By Cheyenne Marchand
By the time you are reading this, I’ll likely be back home relaxing and reminiscing on the past 4.5 years of my college experience. However, right now I’m taking on the task of writing a letter of farewell to the Honors College as I move onto the next chapter of my life in the days leading up to graduation. I didn’t realize how difficult this would be, and it made me reflect on why I’m struggling to say goodbye.
When I came to Michigan State University, I was a nervous freshman, eager yet frightened to start my college journey. As a first-generation student, I didn’t have many people to turn to for advice on succeeding in college. The summer before my first semester, I was invited to join the Academic Scholars Program (ASP) through the Honors College. There were only 200 spots available, first come first serve, and I barely finished reading the invitation letter before I began to enroll for my spot. Little did I know, that moment would change the trajectory of my college experience.
I decided to move into the ASP living-learning community in Holden Hall. I’ll never forget the first month of classes. I started out absolutely worried that I would make a mistake or miss a class, so much so that I walked into my first lecture an hour early and ended up interrupting the previous class. From there, I started to notice that I was in classes with many of the people living on my residence hall floor. We became a large family, with game nights every Wednesday and shared dinners in Case Hall through the winter.
After my first semester, I was invited to join the Honors College. During the frigid month of January, I received an email from Erika Crews inviting me to join the Academic Scholars Program Advisory Council (ASPAC). I gladly accepted and eventually became the co-president of the council, alongside Katrina Liang, for two years.
As a co-president, I got to bond and make connections with many other student leaders from the different Honors organizations. It was always such a grateful feeling to walk into an Honors Leadership Summit or end-of-the-year celebration and be greeted by so many friends who shared the joy of organizing Honors and ASP events around campus.
During the fall of my junior year, I was brought in to work as a student assistant for the Honors College. Yes, I am one of the many smiling faces you may have seen at the front desk over the years. This opportunity not only strengthened my career skills, but it also deepened my bond with the staff. I can recall one instance where I dropped my car keys in the snow and needed a ride back to my apartment. Our communications manager Melanie Brender came to my rescue. It was in moments like these that I could feel the love and generosity intertwined in the Honors College/ASP Community.
Over the last four summers, I was an Undergraduate Learning Assistant (and most recently an Academic Advising Associate) for the annual ASP Summer ACE Program. I was originally meant to step away from the role last summer, but my love for welcoming the next cohort of ASP students brought me back.
As my time here at MSU comes to an end, I’ve had small bittersweet goodbyes: stepping away from my role as ASPAC co-president to make way for my dear friends Adam Slaby and Kaylah Higbee to shine, giving my final farewell to the ACE program, and now, saying goodbye officially to MSU and the Honors College.
The Honors College/ASP community has been more than just a space I was involved in over my time here; it has become my second home. I know when I’m gone, this community will continue to welcome new students who will find a family here at MSU. I am so grateful for the experiences and opportunities that the Honors College and ASP have provided for me, and I know I can always call this place my home.
Thank you and Go Green!