Mission Statment
The mission of the Honors Program at Minnesota State University, Mankato is to create future leaders, researchers and global citizens by providing high ability and motivated students with exceptional learning opportunities, mentoring relationships, and a community of scholars that foster their development as future leaders in a global society.
Why I Joined The Honors Program
I joined the Honors Program because I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to meet people who had the same passion for learning as I did. When I picked MNSU as my university I knew I would be attending a college where I would know no one. I still get weird reactions from people today, even in my last semester, when I tell them I’m from Nebraska, the most common response from them being ‘Why did you come here?’ Coming to MNSU I knew it would be a challenge to find the sense of community and belonging many people find during their first few months at college, but I found mine in the Honors Program.
I joined the Honors First Year Learning Community which right away put me with a group of wonderful people who had the motivation to do well in classes like myself. I found kind and helpful resources in my Learning Community Coordinator, Katelynn Malecha, and in my FYEX instructor, Ginny Walters. I receive that feeling of community and belonging from activities the people in the program would create for us students. As my comfortability at the university increased my motivation to do more also increased. I joined clubs and organizations outside of Honors, I took on the responsibly of two jobs during my sophomore year, and I had the courage and drive to study abroad not just once but twice. I made connections with people from all over the globe and many from different backgrounds.
I have grown personally and professionally in my time at MNSU through my experiences in the Honors Program. I take on challenges I never thought I would take on during my college career. Whenever I set my mind to something, I know nothing stands in my way to make that idea a reality because I learned that the only thing stopping me is my ability to believe in myself and knowing that I can do anything I set my mind to. I became the Honors First Year Learning Community Coordinator during my second year, and it helped me develop how I can be a leader and resource for other people. It grew my relations with not only people in the honors community but people all over the university through events and communicating through many departments. I grew in confidence in myself and my abilities to engage in opportunities that broaden my choices for my future after college.
The Honors Program got me involved in the Intensive English Program where I helped tutor international students the English language. It got me involved in Student Government and Residential Life where I am a resource for younger students to learn more about the university and the benefits it has for them as students. It gave me the confidence to travel abroad twice in the same year, being in one of those countries for more than five months. My time in the Honors Program prepared me for my future by showing me that I have the skills, leadership and ambition to be a journalist. It showed me that I am an effective communicator and an active listener. The Honors Program helped my become the person I knew deep inside I could be.
I joined the Honors First Year Learning Community which right away put me with a group of wonderful people who had the motivation to do well in classes like myself. I found kind and helpful resources in my Learning Community Coordinator, Katelynn Malecha, and in my FYEX instructor, Ginny Walters. I receive that feeling of community and belonging from activities the people in the program would create for us students. As my comfortability at the university increased my motivation to do more also increased. I joined clubs and organizations outside of Honors, I took on the responsibly of two jobs during my sophomore year, and I had the courage and drive to study abroad not just once but twice. I made connections with people from all over the globe and many from different backgrounds.
I have grown personally and professionally in my time at MNSU through my experiences in the Honors Program. I take on challenges I never thought I would take on during my college career. Whenever I set my mind to something, I know nothing stands in my way to make that idea a reality because I learned that the only thing stopping me is my ability to believe in myself and knowing that I can do anything I set my mind to. I became the Honors First Year Learning Community Coordinator during my second year, and it helped me develop how I can be a leader and resource for other people. It grew my relations with not only people in the honors community but people all over the university through events and communicating through many departments. I grew in confidence in myself and my abilities to engage in opportunities that broaden my choices for my future after college.
The Honors Program got me involved in the Intensive English Program where I helped tutor international students the English language. It got me involved in Student Government and Residential Life where I am a resource for younger students to learn more about the university and the benefits it has for them as students. It gave me the confidence to travel abroad twice in the same year, being in one of those countries for more than five months. My time in the Honors Program prepared me for my future by showing me that I have the skills, leadership and ambition to be a journalist. It showed me that I am an effective communicator and an active listener. The Honors Program helped my become the person I knew deep inside I could be.