I came to Highline  Community College as a Running Start student still in high school. Young, ambitious but reserved, I took honors 100 so I could develop my resume for an upcoming internship at the Boeing Company. I didn't have any intention of being an honors student. To me, the idea of Honors seemed hard and distant, but I also had no idea how beneficial and within my reach it really was.

In that first honors class, Barbara encouraged us to take advantage of our opportunities, so I decided to give the Honors Program a try. At first I didn't know if I could make it, but I continued slowly making progress. Looking back, it was a challenge that I devoured, yet it was easier than I had made it out to be.      

The Honors Program was more than just a challenge that I enjoyed, however. It brought me in contact with people and resources that I otherwise would have been unknown to me. I got to know my professors better as I collaborated with them on my Honors Projects and thus established several academic references. I established contacts with some of the many distinguished speakers we had the privilege of hearing from. I got to know Dr. Clinton, an excellent teacher, coach, and reference. I learned "how to play the game" of academia and developed a portfolio that would sell.  

Today I am walking through doors that the Honors Program helped me to open. I will be attending the University of Washington-Tacoma campus to study Computer Engineering this fall. My way is paved with scholarships from the Washington NASA space grant and another scholarship in the works.  
  
The Honors Program is not beyond your reach. Like all good things, it requires work, but you'll be glad you did it. I was.