Honors Conference: Our First Time in Boston!

by Jessa K. and Paige R., guest student bloggers

Before the sun came up on November 15th, we left for the Roanoke airport to begin our journey to Boston, Massachusetts for the National Collegiate Honors Conference. We were there with Dr. Stevens and Dr. Via, and it was the first time any of us had been to Boston. Everything was so new for us!  The view from our hotel room was amazing!  We agree that Boston is absolutely one of the most beautiful cities we had aver seen.

Dr. Stevens, Dr. Via, & us at the Old South
Meeting House

The first night, we were able to do a little exploring before the keynote speaker and the welcome reception. The conference did not really get underway until Friday. On Friday, Paige mentored two sessions. During the sessions, there was anywhere between one to six main speakers who took turns presenting research they had been working on during the year. The topics presented ranged from how to write a good honors program newsletter to analyzing surveys that honors students take about their courses. All of the sessions were extremely informative, and we were able to return to Ferrum with many ideas that we were excited to implement in our own Boone Honors Program.

Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory!

On Saturday, we were able to go sightseeing in historical Boston. We saw all the major sites: Paul Revere's home, the Massachusetts Statehouse, the Commons, the Old Statehouse, Faneuil Hall, and Harvard College. Our favorite part was definitely the visit to Harvard. It was so beautiful and historical.

Visiting Harvard

As we traveled through the historical area, we did a lot of shopping and eating. We both tried oysters for the first time at Dr. Stevens' advice. They were very intriguing, but we're pretty certain that neither of us will be trying oysters again. We had a blast on the subway and found out the hard way that it is essential to hold onto something -- anything -- when the train takes off!

The Honors Conference was a very interesting experience. We are so glad that we had the opportunity to go and represent Ferrum College. It was so much fun to learn about another place, especially a place that holds such important historical value for our country. Next year, the conference will be held in New Orleans. We know that will be another great opportunity for Ferrum students to learn from other honors programs as well as bring research to present to help other programs.