My Experience Learning Arabic

“As-salam Alaykom” or hello! I never would have expected that I would know such a phrase. However, a student-run Arabic course on campus has opened me — and my classmates — to a new language and culture! Student teachers were very welcoming, helpful, and made learning a difficult language enjoyable. Attempting to learn a language so different than my own was a one-of-a-kind experience that I highly recommend for any student. I’ve found that trying new things can definitely lead to fresh perspectives. This class was indeed a refreshing introduction into another language: something that is otherwise hard to come by. As a result of this class, this summer I will be taking part in the University of Pittsburgh’s Summer Language Institute in hopes of improving my Arabic-speaking skills!

– Margo Gamble

Presenting my Honors Thesis

Presenting at the 2017 Northeast Regional Honors Conference in Pittsburgh was a wonderful conclusion to my yearlong undergraduate research project, which focused on the best techniques for teaching English Language Learners a Common Core text. I presented my research alongside two other Honors students from the region and we received plenty of thoughtful questions from the audience. Overall, the N.R.H.C. was a remarkable opportunity to interact with other Honors students from the greater area in an academic conference setting.

– Savanah Buhite

Q&A with Editor and Historian John Meachem

As Dr. Chris Howard said, “we should squeeze every opportunity like a sponge and make the most out of it.” The lecture with Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Presidential Historian, former editor-in-chief of Newsweek, and contributing editor to Time Magazine, was one of the many learning opportunities held on campus this spring. During the lecture, Meacham discussed how politics have evolved, political attitudes have developed, and the media has become a contradictory conundrum. During the event, I inquired: “Who do you consider to be the greatest American president, and why?” His answer was: “I believe the greatest was Abraham Lincoln because he conquered a lot of adversity and unified the country when it was deeply divided… Not only is he an incredible example of what a president should be like, but he also showed what it was like to be human.” Coming from a well-known multi-awarded presidential historian, his answer was very powerful and compelling, resonating greatly with the present time.

Meacham with RMU sophomore Danielle Wickland

– Danielle Wickland

Eleventh Annual U.R.C.

The 11th annual Undergraduate Research Conference was held on April 21st. This year, we saw the largest number of participants to date with 22 poster presentations and over 40 papers discussed. The topics ranged from a poster about artificial fingertips to a presentation discussing Korean dramas to a creative project about Lego robotics and piano playing. 17 honors theses were presented at this conference as well.

 

The Honors Graduating Class of 2017

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– Hannah Arnold