ATLANTA—The Honors College hosted our annual Community Pop-In event on Friday, Sept. 5. Pop-In gives Honors students the chance to grab a free popsicle, explore what the Honors College has to offer and mingle with fellow Honors students and faculty.
Local ice cream shop Mocha Pops provided the popsicles, with flavors including matcha, strawberry hibiscus and chocolate fudge. Pop-In allows students in the Honors community to connect with fellow students and share where they are on their unique paths to success.
“I really love being surrounded by other people who are as passionate about academics as I am,” said Hailey Ingram, a junior Biomedical Sciences major who transferred to GSU this fall. “I feel like it makes me a more motivated individual.”
Freshman Business Management major Siyenne Jzar volunteered to help explain the new Honors Creative Collective, a collaborative space for Honors Students to share their creative works, such as poetry and illustrations.
“If I had the opportunity to do something creative on a bigger scale than just my own projects, that’d be so fun,” said Jzar.
Members of the Honors faculty were available to answer students’ questions about registration, study abroad opportunities and scholarships available through the Honors College. Marc Reyes encouraged students to schedule an appointment with him to explore scholarship opportunities that might suit them.
Second year Presidential Scholar Animesh Shrestha, who is double majoring in Finance and Math, is looking forward to exploring more career development opportunities through the Honors College.
“[The Honors College] definitely helped me professionally, I got the UAP [University Assistantship Position] because of the Honors College, and I presented at GSURC,” said Shrestha. “It was really inspiring.”
Current members of the Honors Service Initiative spoke to students about the organization, which encourages students to “become active agents of positive change in their local and global communities.”
On the way out, students got to choose a free piece of Honors-themed swag. Besides the free treats, most students enjoyed connecting with other like-minded students and discovering how the Honors College can help them grow personally and professionally.
“It’s nice being in a community with people who are genuinely, intrinsically very curious,” said second year Presidential Scholar and English major Jay VuPham.
Freshman finance major Javier Andana said that he wants to see more social events in the Honors College’s future. What made Pop-in enjoyable for him was “just listening to everyone talk, the activities obviously, the food obviously.”
Pop-In marks the transition from summer into the fall semester, giving new and returning students the opportunity to connect with the Honors community and access resources to help them succeed in the new academic year.
The Honors College at Georgia State University is a destination for high-achieving students who embody curiosity, take pride in their work and dream about how they can make an impact through their studies and careers. Its mission is to serve students in a welcoming space by engaging students’ curiosity, empowering them to achieve their highest potential and inspiring them to find their place in the world. Its students form life-long friendships, participate in community service, perform research, excel academically, explore their interests and chart their career paths.
Story By:
Heather Fields
Heather Fields is a third-year Journalism student in the Honors College who serves as a reporter for Honors College Communications. She loves philosophy, foreign language studies and cats.