During my time as a student in the inaugural class of American Honors at the Community Colleges of Spokane, I got to know AH as a small family. It was a small family with big ideas, but those ideas were still young and actively growing everyday.
I can still recall the Thursday night collaborative classes where I and the rest of the 39(ish) original students would come together with AH staff and brainstorm ways to help our little family grow.
"We were doctors, teachers, engineers in the making."
We came to know each other’s hopes and dreams, our goals for the future. We were doctors, teachers, engineers in the making. We forged friendships through the bonds of ambition.
By the time I graduated in June 2013, those ambitions had begun to be set in motion.
By the time I graduated in June 2013, those ambitions had begun to be set in motion, and our little family had begun to grow. The Ivy Tech location had established its first class, and a new round of CCS students had started applying for the next year. All around me the world was shifting.
I transferred to Western Washington University in fall 2013. But as an AH alumna, I have continued to watch as my once small family continues to expand. Following its progress through media like Facebook and email have kept me in touch with all the new additions to my family.
"We each have our own experiences learning, growing and exploring."
Since that time, Jackson College, Mercer County Community College, Navarro College, Pierce College and Union County College have been added to the ranks.
Just recently I had the pleasure of watching from Facebook as some of AH’s Ivy Tech students got to attend a speech by President Barack Obama, and one alumna who sang the national anthem to commemorate the presidential visit.
Keeping in contact has given us all the opportunity to share in those experiences.
While I’ve never had the opportunity to visit or meet any of the Ivy Tech students in person, it was such a pleasure to watch them experience such an incredible event. And despite having only had a short time with my own AH class, watching their experiences and accomplishments through our connections has given me tremendous pride.
From Cornell and Duke to Western and Gonzaga, AH has been there to help students reach their full potential and realize their academic dreams. We each have our own experiences learning, growing and exploring the paths AH helped guide us toward, and keeping in contact has given us all the opportunity to share in those experiences.
"We forged friendships through the bonds of ambition."
Knowing that same experience is shared with students all across the country is indescribable.
It’s been incredibly special to see how a program that gave me such a wonderful sense of fulfillment and experience has gone from one location to seven in just a matter of years. I remember all the help and support I received as an AH student, and knowing that same experience is now being shared with students all across the country is indescribable.
I always look forward to seeing how many lives American Honors has touched, and I can only imagine how many more await.
I am now, and always will be, a proud AH alumna.
