Initially, honors was not a program I was excited to join. I felt the program was going to be more work and isolate me from the rest of the freshman class. After the freshman retreat, I knew I couldn’t have been more wrong. Honors proved to be a community full of supportive individuals who only strive to help me succeed. The classes we were required to take always felt more interesting than other classes and always were student-led. This allowed us to interact with our peers and truly discuss material with our professors. Within honors, I was given numerous wonderful experiences and benefits that helped improve my life as a student. I made great friendships within the program and formed great relationships with faculty members. Overall, I think honors was an amazing experience within my college career and a decision I’m glad I made!
Reflecting on my whole college career, I couldn’t be happier with how it ended! I joined several organizations and took on numerous leadership roles. Within each role, I was able to grow as a person and become a stronger leader. I was lucky enough to lead many incoming freshmen as a two time peer mentor and honors mentor just as my freshman self wished for. Additionally, I was able to support freshmen as Rho Gamma in the recruitment process. I got a campus job my sophomore year in the Accessibility Resource Office. There, I was able to learn more about my future profession and develop strong communication skills. Focusing on my sorority, I served as Vice President of Member Development for two years and I learned the importance of instilling structure within a large group of individuals. I also FINALLY got my perfect little who eventually became my best friend <3 Senior year, I was selected to be a member of Mortar Board where I helped put on Oktoberfest 2021. This easily was one of my favorite memories at Longwood because of the support we felt from the community. Although going through college during COVID was challenging, Longwood assisted us along the way and didn’t allow for our college experience to suffer. Overall, I had an amazing four years at Longwood with the best roommates, classmates, and friends who will make this place so hard to leave. I cannot wait for my next adventure as a Special Education teacher in FCPS and to begin my Masters program. Thank you Longwood and the Cormier Honors College for making this all possible!