For Stephanie Melton, ‘20,the Honors program was influential in helping to clarify vocation. 

Stephanie graduated with a major in French and Francophone Studies and a minor in Theology and Development Studies. She first became acquainted with the Honors program by randomly signing for a few Honors classes (GE 125H and Core 150H) in the fall of freshman year. She ended up really enjoying these and wanted to continue to have these opportunities. 

“They provided ways for us as students to dive deeper into our studies and engage in unique ways with the broader Spokane community,” she said.

While in the Honors program, Stephanie fondly remembers participating as a conference assistant for the World Languages department during Sophomore year. This experience allowed her to work closely with Whitworth faculty and grow in event planning.

The event itself was also memorable to Stephanie. “The weekend of the conference was a definite highlight. I got to meet dozens of higher education professionals who were passionate about language study, research, and education.”

However, there were also challenges with being involved in Honors. Stephanie found it hard to get enough Honors credits before graduation. But it ended up being a benefit to her, as “having to be creative in the course loads that I took ended up being a great opportunity to take some classes I might not have signed up for otherwise.” 

One example is when she took an honors Core 350 D-group about utopian movements in the U.S. “I ended up loving the content and feeling so grateful that I got to be in this class during my last semester at Whitworth,” she said. 

The Honors program was influential in preparing students for the professional field. During her senior year, Stephanie did independent research with a professor in the French department where she studied language immersion education. 

“The work I did in the Honors program helped prepare me to be a stronger, more articulate candidate.” Several of her courses centered around vocation and practical application of values and goals. “These skills are invaluable as you navigate the workforce and prepare for job interviews. They [showed me] what I want my career and work environment to be like and helped me seek out jobs that will provide opportunities for meaningful and positive work in my community.” 

After graduation, she worked as the Office and Volunteer Coordinator for a nonprofit in Spokane that serves those in the restaurant and hotel industry. “I had always wanted to work for a nonprofit, and [I] learned so much about the amazing community of people who work in hospitality.” 

One year into this job, Stephanie realized she wanted to get back into education. She left the position with the nonprofit and instead worked as a substitute teacher in Mead and Spokane Public School Districts. “I loved being in the classroom with students every day.” 

After doing that for a year, Stephanie returned to Whitworth where she is currently getting her Masters in Teaching for secondary education and a teaching endorsement in Secondary French. 

“Now, as a graduate student, I see so many connections between the research I did and the field I am going into. That experience informs my current research at the graduate level and also the way I want to teach world languages in the public K-12 system.” 

 If any student is considering the Honors program, Stephanie recommends they at least give it a try. “Take an Honors course and see what you think,” she said. “I found that oftentimes the Honors courses did not ask us to do more work, but rather asked us to engage in new and deeper ways with the content. There was a theme of extending our learning to the broader community outside of Whitworth, which was one of my favorite aspects of the program.”