Megan Narveson

Why Honors?

Ever since I was little, I have been an extremely competitive person. So competitive that

if I lost at what was supposed to be a “fun family board game,” I would get tears in my eyes. As

I’ve grown up, I’ve always strived to do my best in all areas of my life whether it be school,

sports, friendships, you name it. In elementary school, middle school, and high school I was

always a perfectionist. I took my time on my coursework to make sure that it was the absolute

best I could do. This way I figured that I could never be disappointed with the resulting grade

because at least I gave it my all.

On top of this, I took advanced courses like AP Literature and Composition, AP Calculus

AB, and AP Spanish. I found a good group of friends through being a part of the National

Honors Society. We were always pushing each other to do better, almost like we were

teammates on a sports team. But getting good grades and being a respectful student was about

the extent of being a member of the National Honors Society, for me at least. It always seemed

like education, not application.

So, when the Honors department here at MSU reached out to me as I was going into my

freshman year of college, being a part of the program seemed like a no-brainer. But I soon

realized that the Honors program is much more than I expected. Not much more work, or even

much more of a commitment, but you are simply emersed in more. I had never considered that

being an honors student would push me out of my comfort zone this much. While I was in

Honors 201 during my freshman year, I remember thinking how awesome it was that we were

encouraged to experience other cultures in order to fulfill a requirement for the course. Here at

MSU, Honors is much more than just being a good student. It’s more about being a well-
rounded, well-versed individual. And that is why I stayed in the program throughout the past two

years. I was intrigued by the experiences that they wanted us to have.

Being in the honors program at MSU has given me the opportunity to grow in ways that I

would’ve never thought of. I have always been a soft-spoken, go with the flow, typical

“follower,” but now I am representing the women’s cross country team by being on the student

athlete advisory committee. This leadership role has helped me become more educated on what

goes on behind the scenes to make collegiate sports happen. I have learned how we fund for new

equipment and what all has to come together to make our sporting events possible. My

teammate and I are then responsible for passing on any crucial information to our coaches and

teammates. This is a role I never would’ve taken on if not encouraged by the different

competencies required by the honors program. I believe that honors will continue to push me

pursue opportunities that interest me, even when it may seem far fetched. Down the road, my

experience with honors will help me have confidence in my abilities and experiences. Honors

has also helped me learn how to communicate and relate with people with different values, just

because we are different doesn’t mean we can’t find a middle ground. This knowledge will be

very helpful both with future employers and employees. The honors program encourages us to

apply what we have learned as we go out into the real world, and that is exactly what I plan to

do.