Honors Wednesday Memo
Opportunities and Information for Honors Students
edited by Brad Rentz
Volume 3, Issue 20
February 5, 2020
Message from Dean Jeff Vahlbusch
Years ago, I heard Charlie Szews tell students his secret for building successful lives and careers.
Szews was then CEO of Oshkosh Corporation, billion-dollar manufacturer of heavy trucks, huge cranes, military vehicles.
Szews said this: "always volunteer within your company or organization." In other words: be the one to raise your hand when there is need. Be one who can always be called on to help. Be always on the lookout for new assignments and step up to get them done. Volunteer within: you'll help your organization, and you will rise.
Happy news: this is happening now in the Honors College. More and more great students are stepping up to lead.
Case in point: The AHA! leadership team has created the AHA!/Honors College STUDY BREAKS to build community, share fun, and spark the student leadership innovations that the Honors College needs.
Check out the initial STUDY BREAK dates and times below. And mark your calendars!
Jeff
Upcoming Opportunities:
Medical, Dental, Optometry School Information Sessions
Students and Alumni planning to apply to Medical, Dental, or Optometry School this summer for Fall 2021 Matriculation must attend a Letter Packet Info Session to participate in the HPA Letter Packet service. Information sessions will be held on Feb 4th and Wed, Feb 5th from 4:00 - 5:00 pm in Holmes Convocation 13A. To learn more, visit our website.
Fulbright Week 2020
During the week of February 11 through 13, Appalachian State will host Fulbright Week 2020. The Fulbright Scholars Program offers over 500 teaching, research or combination teaching/research awards in over 125 countries. During this week, you can learn about the opportunities available through Fulbright and tips and tricks to the application. For more information, click here.
Fulbright Week Student Workshop
On Wednesday, February 12 from 11 am to 12 pm in room 415 of the Student Union, there will be a Fulbright Student Award Information Session with Joanie Andruss, Assistant Director of Nationally Competitive Scholarships (NCS). If you are unable to make this session, there will be a drop-in session from 3 pm to 4 pm in room 413 of the Student Union. To learn more about NCS opportunities and resources available to you during Fulbright Week, visit our website.
Gilman Scholarship Now Open
The Gilman Scholarship Program provides up to $5,000 (or $8,000 including the Critical Need Language Award) for undergraduate students. The deadline to apply for this scholarship is March 3, 2020. To learn more about the Gilman Scholarship, click here.
App Builds a Home needs YOU
Although App Builds a Home has met its fundraising goal, volunteers are still needed to finish construction on the Baker family home. Volunteer dates are available every Wednesday and Saturday, with group dates available on request. For more information, and how to get involved, visit our website.
AHA! Upcoming:
Study Break: Appalachian Honors Association (AHA!) invites you to join us for Study Break, a community hour from 7-8 pm every other Thursday in the Honors College Library. The first Study Break will be Tomorrow, February 6. To learn more about AHA!, Study Breaks, and upcoming events, click here.
Stay in the Know…
Courageous Conversations
On Thursday, February 6 at 6 pm in Peacock Hall, Room 1015, come witness the panel discussion considering issues around diversity and inclusion including discrimination, privilege, implicit bias, and unconscious bias but also resiliency and the power and often impact of using your voice in these conversations. For more information, click here.
Way of Council
On Thursday, February 6 at 7 pm in room 169 of the Student Union, the next Way of Council will commence. This session’s topic: tell about a time when you fell in love (this could be with a person, place, thing, or idea!). To learn more and to register, visit our website.
Fizzy First Friday
On Friday, February 7, from 6 to 9 pm in the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, as part of the Downtown Boone Art Crawl, you can enjoy new exhibitions and see older exhibitions as before they go. For more information on the available exhibitions, click here.
Sneaker Ball
The very first sneaker ball will be held on February 8, at 7 pm in the Parkway Ballroom of the Student Union (room 420). This event is partnered with Soles4Souls, an organization that works to disrupt the cycle of poverty by receiving donated shoes and gifting them to people in need around the world. For more information, visit our website.
Graduate School Fair
The Spring 2020 Graduate School Fair will be held on Monday, February 10 from 10 am to 1 pm in the Grandfather Mountain Ballroom of the Student Union. This fair is a great way to experience and explore graduate degree options right here at Appalachian! To learn more about the fair, click here.
In the Honors Spotlight
Honors Lauren Cavagnini finds confidence and community in Roller Derby like Honors
The photo above features Honors sophomore Lauren Cavagnini (left, #56) with her Appalachian Roller Derby teammate Block Her (right, #13) preparing to make a wall to block the other team's jammer. Photo by John M. Blood.
What do the Honors College and Appalachian Roller Derby have in common? As explained by Honors sophomore Lauren Cavagnini, everything! Cavagnini is a social work major and Spanish minor. She shared, “Roller derby is a tight-knit and supportive community. Everyone who joins the team is welcomed and encouraged to do their best, not unlike the Honors community. In both settings, your peers (or teammates) are sources of support and your advisors (or coaches) are sources of guidance. In becoming a part of these communities, I have found myself uplifted and encouraged to do my best, surrounded by people who are equally motivated.”
For the complete story on Lauren Cavagnini, click here.
Dr. Howie Neufeld’s research featured on NPR
Dr. Howie Neufeld, Honors faculty member and professor in the Department of Biology, shares his research on North Carolina's Fraser fir Christmas trees with National Public Radio. The story by Irina Zhorov was published on December 24, 2019at 4:27 PM ET and heard on All Things Considered. In this piece, Dr. Neufeld explains how toxins from the balsam woolly adelgi brought to the region with logging over a hundred years ago have impacted Fraser firs.
To read more on this story, visit our website.
To Stay in the Know and Learn About All Opportunities in Honors, please visit https://honors.appstate.edu/announcements
Appalachian State Honors College on Social Media!
Check us out on Instagram also! Find us by searching “Appalachian Honors College”
Don’t forget to “like” us on Facebook at Appalachian Honors: https://www.facebook.com/Appalachian-Honors-482157301971520/
Have news to share? Submissions to the Honors Wednesday Memo can be made by emailing honors@appstate.edu. Any content received by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday will be considered for the following week’s issue.