Misikir Adnew graduated from Whitworth in May of 2019 with a double major in Health Science and Community Health. After that, she received a Master’s in Public Health with a concentration in Global Healthcare Management from Yale University. Now, she serves in South Sudan with Samaritan’s Purse International Relief supporting their health programs around the country.

As an incoming student, Misikir was skeptical about the Honors program: would it just be a ton of tough classes that only resulted in an Honors designation on her diploma? 

Misikir’s professors, however, showed her how the Honors program could benefit her. “I saw that by tailoring my Honors classes to my Health Science and Community Health majors, I could get the most out of the experience. It added so much more depth to my healthcare understanding and prepared me well for graduate school.”

The Honors program allowed Misikir to take part in a “diverse set of learning experiences” during undergrad: Honors teaching assistantships, an independent study with her advisor, Honors courses in her majors, and an Honors internship.

The most impactful Honors experience for Misikir was the internship. She was supposed to complete the Smithsonian internship in 2019, but when the government shut down, everything fell through. Instead, she moved to D.C. and studied a variety of topics with her Honors cohort. Misikir fondly remembers “exploring defining moments in world history, definitions of professionalism, East Coast culture, and networking.” 

“It was quite the experience living in the city that is at the center of American politics during a unique time in history.” 

Misikir believes one of the important parts of the Honors program was how it challenged her. “The Honors program stretched me,” she remembers. “In addition to fulfilling the requirements of my two majors, I had to make sure I was regularly keeping in touch with my Honors supervisor to see if I was meeting the requirements of the program.”

But the hard parts were worth it. Misikir says that the Honors program has been invaluable to her life after graduation. “Being part of the honors program challenged me to complete activities outside of my classes that I would not have seriously considered otherwise.” For her, the Honors designation on her transcript wasn’t what got her into highly competitive graduate programs. Rather, it was the “different, outside-the-classroom activities that the program challenged me to undertake” that made a difference. 

Misikir challenges students to try the Honors program out and see what it could look like for them. She encourages people to talk to their advisor before dismissing it. She believes the Honors program challenges students to get the most out of their Whitworth experience.