I came to HCC as a Running Start student in the fall of ’05 and I look back and am amazed at how much I have grown. It wasn’t just in the sense of academia but of myself as a person. I was blessed to be placed in an environment that fed my needs and provided a solid foundation that I could dig into and spread my roots. With myself rooted into a fecund environment I came upon the Honors Program and it has pushed me up ever since.

            With the strength and inspiration that was given to me by Dr. Clinton, I have been able to find my passion in numerous things, one of them being political science, and my ambition to pursue International Studies at the University of Washington. I also am a Gates Millennium Scholar, thanks to Dr. Clinton, and can now possibly walk away from my education debt free. Being a part of the Honors Program has been well worth any effort and it has helped me reach new heights that I had never dreamed of. Through the Honors Program, I made connections that helped me pay for my college application fees, for a whole quarter of tuition at HCC, and for those expensive books. I contribute a large part of my success at Highline to the Honors Program and have expressed this truth in front of staff, new students, and even the Washington Legislature. Whenever I was in need I would turn to the Honors Program and it helped me find a way to overcome any obstacle and keep plowing through.       

When someone I know expresses interest in attending HCC I talk their ear off about the Honors Program and let them know that I have become a 100% advocate of the program.  The inspiration this program has given me deserves to be passed on and be planted into another hopeful and bright student just waiting to be introduced to the world’s endless opportunities.