Nov. 3, 2025
Finding Her Voice: How the Honors College Helped Charlotte Cicero Lead, Learn and Look Ahead
Story by Riley Palshaw On the night of Oct. 4, Charlotte Cicero walked through downtown Columbia with a camera in hand, keeping pace with University of Missouri President Mun Choi and local leaders as they toured the area to discuss community safety. It wasn’t a typical KOMU assignment, or Saturday night for that matter, but for Cicero, a senior broadcast journalism student and KOMU 8 reporter, it was a reminder of why she fell in love with the profession: to inform, to connect and to give others a voice. That same sense of purpose has guided every…
Oct. 23, 2025
Amanda Paz Herrera Fosters Love of Scientific Research to Honors Students
Story by Sophia AndersonPhoto by Logan Jackson Amanda Paz Herrera is passing on her love of scientific research in her Introduction to Research (GN_HON 2453H) Honors College course. Paz Herrera started teaching this course in fall 2023 after completing her Ph.D. in biochemistry at Mizzou and becoming an adjunct professor. Now an assistant professor and core Honors College faculty member, Paz Herrera helps connects students with research through her teaching efforts. In her Introduction to Research course, students look for antibiotic producing bacteria in soil. “It’s a way to explore some microbiology techniques and…
Oct. 16, 2025
Redefining the Pursuit of Happiness
Story by Riley PalshawPhotos by Logan Jackson As humans, we’re told that happiness is something worth pursuing. But what does happiness actually mean? Sam von Gillern explores this question with his Honors College students in Lessons from Positive Psychology on Happiness and Success, an Honors Seminar course centered on research in the field of positive psychology. For von Gillern, who created and teaches the course, the idea began at Iowa State University when he encountered The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor. The book’s insights laid the foundation for his class, and after arriving at Mizzou in…
Oct. 12, 2025
The Force, Football and Fandoms: Honors College Takes on Pop Culture
Story by Tanner O’Neal RileyPhotos by Logan Jackson When one thinks of an Honors College class, what most often comes to mind? History, theology, anthropology and perhaps sociology, to name a few. What one doesn’t think of? Harry Potter fan rivalries, the rise and fall of Beanie Baby mania or the new-fangled cultural icon bringing the most stoic of men to their knees, the Labubu. That’s exactly what Doug Valentine’s one-credit Honors Tutorial on fandom, offered through the Mizzou Honors College, seeks to explore. In his course, Fandoms: Gamers, Football, and K-Pop, Oh My!, he invites students…
Oct. 6, 2025
Discovery Fellows Program Connects Students with Research Opportunities
Story and photos by Logan JacksonVideos by Eric Kiekeben Like many undergraduate students just beginning their research journeys, Nora Pryor was tasked with reading multiple research papers and articles in 2022 when she first began working with Heather Hennkens, an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR). Just two years later, Pryor found her name – along with other collaborators – on a published research article. “One of the first assignments Dr. Hennkens gave me was to read a ton of papers, and…
Sep. 22, 2025
Katherine Fapp Joins Honors College Faculty
Story and photo by Logan Jackson During her time as a departmental lecturer in the University of Oxford’s Rothermere American Institute (RAI), Katherine Fapp interacted with a variety of students – even some from the University of Missouri. RAI and the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy have collaborated in a variety of ways over the years, and Fapp – who lectured on U.S. History – had the opportunity to meet with several Mizzou students while at Oxford. This fall, Fapp began teaching Tigers full time. Fapp joined Mizzou as an assistant teaching professor,…
Sep. 16, 2025
A Supportive Environment
The Honors College Communication Internship team plays an important role in telling the Honors story. They showcase their storytelling skills in a variety of ways and through numerous communication channels. The team includes five students. Meet one of the new faces on the team, Riley Palshaw! Palshaw is a junior journalism major, with an emphasis in strategic communication. How did you find your way to the University of Missouri? I like to say I grew up in a newsroom, quite literally. My dad was the advisor for my high school newspaper, so I spent a…
Sep. 15, 2025
A Transformative Experience
The Honors College Communication Internship team plays an important role in telling the Honors story. They showcase their storytelling skills in a variety of ways and through numerous communication channels. The team includes five students. Meet one of the new faces on the team, Tanner O’Neal Riley! Riley is a junior journalism major. How did you find your way to the University of Missouri? Believe it or not, potatoes. During my junior year of high school, my family and I took a trip to our hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana, my city of birth, for…
Aug. 25, 2025
Cherng Summer Scholars Explore Their Academic Interests
Story and photos by Logan Jackson More than 80 Mizzou students pursuing the Honors Certificate have participated in research or creative scholarship projects through the Cherng Summer Scholars program since its creation in 2018. This year’s cohort was the largest in the program’s history. Fifteen Honors College students pursued their academic interests through the nine-week program this summer. The projects are individually designed by the students, with the support and mentorship of a Mizzou faculty mentor. “I was beyond thankful for this opportunity,” said Graham George, a sophomore German and international studies (peace studies) double…
Aug. 25, 2025
Mizzou Welcomes 2025 Cohort of Stamps Scholars
Story and photo by Logan Jackson The University of Missouri is one of just 36 universities across the United States and into the United Kingdom that partners with the Stamps Scholars Program on a premier scholarship. Mizzou has collaborated with the program since 2017, offering Tigers a full four-year scholarship, covering up to the total estimated cost of attendance (including housing), plus an additional $16,000 enrichment fund for students to use throughout their time at Mizzou. Mizzou has welcomed more than 50 Scholars since the partnership began – and will bring in another stellar cohort this fall.