community. Being connected with a second year allowed a quick way to learn the culture of the honors college and meet new people. Entering my second year I knew I wanted to be a mentor. Being connected with a first year gave me the opportunity to share the tips and tricks of the honors college and the research writing process I have learned. The peer mentor program is the best and quickest way for first and second years to get to know each other. The best opportunity for me came in my second year, competing in the NASA MITTC competition. 

My third semester in the honors college was awful, due to the grave I dug and now had to lie in. Joining the NASA Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) Innovation and Tech Transfer Idea Competition (MITTC), was the best and worst decision I have ever made. This team consisted of five other Lone Star students from other campuses, where we picked a NASA patent, designed a product and a business surrounding the patent, then pitched the idea back to business coaches and NASA employees. This opportunity greatly increased my communication skills, through presenting but also networking. A team works mainly through communication, so having a team of different students created a new way to speak to peers. The MITTC team was a great way to build my cultural competency skills. NASA is a governmental organization, and this program is built for minority serving institutions, connecting me with people from all over. For the first time I felt the Honors College provided an opportunity for a business student and valued for being a part of a team. However many problems arose from joining the team. The drive to cypress every week made the two hour meeting take five hours of my day. My time management skills were present, but the amount of work I had, left many long nights. Between work, school, and the team I was sleeping about three hours a night. My research papers were not my focus, I had to cut down my hours at work, and I had no social life. Many times I was so exhausted I was left in a state of depression. My only social event was with Samantha either going on walks or me crying on her floor. This was the first time ever I was loaded down with work, just waiting for the last day, praying it would come faster. I developed an addiction to energy drinks. They became a crutch for me to get through the day. I will never regret joining the team, but something else should have been cut out of my life that semester. 

Overall my time in the honors will never be regretted. The honors college provided me immense opportunities to grow as a person and student and develop my academic skills. Although the honors college was not perfect in my eyes, nothing is ever perfect, and the time spent was worth it. The Honors Code and soft skills sets each student up for academic success and also my career goals. Through the experiences the honors college provided, I was able to grow my communication skills, skills that are beneficial in every aspect of life. I was able to meet people from different backgrounds and cultures, teaching myself how to work alongside people with differing beliefs. The Honors college shaped my into a better student and a better person.