Honors Students Take a LEAP! Toward Their Future Careers

By Gary Hyatt, WSU Honors College, gary.hyatt1@wsu.edu

What does it take to feel confident walking up to an employer at a career fair and starting a conversation?

For Honors students, the answer was simple: practice.

On October 1, the Honors College hosted LEAP!, an evening designed to help students build the professional networking skills they will need as they begin their careers. With the WSU Career Expo happening this week, the timing could not have been better.

Students spent the evening rotating through conversations with professionals from a wide range of industries, practicing introductions, elevator pitches, eye contact, asking questions and sharing their own experiences and goals. While the format was designed to feel a little like “speed dating,” the goal was serious: give students a safe place to practice before they walk into a room filled with potential employers.

We are incredibly grateful to the Honors Alums and professionals who gave their time and shared their experience with our students:

Linda Nihoul, Certified Financial Planner, Ameriprise Financial Services

Brady Cornelius, Commercial Real Estate Appraiser, Lembeck Appraisal & Consulting

Colin S. Campbell, Senior Research Scientist, President and CEO, METER Group

Marisa Hemingway, Senior Human Resources Manager, Schweitzer Engineering Labs

Grant Godfrey, Senior Human Resources Manager, Schweitzer Engineering Labs

Elijah Shoemake, Senior Engineer, Plug Power

Kim Hargraves, Principal Technical Program Manager, Microsoft

Tim Hargraves, Managing Director, Ernst & Young

Chris Malde, Private Wealth Investment Management Specialist, Merrill Lynch.

Their advice reinforced an important message for our students: your career path does not have to be perfectly mapped out. Be willing to say yes, take advantage of opportunities, build relationships, learn from others and remain open to where your experiences may lead.

Dean Grant Norton served as the evening’s MC, helping guide the students and mentors through the rotations before bringing everyone together for a panel discussion and Q&A. The mentors shared career advice, observations from the evening and some of the lessons they have learned throughout their own professional journeys.

Most importantly, our students took the LEAP!

They stepped outside their comfort zones, introduced themselves to professionals they had never met and practiced telling their stories. Those conversations may help make the next handshake at the Career Expo a little easier and a little more confident.

Thank you to our mentors for investing your time and experience in the next generation of Cougs and thank you to our students for showing up ready to learn, participate and grow.

Go Cougs!

 

Engineering a Better World

By Gary Hyatt, WSU Honors College, gary.hyatt1@wsu.edu

At its best, an Honors education challenges students to use their knowledge in service of something larger than themselves. Whether through research, leadership, or community engagement, Honors students learn to apply their talents to real-world problems and create meaningful change.

That commitment to impact is exemplified by Honors students Connor Reschke, Haley Boileau, and Josephine Gordon, who spent their summer in rural Bolivia helping design and build a clean-water distribution system for the community of Altamira. Working side-by-side with residents, these students put their engineering skills into action while demonstrating the power of collaboration, compassion, and purpose-driven learning.

The Honors College is incredibly proud of students who engage with the world beyond campus and use their education to improve the lives of others. By combining technical expertise with a commitment to service, these students embody the values of an Honors education and remind us that meaningful learning often happens where knowledge meets action. Read how their experience transformed a community and reinforced their commitment to making a difference through engineering.

Read more here: Engineering students help bring clean water to Bolivian town | WSU Insider | Washington State University

 

 

 

Honors Student Advances Alzheimer’s Research Through Prestigious Fulbright Canada Internship

By Gary Hyatt, WSU Honors College, gary.hyatt1@wsu.edu

For Honors student Gabriella “GiGi” Searle, this past summer provided an opportunity few undergraduate researchers ever experience: conducting international biomedical research through the prestigious Fulbright Canada Mitacs Globalink Research Internship.

A Genetics and Cell Biology major from Burlington-Edison, Washington, Searle spent the summer in Sherbrooke, Quebec, working in the laboratory of Dr. Benoit Laurent at the Université de Sherbrooke. There, she joined a team investigating one of the most pressing challenges in modern medicine: understanding and treating Alzheimer’s disease.

Searle’s project focused on the choroid plexus, a structure in the brain that helps regulate and protect the central nervous system. Using organoid models derived from human patient cells, she investigated how genetic risk factors associated with Alzheimer’s disease may affect the development and function of this important tissue.

The experience allowed Searle to move beyond the classroom and immerse herself in the realities of scientific discovery. In the laboratory, she gained experience with advanced research and learned how researchers navigate the challenges and unexpected results that are a natural part of the scientific process.

Just as valuable was the opportunity to work alongside an international community of scientists. Researchers in the laboratory came from countries including Canada, France, Tunisia, China, and Scotland, exposing Searle to a variety of perspectives and approaches to scientific research.

“Working in a research laboratory abroad allowed me to develop as both a student and a scientist,” Searle said. “I gained experience with new laboratory techniques, strengthened my ability to think critically and independently about scientific questions, and learned how to approach the challenges that naturally arise during research.”

Outside of the laboratory, living in Quebec offered its own lessons. Navigating a new city, university, and culture challenged her to become more independent and adaptable while broadening her understanding of the global scientific community.

By the end of the summer, Searle returned with more than research experience. She gained confidence in her abilities as a scientist and an even stronger commitment to a future in biomedical research.

The internship also reinforced her long-term goals. After earning her undergraduate degree, Searle plans to pursue a Ph.D. in developmental and stem cell biology and ultimately lead her own university research laboratory as a principal investigator focusing on the genetic factors in disease.

“Most importantly, this experience reinforced that scientific research is the career I want to pursue,” she reflected.

Through opportunities like the Fulbright Canada Mitacs Globalink Research Internship and support from The Honors College, Honors students continue to expand their learning beyond campus, applying their knowledge to real-world challenges while preparing to make meaningful contributions in their fields. For Searle, a summer spent researching Alzheimer’s disease in Canada brought her one step closer to a future dedicated to scientific discovery and improving human health.