App State Honors College group attends North Carolina Honors Association conference
Five Honors College students traveled with Dr. Vicky Klima, associate vice provost, and Dr. Heather Waldroup, associate director, to the University of North Carolina at Pembroke on September 18-19 to present at the North Carolina Honors Association (NCHA) annual conference.
The NCHA explains, “Honors education ignites passion for lifelong learning and encourages student creativity, collaboration, and leadership in the classroom and beyond. It is characterized by in-class and extracurricular activities that are measurably broader, deeper, or more complex than comparable learning experiences typically found at institutions of higher education. Honors curriculum serves as a laboratory for inventive and experiential education that can be implemented in the traditional classroom. Honors experiences include a distinctive learner-directed environment and philosophy, provide opportunities that are appropriately tailored to fit the institution’s culture and mission, and frequently occur within a close community of students and faculty.”
This year’s conference theme was “Honors for a Complex World: Leadership, Citizenship, and Engagement,” but presentations were welcomed on any topic. The NCHA conference provides an opportunity for App State Honors College students to present their in-progress research and build deeper connections with their colleagues at App and across the state.
Photos below feature App State Honors College students who attended this year’s conference, with details about each.
Raoul Eno presented, “Growing Connections: A Review of the Impacts of AI Chatbots on Customer Satisfaction, and Whether that Impact Changes with Age.”
- Pursues a computer information systems major with a minor in business analytics,
- Entered the Honors College at App State in August 2023,
- Plans to graduate December 2026, and
- Currently serves as an Honors College front office student worker.
Eno shared, “It was loads of fun hearing what other students are working on and have worked on… I think my favorite speaker was a student who presented on the impacts of screen time and ways to help your brain recover. It was interesting not only to learn something new, but to learn how it affected me personally was awesome!”
Ruth Hart presented “Effect of Weather During Molt on Secondary Sexual Characteristics of Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis).”
- Pursues a biology major with a concentration in integrative biology and a minor in chemistry,
- Entered the Honors College at App State in August 2025 as a transfer student, and
- Plans to graduate May 2027.
Ella Lowman presented, “Wha’s Been Glossed Over: A Lens into the Environmental and Social Justice Implications of Nail Art.”
- Pursues a global studies major,
- Entered App State in August 2023 and the Honors College in December 2024, and
- Plans to graduate May 2027.
Kayla Scimeca presented, “Working Women’s Music and Labor Unionization in the Southeastern Textile Industry.”
- Pursues a music education major with a concentration in instrumental music education (K-12),
- Entered the Honors College at App State in August 2023, and
- Plans to graduate May 2027.
Hope Spurlock presented, “The Cross-Cultural Impacts of Sex Education: A Comparative Historical Analysis of Sex Education in the United States, Sweden, and Japan.”
- Is a Chancellor’s Scholar,
- Pursues double majors in gender, women’s and sexuality studies and sociology with a concentration in social inequalities,
- Entered the Honors College at App State in August 2023, and
- Plans to graduate May 2027.
Spurlock explained, “Having the opportunity to present at Pembroke definitely gave me insight into other students' research approaches, as well as networking opportunities with those interested in similar topics.”
The Honors College provided scholarship support for each student's registration and travel expenses—a great investment in Honors education. We encourage Honors College students to take advantage of this opportunity and plan to attend and present research at a future NCHA conference.