Honors Link

If there is one thing the Honors College advising team wants to tell HC students, it’s an emphatic “come see us!”

“Honors College students are unique and diverse,” says advisor Leanna Dillon. “I love creating individual relationships and getting to know them during advising sessions.”

HC advisors are in an unusually good position to build these long-term relationships. Students often see one advisor throughout their time in the HC, in sessions that typically last 30 minutes – considerably longer than most advising meetings in students’ major programs.

Now finishing her fourth year with the Honors College, Leanna is seeing students prepare to graduate who she has worked with since their freshman years. She says it’s especially gratifying to watch students she’s built relationships with from their first weeks on campus complete their journey.

“There is such a transformation from when I first met them at START (pre-enrollment summer advising) to graduation,” Leanna says. “Most of them have really grown; they are different people, and they have a confidence they didn’t have before.”

For many students, Honors advising is emblematic of the personal, close-knit community in the Honors College, just as much as small classes and student activities. Advisors in the HC are there to assist with classes, schedules, and the thesis, but they place priority on helping students chart their individual journeys toward their long-term personal and professional goals.

Rebekah Lancelin, who has worked with the HC for fourteen years, enjoys helping students who are uncertain about the future and open to exploring their options. She loves the diversity of students in the HC, the wide variety of disciplines and backgrounds that make the Honors College such a unique community.

“I love working with students who want to do many things but maybe someone along the way told them they couldn’t,” Rebekah says. “I like to be the person to tell them, yes they can and how they can do it.”

“We are the person that a student can come to and feel comfortable to talk with about sensitive issues,” Michelle says. “We can just be totally open to them and create a space where they feel safe. We can be a sounding board and also tie them in with other resources that can help them with their situation.”

Jodie Davaz, a senior in new media communications and editor-in-chief of Beaver’s Digest, a student-run magazine, says she has seen that value through her numerous visits with Leanna during her four years at OSU, and she appreciates the personal connection they have.

“It’s nice to know I have someone on my side who cares not only about my academic life, but also my personal life and home and work,” Jodie says. “Leanna knows me, so she can recommend classes in the Honors curriculum that are well suited to my interests.”

The advisors encourage students to come in and speak with them even if they don’t have a question or a problem.

“We love to hear good news too,” Rebekah says. “Don’t be afraid to come in and say ‘this is who I am, this is what I am curious, nervous or excited about.’”

They recommend that students visit them and check in about once a term, but their doors are always open for more frequent visits. The advisors often write letters of recommendation and are there to celebrate student accomplishments as they achieve their goals.

“We can be great references for the future,” Leanna says. “It’s a really good idea to come in and check in with us, even if you don’t have a question or a problem. We want to know who you are. We want to get to know each student.”

The more students visit with their advisors, the more they can help.

Because the Honors College advisors see students from every major at the university, they interact with faculty and other advisors from across campus and become familiar with the unique requirements or each program and the wide variety of available opportunities. This allows for a more holistic approach that transcends any particular academic program. If students change majors, for example, as many do, or want an international experience, their Honors advisors remain a consistent resource.

Kylie Welch, a fourth-year student studying biochemistry and biophysics and bio-cultural anthropology, says she has visited with Rebekah regularly since they met at her START session before her freshman year. When she wanted to add the bio-cultural anthropology major to her already-busy schedule, she encountered a great deal of skepticism about her ability to manage the work load and the value of the extra degree.

“Rebekah encouraged me to do it, and she gave me the courage,” Kylie says. “She has always been really nice and supportive.”

The daily interactions advisors have with students also place them in a unique position to serve as advocates for the student perspective in the development of HC programs. In between advising sessions, they work with other HC staff to enhance what the Honors College offers its students.

By Emma-Kate Schaake