Dear Prospective Honors Program Students,

Two years ago, as I was about to graduate from Bonita Vista high school, I had to decide which university to attend. Having graduated in the top 4% of my class and with 46 Advanced Placement units, I had many choices including UCSD, UCSB, UCI, and USD but I chose SDSU because of the resources and personal attention the University Honors Program provides.

As a member of the Honors Program, I am more than just another face in the crowd. Like all the Honors students at SDSU, I have an academic advisor, a study abroad advisor, and community of Honors Program students to support me and help me succeed. When I met with Chetana, our academic advisor, for the first time she already knew my name and was able to address my questions and concerns. She helped me map out classes in my major—Communication—that will prepare me for law school. The small Honors seminars I have taken, from Sex and Gender in Contemporary Society to Language and Politics, have helped me think outside the box, and to develop my critical thinking and debate skills. It was also through the Honors Program that I learned of another great opportunity related to my major, which I pursued and this led to my on-campus job with KPBS.

I also loved living in Maya, the Honors Residence Hall. There, I made friends and met amazing people who, like me, sought to become leaders, get involved on campus, and keep their academics a priority. This community has helped me become more confident and led me to “give back” to the university by becoming one of the SDSU Ambassadors.

Although I will graduate next year, I am still eager to make the most of my college experience and time here at the university as part of the Honors Program by studying abroad next summer in a program called Communication in Europe, which will involve traveling in England, France, Switzerland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. This experience will, like the Honors Program, help me grow as a person, intellectually and academically, and help me become a strong intellectual committed to making a positive difference in this world after graduation.

I hope that you find the opportunities offered by the Honors Program as exciting and challenging as I have, and apply. I hope to see you on campus next fall.

Best regards,
Vivian Adame