edited by Kistler Hunt
Volume 6, Issue 29
April 26, 2023
A Note from Honors Wednesday Memo Editor, Kistler Hunt:
Dear Honors students and friends of Honors,
This week is the last full week of classes for the Spring 2023 semester. It’s crazy how this semester has flown by! Considering that most final projects and final exams will be due soon, I wanted to offer some words of advice:
It’s so easy to forget about ourselves at this point in the semester, so remember to take care of yourself. We become so consumed with all the pending assignments and exams that we forget to take care of the person completing those exams and assignments – ourselves. I encourage you all to practice healthy self-care — drink water, take a walk, eat a snack, do whatever you need to do to stay well!
I wish you all the best for a wonderful end to the semester!
Best wishes,
Kistler
Upcoming Opportunities:
Dean Jeff is happy to help you apply; send him an email at vahlbuschjb@appstate.edu
Honors Formal
The Appalachian Honors Association (AHA!) will be hosting their annual Honors College formal on April 29 from 8:00 – 11:00 p.m. at Legends. The Honors Formal will be masquerade-themed and students are encouraged to bring masquerade masks. Students in the Honors College and departmental honors programs are welcome to attend. For additional information and questions, contact Alisa Duong.
App Builds a Home Volunteer Opportunities
App Builds a Home (ABAH) has open slots for their Spring 2023 volunteering. ABAH is a campus-wide partnership between App State and Watauga County Habitat for Humanity to help local partner families build safe, affordable homes. No prior construction skills are needed to volunteer. Upcoming dates to volunteer include April 28, May 2, and May 3, however opportunities extend through the end of the semester and into the final exam period. To sign up, click here. For more information or questions, contact MaryAnn Sanders.
Honors College Peer Mentor Program
The Honors College Peer Mentor Program is now accepting applications for 2023-2024 academic year. The Peer Mentor program pairs current Honors College students with incoming Honors College students, seeking to help them build relationships and make the transition to Appalachian easier. The deadline to apply is May 5 at midnight. To apply for the Peer Mentor Program, click here. For any questions or concerns, contact Sydney McDonald, Director of the Honors College Peer Mentor program.
Avery Latine Fair
OASIS (Opposing Abuse with Service, Information, and Shelter), a domestic violence organization in Watauga and Avery counties, will be hosting the Avery Latine Fair on May 5 from 5:30 – 8:00 p.m. The fair will take place at Avery High School. The vision of this event is to create a bridge between the Latine community in Avery with agencies and other community members and to celebrate heritage and diversity. There is a need for interpreters at the event. If you are interested in being an interpreter, click here. For any questions, contact Yelisa Leiva.
Appalachian Energy Summit
The Office of University Sustainability will be hosting their 11th annual Appalachian Energy Summit from June 7 – 9. The Summit brings together world leaders in the energy and sustainability sectors. Attendees will hear from a range of academic, corporate, and government speakers. For more information about the Summit, click here. To register, click here. For any questions, contact the Appalachian Energy Summit.
Upcoming Thesis Defenses:
Dean Jeff urges, “Support your fellow Honors College students and faculty by attending Honors thesis defenses! You'll marvel, learn, and grow. And each defense you attend, you'll make your own easier.”
To attend a defense this semester, please write to honors@appstate.edu.
Lindsay Hinkle
April 27, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Presenting “Rewriting The Rep: Modernizing The Ensemble Experience Through Contemporary Media”
Simone Provencher
April 28, 9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Presenting “The Associations between Pre-workout Supplements and Depression, Anxiety, and Sleep Disturbances in College-Aged Students”
Amelia Rhodes
April 28, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Presenting “The Heavy Weight of the Past: Approaching College Mental Health through the Lens of Childhood Traumatic Experience”
Emily Halk
April 28, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Presenting “History of PR: Propaganda Relations”
Sarah Brown
April 28, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Presenting “An Analysis on the Psychological and Physiological Consequences of Stress in Rural Police Officers”
Nick Campany
April 28, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Presenting “Assessment of Fish and In-Stream Habitat Responses to Dam Removal on the Middle Fork New River”
Lela Arruza
April 28, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Presenting “Torn & Folded: Finding Identity, Community, and Healing Through Paper Craft”
Sophie Columbia
May 2, 9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Presenting “Chess Move Generation Using Bitboards”
Alyssa Wurtz
May 2, 9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Presenting “New Microvertebrate Assemblage from the Upper Cretaceous (Edmontonian) Williams Fork Formation, Northwestern Colorado, USA”
Stay in the Know:
Counseling Center Workshop Series
The Counseling Center has hosted several workshops throughout the Spring semester for students to receive support and learn various healthy coping skills. Their final workshop will be held on May 1 from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. in the Henderson Springs LGBTQ+ Center and will discuss coping strategies, creating safe spaces over the summer, identifying queer-friendly emergency resources and supports, fostering self-compassion, and boundary setting. For more information, contact the Counseling Center.
Wellness and Prevention Services Twitch Streams
The Office of Wellness and Prevention Services hosts weekly Twitch streams where they discuss wellness topics relevant to college students. Their Thursday night streams are dedicated to making sure students are aware of resources and tools to help them thrive both academically and holistically. Their next stream, which will take place on April 27 from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., will discuss effective studying strategies for neurodivergent students. For more information and to view the full Twitch stream schedule, click here.
Visiting Writer Series Presentation
The final presentation of the Spring semester for the Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series hosted by the Department of English will feature Poet Nickole Brown. Brown’s work currently focuses on the challenges of being queer and living in the South. Brown will host a reading of her most recent work, The Donkey Elegies, on April 27 from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. For more information, click here.
Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month Presentation
On May 4, the North Carolina Office of State Human Resources (OSHR) will be hosting a presentation to honor Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Dr. Ting Wang, assistant professor in the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program at University of North Carolina, Greensboro, will share real life stories, data and experiences that address these questions and ignite the work being done by the Asian and Pacific Islander Caucus (APIC). APIC is an organization that supports the AAPI community and seeks peace, equality, and a society free of racism, stereotypes, xenophobia, violence and intolerance while promoting awareness, education and advocacy. Registration is required. To register and for any questions, contact Diversity and Inclusion at App State.
Appalachian Summer Festival
The Schaefer Center will be hosting their annual Appalachian Summer Festival, beginning on June 24 and lasting until July 29. The Festival will feature a variety of performers, including Leslie Odom Jr., Lea Salonga, the Dance Theatre of Harlem, and Darius Rucker. To view the entire schedule for the Festival and to purchase tickets, click here.
In the Honors Spotlight
Honors College Student Accepted into REU Summer Program
Photo features Matthew Mair. Photo submitted.
Honors College junior and Chancellor’s Scholar Matthew Mair has been selected to participate in the Resilience and Adaptation to Coastal Change Across Communities (C2C) REU program located at the Coastal Studies Institute from May 31 to August 4, 2023. Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the C2C program is a joint partnership between East Carolina University, Clemson University, and the University of Puerto Rico – Arecibo. Mair is double majoring in economics and political science, with future plans to obtain a Ph.D. in environmental economics. He reflected, “I would like to thank Dean Vahlbusch and the advisors and staff within the Honors College for their incredible support on my academic journey thus far!”
To learn more about Mair’s acceptance into the C2C program, click here.
Have announcements to share? Submissions can be made to honors@appstate.edu. Any content received by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday will be considered for the following week’s issue.
Have a story to share? Share what you have done, what you are doing, or what you will be doing by submitting a story here.
To stay in the know, learn about opportunities, and take part in the Honors community, find us below!