Lebanon Valley College’s Honors Program strives to engage students in interdisciplinary studies and expand their worldview. It promotes excellence, justice, creativity, leadership, and community service.

The benefits to students who participate in the Honors Program are even more significant.

“The emphasis on interdisciplinary studies and community application made me hopeful about the prospects of learning topics outside my major and having opportunities to apply my learning and experiences to the broader community with the chance of making some sort of impact,” said Gillian Wenhold ’24.

“It was projected and has turned out to be a very diverse, yet tight-knit, group of individuals who all strived to be highly involved in the community. In addition, the focus of this program is to give us the resources and information to learn how to be influential leaders beyond our LVC education,” said Jacquelyn McBride ’24, an ACS chemistry and English double major.

“I wanted to be in a collection of students with this mindset to grow academically, socially, and emotionally.  I aspire to help change the world in whatever way I can, so I thought this program would help cultivate an environment that would provide me opportunities to lead in the fight for positive change,” McBride added.

Honors residential students live together and take the same First-Year Experience (FYE) course to foster connection and community spirit.

“The media we were exposed to and the discussions we had in FYE drastically changed how I view the world and its people. It also introduced me to global and community issues that I am now passionate about advocating to change,” said Wenhold, an English major. “The immersive course was also an amazing experience because we were able to take our newfound awareness from the FYE and start applying it to community outreach.”

The program can seem like a daunting responsibility, but LVC is here to ensure students have an enjoyable and academically stimulating experience.

“The people involved in the Honors Program, both students and staff, have been the biggest Honors participation benefit to me,” said McBride. “Having a web of professors and students who can support me in my academic career has been valuable to my success at LVC.”

Wenhold added, “If it were not for the Honors Program, I would not have met the people I now call my best friends and family.”

— Kayleigh Johnson, Marketing & Communications Intern