edited by Kaylie Morales
Volume 8, Issue 18
February 5, 2025
Good afternoon, Honors students!
Today's Memo is full of opportunities to connect and support one another. You can explore events that help us process climate anxiety, like the Community Music Climate Connections group music therapy session and the Documenting Our Common Humanity: Climate, Community, Resilience film screening and panel discussions. The Peer Mentors Murder Mystery gives you a chance to strengthen your bonds within our App State Honors community. There are also national Honors events like Partners in the Park, which you might attend with the help of a Southern Regional Honors Council Student Grant. These activities enrich our collective experience, offering avenues to discover, create, innovate, learn, and grow together. Let's continue to support and uplift each other as we navigate our academic and personal journeys.
Best wishes,
Vicky
Upcoming Opportunities:
Interim Dean Vicky is happy to help you apply; send her an email at klimavw@appstate.edu
Grants for NCHC Partners in the Parks Program
The Southern Regional Honors Council is offering grants for the National Collegiate Honors Council’s Partners in the Parks program. This is a five-day program designed to immerse honors students in America’s national parks, and combines education, recreation, and leadership. It will provide students with hands-on experiences in outdoor skills, problem-solving, and environmental leadership. Priority application deadline is April 1st, and the final deadline to submit applications is May 1st. For more information and to apply, click here.
Community Music: Climate Connections
The Hayes School of Music, in partnership with the Pathways to Resilience program through the Quality Enhancement Plan, is hosting a group music therapy session and offers participants a safe space to process and express their feelings about climate anxiety. The event will take place on Wednesday, February 12th from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the Broyhill Music Center. To RSVP for this event, click here. For questions, contact Landon Coroi.
Outdoor Jobs Fair
The Career Development Center is hosting their annual Outdoor Jobs Fair on Wednesday, February 12th from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Grandfather Mountain Ballroom in the Plemmons Student Union. This is a great opportunity to find a career focused on the outdoors whether it be teaching, leading, counseling, climbing, and more. Internships are available and all majors are welcome to attend. For more information, click here.
Murder Mystery Scavenger Hunt
The Honors College Peer Mentors are hosting a murder mystery scavenger hunt on Monday, February 17th from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in Appalachian Hall room 161, 163, and 185. Honors College students are encouraged to attend with your mentor/mentee. However, if your mentoring partner is not able to make it, you are welcome to join another team. To RSVP, click here. For questions, contact Sierra Focazio.
Study Abroad World’s Fair
The Office of International Programs joins the Honors College in hosting an event for students to learn about study abroad opportunities and programs on Thursday, February 6th from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in Summit Residence Hall. OIP representatives will be available to answer questions about study abroad. To RSVP and for more information, click here.
Stay in the Know:
Food Fight: Sunbelt Food Challenge
The Office of Sustainability and Energy Management is hosting a food drive from now until February 28th. Nonperishable items such as canned goods, pasta, peanut butter, and toiletries are in high demand. Items can be dropped off to the Sustainability and Energy Management office located in the basement of East Hall. To view the wish list of requested items, click here. For questions, contact Bella Lehman.
Psychological Survey Opportunity for Honors Thesis
Melia Carswell, an Honors College student majoring in psychology, is calling for App State students to fill out a survey for her honors thesis: “Need Satisfaction and Need Frustration’s Impact on Alcohol Related Outcomes.” The purpose of this thesis is to assess the effect that basic psychological needs have on alcohol consumption and alcohol related outcomes in students with and without ADHD. To fill out the survey, click here. For questions, contact Melia Carswell.
Fizzy First Friday
The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts will open their doors for a night full of art and fun on Friday, February 7th from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. There are six galleries full of contemporary pieces as well as new exhibitions. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, click here.
Celebrate “Love Data Week”
The University Libraries Research Guide is hosting multiple events from February 10th until February 14th to celebrate data and spark conversations about the role of data in advancing innovation and knowledge across disciplines. This year’s theme is “Whose Data Is It, Anyway?” This is a question that makes individuals think about the origins of data and who owns said data before using it in research and other projects. To learn more about these events, click here. For questions, contact Ashlea Green.
Documenting Our Common Humanity: Climate, Community, Resilience
The High Country Humanities is presenting “Documenting Our Common Humanity: Climate, Community, Resilience,” on Saturday, February 22nd from 7:00 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. in the Appalachian Theatre of the High Country. Inspired by the unity and resourcefulness of the Western North Carolina community during Hurricane Helene, this event will showcase resilience and people working together to respond to environmental and agricultural challenges. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, click here.
In the Honors Spotlight
Honors College student Madi Heater serves as National Park Trust College Ambassador
Photo features Madi Heater. Photo submitted.
Madi Heater and Nick Perkins are the first two App State students to serve as National Park Trust College Ambassadors. Heater is an Honors College student who entered in the Fall 2021 semester and plans to graduate in May 2025. She is double majoring in recreation management and environmental life science, and is currently working on her Honors thesis “Economic and Environmental Impacts of Hurricane Helene on the Blue Ridge Parkway,” directed by Dr. Eric Rabinowitz, professor in the Department of Recreation Management. Her second reader is Dr. Bob Swarthout, professor in the Department of Chemistry and Fermentation Sciences and Department of Geological and Environmental Science.
According to the National Park Trust website, the College Ambassador Program “works with U.S.-based colleges/universities nationwide that are looking to increase outdoor recreation, awareness, and stewardship within their campus community.” National Park Trust College Ambassadors work together as board members in the App State National Park Trust Club. Additionally, Heater is also serving on App State’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) implementation committee.
Click here to listen to the Appalachian Outdoorosity podcast, which hosted Madi Heater and Nick Perkins in their 14th episode “Connecting Campus to Nature: The Journey of National Park Ambassadors.” In this podcast, Heater tells the journey of her club and how she became an ambassador. “It’s been really awesome getting to work with students on campus and see what they want, not just what we want,” said Heater.
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!