Nationals in the Nation's Capitol

No matter how many times I come to Washington, DC, my experiences are always unique and distinct. Having lived in DC for over 7 months, it felt great to return, and even more exciting to be coming for an Honors Conference, the last national conference I will get to attend as a Columbia College undergrad.

Though Honors conferences have taken me from Charlotte to Denver to Birmingham to St. Petersburg, none have surpassed the integrity and diversity of the conference this year in DC. Raised as a global citizen, it was amazing to finally see the nation's capital become one of the world's capitals. Enriched with a global focus, the content of the sessions this year pointed out how Honors programs across the nation are understanding the importance of cross-cultural interaction, broadening of horizons, and respect and understanding of the unknown.

Of course, of particular note, was the political junkie's ideal entertainment, the Capitol Steps performance satirizing current political events, which kept us rolling with laughter for a pleasant evening of after-dinner theatre, without the need to leave the hotel. Dessert afterwards sealed the deal.

After being a bystander for two and a half years, it was a rewarding experience to work behind the scenes and help bring the masterpiece to life. Draft after draft of schedules, maps, and e-mails finally became NCHC 2009. Furthermore, it was gratifying to see how much influence one of our own Columbia College members has, how much respect was afforded to this year's planner of the conference, Dr. John Z.

As I look over the day, I can't help but feel a calm satisfaction at having dedicated and devoted my college years to academic excellence through the Honors program. I am proud to be here representing my college, but I am even more excited about sharing it with our cheerleaders back home. We strive for you to not do more, but better.

Thinking Big

From Diana

The theme of NCHC this year is "The Global City." Washington, D.C. is certainly proving to be a city--and an experience--of international focus. When I logged on to post, for example, I was temporarily thwarted by the fact that the last student had set the language to Arabic. Unfortunately, knowledge of Arabic is not in my skill set. A brief experimentation of pushing various buttons produced the desired tongue, but not before I recognized this as a bit of global encountering.

As well, last night Katie and I met some international students currently studying in Georgia. While we wandered the streets of Washington in the wee hours of the morning, they made a picture of curiosity. In a way, they seemed to appreciate the city more than we did, seeing it much like we would take in a gigantic monument of Kaiser Wilhelm or Michelangelo's David. The historically international focus of DC also came through the monuments we visited, marble structures brightly lit, contrasting with the dark of the trees and the dusky orange of the cloudy night sky.

At the Jefferson memorial, I was reminded of the Founding Fathers' use of historical thought in formulating our Constitution. They pulled from political commentary from across the ocean in writing our foundational documents, much like we, as a nation, are progressively moving towards utilizing the minds and ideas of people of other cultures.

Overall, the conference has been enormously full of brainfood. People here are purposeful in their intellectual investigations, taking time and effort to probe further, think deeper. And that, my friends, is Honors!

Why we are going...

This week, the Columbia College Honors Program is proud to have 23 students making a variety of presentations in general sessions, workshops, roundtable discussions, and panels at the National Collegiate Honors Council conference in Washington, D.C. NCHC is the premier professional organization in higher education presiding over honors education. The students are joined by Dr. Joyce Fields and President Caroline Whitson, who are also presenting on the program of almost 2,000 participants from across the United States and other countries. Dr. John Zubizarreta, currently President-Elect of the NCHC and the conference organizer and chair, will become President of the organization at the convention.