The Association of Honors Students at Florida Southern College promotes a community of scholarship among the students within the Honors Program by encouraging intellectual growth and vigor within the Program and across campus. AHS seeks to achieve this goal through the visible promotion of scholarly achievements and through community outreach.

Courtney Baker, President

Major: Biology, Chemistry Minor

Year: Junior

Hometown: Clay, New York

What do you like about FSC?
Every fact of life at Florida Southern is dedicated to your success. People everywhere—the professors, the financial aid workers, the cafeteria workers, the lab assistants, the secretaries, the president—care about you and your goals.
What do you like best about the Honors Program?
The classroom atmosphere is student driven. Many of my most memorable and meaningful discussions were those which were unplanned. The program allows for a substantial degree of freedom. Many topics that are addressed in honors classrooms are not in the syllabus; they simply arise from student interest.

What has been your favorite honors class?
Joining the Conversation: Mass Media and Culture. I will never forget the deep conversations that pervaded that classroom. We discussed the implications of everything from television and childhood education to printed word and its significance to our beliefs.

Cheryl Lynn Shaffer, Vice President

Major: Biology, Chemistry Minor
Year: Junior
Hometown: Lakeland, Florida

What do you like about FSC?
I love the small classes. You would not have the professor availability that you have at FSC at a larger school. They want to invest in you, and personally do all that they can to assist you in pursuing your future educational goals. All the professors are different enough in their teaching style that it’s nearly impossible to not find one that fits your learning style, and they recognize room for independent study and create an appropriate environment for it.
What do you like best about the Honors Program?
Simply put--the environment for independent study. I love to be given the opportunity to go out and do my own research and then bring it back to a group setting with others who have done the same. Many of the honors classes function this way. In Irish Wit [a seminar class] we had a major research paper that we were able to pursue as in depth as we wanted. Whatever direction we wanted to go in research wise, we had the freedom to do so. Among other students who have the same passion for learning, the honors classroom becomes a wonderfully stimulating environment.
What has been your favorite honors class?
Irish Wit—for the reasons stated above.

Mat Hotho, Secretary

Major: Religion/ Computer Science/ Math
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Largo, Florida

Kay Houck, Treasurer

Major: Biology
Year: Senior
Hometown: Baldwinsville, New York

What do you like about FSC?
I love that FSC is a small campus. I’ve been able to get involved in a variety of organizations, holding leadership positions in each, which has been a wonderful experience. My teachers know me by name, and I am certain that my face is recognized by other students and faculty around campus. I truly feel like part of a community at Florida Southern.
What do you like best about the Honors Program?
My favorite part about the FSC Honors Program is that all of the classes are small and intimate, which allows for wonderful group discussions. The professors often encourage an intellectual atmosphere by mediating these class conversations. Honors classes provide a terrific alternative to the typical lecture classes offered at the college level.
What has been your favorite honors class?
Women, Literature, and Psychopathology. In this class we examined the psychological portrayal of women in literature throughout time, which was both interesting and enlightening. The class utilized a number of different teaching techniques including class discussions, lectures, group projects, presentations, and movies. The pieces of literature we discussed have had a profound impact on my memory, even to this day!

Paul Weaver II, Public Relations Representative

Major: Financial Management, Economics Minor
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Lakeland, Florida

Sara McDowell, Student Government Association Representative

Major: Biology, Pre-Physical Therapy
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida

What do you like about FSC?
I fell in love with Florida Southern when I stepped onto the campus. It feels like home to me, where I am nurtured and educated for my future, in both my professional and personal life.
What do you like best about the Honors Program?
I love the interaction between student and faculty the most about the Honors Program. I don’t feel like I’m a student in a classroom listening to a lecture. I took Joining the Conversation and Honors Colloquium with Dr. Bruce, and in both of those courses, I felt like an equal to him. In both courses we, the students, gave the lectures and talked about our experiences. I just love knowing that my professors are looking at me eye to eye like an adult and an equal, instead of them looking down at me like I’m a child.
What has been your favorite honors class?
Thus far, I have only taken Honors 115 and 216, both with Dr. Bruce. I love aspects about both of those courses, but I would say that my favorite has been Honors 115. This course got me interacting and out of my comfort zone very quickly, pushing me to meet everyone that I could. We didn’t sit in rows. Rather, we just jumbled our chairs into a circle; I truly believe that setting the chairs in a circle was my favorite part. When you’re in a circle, you’re facing every participant in the class—students and professors—so you get to see and feel how someone feels about the topic that we’re talking about (facial gestures, hand and foot movements, and body posture). Feeling everyone’s reactions makes me think about what I’m feeling about the topic at hand. I know it seems strange, but that’s what I loved about Honors 115, that the class made me find and voice my opinions.