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News & Updates from the Honors College
Honors 
Student Assistant Leverages the Power of Mentorship

Kennesaw State University (KSU) Honors student  Ruth Nwefo  is a familiar face to many Honors students and faculty. In addition to her student assistant role at the front desk of the Honors College, Nwefo has served as an Odyssey Peer Mentor and a Research Assistant. She also remains an incredibly dedicated student of Psychology. This summer, she had the opportunity to work at Duke University in a position that allowed her to pass on her passion for psychology and mental health to others.
 
The Duke University Talent Identification Program (TIP) Summer Studies session hired Nwefo this past summer to work as a Psychology Teaching Assistant; a role that afforded her the chance to share her passion with gifted middle school students about her chosen field. When asked about her experience, Nwefo recounts, "It was an amazing thing to watch students who knew little to nothing about psychology and mental health walk away three weeks later with an in-depth understanding of a new topic... [it was] extremely rewarding."
 
Nwefo's first taste of mentorship came as a sophomore when she served as an Odyssey Peer Mentor to a new KSU student. This program at KSU serves over 3,000 individuals annually by matching incoming students in a one-on-one mentorship with a student leader on campus and is supplemented by special event programming, campus life activities, professional and personal development workshops, study halls, and other academic enrichment opportunities. Channeling the all-too-familiar feeling, she says, "I remember how daunting freshman year was, so it was amazing to be able to help someone else through it by giving them advice or answering any questions they had."
 
Furthering her experience in mentor-mentee relationships, last year, Nwefo connected with a professor in a research setting, one of the most rewarding parts of being a KSU Honors student. Over a year later, she's still partnered with Dr. Evelina Sterling on research regarding self-management in African-American males with chronic disease. She says, "Through the Honors College, I was able to join a research lab that I was very interested in. Being a Research Assistant has taught me so much about how research is actually conducted and how intricate it all is. It is one thing to read about research in class, but it is even better seeing it firsthand."
 
Upon graduation, Nwefo says that she would love to continue pursuing her education by applying for a clinical psychology doctoral program with the goal of becoming a clinical child psychologist. Coupled with her passion for creative writing, she also hopes to be able to become a published author at some point in her career.

Graduating Honors Student Performs Cutting Edge Research

Kennesaw State University (KSU) Honors student
Eric Nzuki will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering this December with several undergraduate research experiences on his resume. He will graduate as an Honors Research Scholar, KSU's top Honors Designation. Having participated in several research conferences and symposiums, he is well versed in exploring the cutting edge field of engineering technology and presenting on topics like polymer thermal properties with KSU Mechanical Engineering Professor Mahesh Gupta.
 
Nzuki spent 10 weeks this summer in Georgia Tech's Polymer Thin Film Processing Lab after receiving an invitation to participate in their Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering (SURE) program. He went on to place third overall in his category at this phenomenal symposium. At the STEM Innovators Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Conference, he presented his work and won first place for oral presentation in the civil, mechanical, and aerospace engineering category. At the nation's largest interdisciplinary research forum, the National Conference for Undergraduate Research (NCUR), he presented research on groundbreaking manufacturing machine software. In a real-world application and culmination of his learning, Nzuki completed a co-op at Shaw Industries where he led a team on a project that resulted in a $750,000 annual cost savings to the company.
 
In addition to his incredible work and research, he's highly involved on campus having served as an Odyssey Peer Mentor, member of the KSU Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), and an Honors Ambassador; the last of which he says opened the gateway for success. Nzuki says that of all of his incredible accomplishments and accolades, he is most proud of having participated in the University's Honors Program. "The Honors College was without a doubt one of my favorite parts of being a KSU student... the work was often challenging, but you are always rewarded for being curious," he says.
 
When asked about Nzuki, Dr. Ian Ferguson, dean of the Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology, said the following: "Eric has shown potential to not only conduct cutting edge research, but to also communicate his work at professional meetings...He has shown a high aptitude of collaboration and leadership, skills that I believe will be of great use as he pursues his future career." Upon graduation, Nzuki will begin working at Georgia Pacific.

Honors Student Interns with Intercontinental Hotels Group

Katherine Cameron , a junior at Kennesaw State University (KSU), wears many hats as a student. In addition to participating in the University  Honors Program and being named to the Dean's or President's List every semester since she arrived at KSU, the International Business student is an award-winning member of the university's Model United Nations team. She also stands among some of the top business students in the Coles College of Business as a Coles Scholar.

As she actively chases her dreams, Cameron is becoming well-acquainted with carving a path to success. With long term aspirations of becoming the general manager of a luxury boutique hotel, she spent her summer interning with the InterContinental Hotels Group, an experience that she says confirmed her intentions to pursue a career in corporate hospitality.

Upon graduation in December of 2020, Cameron hopes to attend graduate school at New York University (NYU) or the Institut Européen d'Administration des Affaires (INSEAD) in Paris, France.

When asked about her experience as an Honors student, Cameron said, "The Honors Program has provided me with resources that have helped me excel academically. Ultimately, that academic success has opened doors for me."
Consider making a difference in a student's life by giving the gift of an Honors College scholarship.
Many Honors students work two jobs, engage in their community, and participate in service activities, while also committing themselves fully to their studies. 
Please visit honors.kennesaw.edu to make a donation. 

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Dates and Deadlines

December 21-29 University Closed
January 6 First Day of Classes
January 20 Martin Luther King Jr. Day - University Closed
January 29 Boren Awards for International Study - Graduate Application Deadline
January 29 Honors Trivia Night - Kennesaw Campus
February 4 Honors Contract Deadline
February 4 Harry S. Truman Scholarship Deadline
February 5 Boren Awards for International Study - Undergraduate Application Deadline
February 11 Fulbright U.K. Summer Institute Deadline
February 12 Prestigious National and International Scholarships and Fellowships Workshop - Kennesaw Campus
February 19 Prestigious National and International Scholarships and Fellowships Workshop - Marietta Campus
March 1 James Madison Fellowship Deadline
March 5 Udall Undergraduate Scholarship Deadline

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