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Kent State University Honors College
Parents and Friends Newsletter
March 22, 2023
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Campus Resources
Health/Wellness, Housing, Commuting & Financial Aid
Where can I find Health and Wellness Resources?
Don’t forget about that flu shot! Students call 330-672-2322 to schedule an on-campus flu shot or visit the website for more information at the Deweese Health Center webpage.
How about Residence Hall Questions or Issues?
What about Commuter Students?
Kent State has a Commuter Student Organization entitled “COSO”, which stands for Commuter & Off-Campus Student Organization; view more information at www.kent.edu/coso.
Where do I go for Financial Aid Questions?
Where can I find information about Kent State's coronavirus updates and safety principles?
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Spring Events & Activities
Students of Color - Game Night!
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Honors College advisors Brittany Thomas and Stacey Spearman recently hosted a game night event for students of color within the Honors College. Students had the opportunity to relax and converse with fellow peers in a fun, interactive environment. Many of the classic favorites such as Dominos, Jenga, Pictionary and other board games were available for use during the event. Everyone enjoyed some delicious pizza, snacks and had a moment of fun amidst the busy semester. |
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Alpha Lambda Delta Chapter Welcomes Largest Induction Class to Date
Ceremony Celebrates Academic Achievement with 448 New Members
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Pictured Above: Alpha Lambda Delta officers of the Kent State chapter stand under a balloon arch during the spring 2023 induction ceremony.
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On Saturday February 4, Kent State University’s chapter of Alpha Lambda Delta: The Honor Society For First-Year Academic Success (ALD) honored an unprecedented number of students in their annual induction ceremony. The Academic Honors Society promotes undergraduate success and invites all first-semester students with a 3.5 G.P.A. or higher to join. This year’s induction witnessed a substantial growth in undergraduate achievement with 448 new members, their largest admittance ever.
The ceremony was held at Cartwright Hall and highlighted the first-semester student achievements with officers honoring and officially welcoming new members to the chapter. Insignia pins were given to all inductees and officers were recognized with medallions worn during the ceremony.
Keynote speaker Alison J. Smith, Ph.D., Dean of the Honors College expressed her hope for the growing fraternity commenting that, “by seeing all these students I know we are going to continue to see expanding excellence.” Smith believes this is just the start of academic success for the new ALD members.
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Just Go For It!
Graduate Encourages Others to Participate in Transformative
Education Abroad Experiences
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Pictured Above: During orientation in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, Mallory Woods rode a cable car to a lookout spot in the mountains at 13,000 feet. Here, she poses on a 3D mural platform called Puente en las Nubes (Bridge in the Clouds), which overlooks the city.
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Woods, who studied in Florence, Italy, for the 2021-2022 academic year, says her education-abroad experiences in Israel, Palestine, the Czech Republic, Costa Rica, Spain and Italy have been fundamental in improving her language skills and multicultural competence.
She moved to Ecuador in September 2022, and Kent State Magazine recently caught up with her via email to find out more about her experience so far.
Where are you living and working?
I am currently living in Riobamba, a city of around 150,000 people in Chimborazo, a province in the central Andes of Ecuador. Riobamba is in the mountains with an elevation of 9,000 feet, and the altitude has taken some getting used to. On a clear day, four volcanoes are visible towering over the city. Last week, the city was dusted by ashes from the Sangay volcano over 30 miles away!
I am working as an English teaching assistant at the Universidad Nacional de Chimborazo (UNACH) through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Through June 2023, I will be assisting professors there in teaching intermediate English and other elective courses, organizing English conversation hours, auditing Kichwa classes (Kichwa is an Indigenous language prevalent in Riobamba with different dialects spoken throughout the country) and volunteering at an intercultural bilingual Kichwa-Spanish primary school in Columbe Grande, a nearby Indigenous community.
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A College Worth a Cross-Continent Journey
"Karibu Sana!" - A Very Warm Welcome
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Pictured Above: Honors College student Ruth Morara (center), surrounded by family, who are now more than 8,000 miles away in Kenya, as Ruth attends Kent State on her cross-continent journey.
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My name is Ruth Morara and I am in the class of 2026. My major is Conservation Biology. I honestly feel more like Kent chose me than the other way around! I am Kenyan-American but my family lives in Kenya, and so have I for the past 12 years. The exchange rate between our currencies made my dream of studying in the US look impossible.
However, several staff at Kent State reached out and connected me to resources which could help me bypass this financial obstacle. Within a couple of weeks, I was met with a plethora of financial aid; far higher than any offered by the other universities that I was accepted into.
Ruth states that, "the most important [benefit] for me is how the Honors College has served as a support system for me. I have an Honors advisor in addition to my regular advisor, who fills in the guiding parental figure that I lack as my family is 8,000 miles away. You can tell that the advisors truly care about you as an individual, not just the state of your academics."
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Cookies and Registration
For Fall 2023!
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Honors College students residing both on and off campus had the chance to grab a cookie from Insomnia Cookies and join the Honors College with conversations from the Peer-to-Peer mentors during the spring 2023 cookies and registration events. Peer-to-Peer mentors discussed tips to help ease anxieties for the remainder of the semester, as well as academic resources and programs available. |
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Merchandising is Both a Science and an Art
Intertwining Creative Passions with Analytical Skills
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Pictured Above: Olivia stands at the podium during an event with the NRF Foundation.
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Olivia Meyer, junior Honors College fashion merchandising student, is designing her own success at Kent State University and abroad.
“I appreciate the fact that merchandising is both a science and an art,” Meyer said. “It has served as a springboard for me to explore many different areas of the industry and intertwine my creative passions with analytical skills.”
Meyer came to Kent State from Riverside, Illinois, to pursue a degree in fashion merchandising, and since her freshman year, Meyer has been involved in the Kent State chapter of the National Retail Federation Student Association (NRFSA).
NRFSA is a pre-professional organization that cultivates an interest in retail education, providing opportunities for service, networking and career development. This past year she has served as the NRFSA president and the NRF Foundation Student Ambassador for Kent State.
Meyer and her team have been tasked to create a Dream for Change project with team members from around the world. The project is meant to empower the lives of young women.
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A Match Made in Honors
Honors College Student Follows Her Parents' Footsteps 21 Years Later
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Pictured Above: Abigail stands with her parents on a football field at her high school graduation.
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Abigail Wilsbacher just started her freshman year at Kent State University this past fall, yet she has been immersed in Kent State nearly her entire life. In 1997, her parents met as Honors College students at Kent State and now in 2023, Abigail continues the legacy as an Honors student.
Abigail’s parents, Matt Wilsbacher and Lisa Viertel, were both Kent State Honors College students when they met at the start of their freshman year. Both were interested in science and credit the Kent State campus as an influencing factor in their college decision. After looking at other Ohio universities, Lisa states she, “Liked Kent’s campus the best, it seemed the safest and nice looking with a good biology program, and it just felt right.” Matt shared Lisa’s feelings towards Kent, recalling, “It was my first tour of KSU that sealed the decision. The campus felt warm and familiar, like home.” That mutual sense of belonging may just have been what destined Matt and Lisa to meet.
Matt was a geology major with a minor in biology while Lisa was a biology major with a minor in secondary education. Lisa worked at the Kent State ice rink and was a member of Campus Crusade, while Matt participated in broomball and was a member of the Newman Club. The two had a chemistry course together (along with physics and physiology) but it was their first weekend at an Honors College mixer that they initially met.
Matt and Lisa began conversing through their mutual friend group that typically hung out at their dorms at Heer Hall and Harbourt Hall. For months, they stayed friends within the group until the Honors College hosted a semi-formal dance in mid-November their freshman year. Matt asked Lisa to dance and the two went out for coffee afterward. It wasn’t long after the dance that they began dating.
Read the full story about Abigail and her parents' journey at Kent State.
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Applying to Graduate School?
Learn Secrets from an Insider
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Pictured Above: Honors College alum Ya'el Courtney, '19, presents at the 10th Annual Neuroscience Symposium hosted by Kent State's Brain Health Research Institute last fall 2022.
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As a senior Honors College student at Kent State University in 2019, Ya’el Courtney recalls well the advice she was given about applying to graduate school – some was helpful, but a lot missed the mark.
Now, as she begins the fourth year of her doctorate program at Harvard University, Courtney returned to campus last week to take part as a presenter in the 10th Annual Neuroscience Symposium, hosted by Kent State’s Brain Health Research Institute on Oct. 27 and 28.
Courtney’s presentation laid out the perfect blueprint for undergraduates applying to graduate school in the biomedical sciences. She is now one of the graduate students at Harvard who helps to review applications to the university’s doctorate programs and offered plenty of insider information on how to survive the application process and succeed.
Foremost, she encouraged students to take every opportunity to present their work during their undergraduate years, including poster competitions and any research programs and projects.
“Take every opportunity you can to present your work and get comfortable with discussing your research,” she said.
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events, programming and reminders!
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