Beginning your college career, especially on a large campus, can be quite an intimidating process. However, students like Molly Sharer knew that she would not be “just another number” when she decided to join the Honors Program during her freshman year at Illinois State University.
Molly Sharer is currently a senior, and is pursuing a degree in Physical Education. She was recently named a Bone Scholar for the 2009-10 academic year, which is the highest honor an undergraduate can receive. Molly was drawn to the Honors Program through some of the many benefits, including opportunities to complete Honors projects, working closely with professors, and being part of a smaller advising community. She also enjoyed the idea of Honors House living, as it gave an opportunity to network with other students who were also passionate about school. “I thought that would be important at a large school, and it sounded like a good thing, especially for my first few years,” Molly commented.
Many Illinois State University students are highly involved on campus, and Molly is no exception. Molly has gained valuable learning and leadership skills through various campus activities and Honors Program experiences. Molly was selected from a highly competitive pool of applicants to serve as an Honors Peer Mentor for the Honors Program. Through this experience, she was able to co-facilitate a section of Honors Freshman Seminar and serve as a mentor for her students. Molly said, “I liked the idea of being a person the students could go to. I know what they’re going through because I am going through the same things. I like the mentorship of it.”
For two summers, Molly also worked as an Honors Preview Assistant, and worked closely with the Honors advisors. Through this experience, she was able to present information to students and parents, as well as share her personal experiences as a student. “I enjoyed giving feedback and getting to know the students because I knew I would probably see these students again in Seminar,” Molly said. In her spare time, Molly may be found performing with the Guerrilla Theatre Troupe, which is an on-campus group that performs shows relating to various social issues. Molly may also be found doing volunteer work through Alternative Spring Break, which is a program that enables students to travel around the country to assist in community service projects. In spring of 2008, Molly traveled to Philadelphia to assist with environmental issues. This spring, Molly intends to go to Florida to help restore native plants and perform habitat restoration for sea turtles. Even after all of her school work, volunteer projects and research, Molly still finds time to be an assistant coach for the Prairie City Soccer League.
Molly also had the opportunity to participate in the Undergraduate Research Symposium through the Honors Research Mentorship program. Molly worked with a professor from the Health Sciences Department and looked at what kind of staff training schools would need to do to make their schools safe. She examined issues from bullying to school shootings, as well as crisis situations to see what schools are currently doing. “Safety is an element of health and if a student doesn’t feel safe at school, they’re not going to be focusing on their school work.” Molly’s research began as a project to earn Honors credit, but eventually became an Honors Research Mentorship. Molly also mentioned that the Honors Research Mentorship was a great way to work closely with a faculty member, learn about topics of interest and to get paid!
Molly has accumulated quite a long list of honors and awards, and she most recently (during the 2008-2009 school year) received the National Association of Sport and Physical Education Major of the Year Award for her involvement in the department and for her future career goals. Every university in the nation could nominate one student from the Physical Education Department, and Molly was the one student nominated from Illinois State. “I was happy about it because I think sometimes physical education has a negative stereotype. I just wanted to do my part to show that there are lots of teachers who really care about the subject and try to give us a better name.”
What is her advice for future students? “Pure organization at the beginning of the semester helps to relieve some of the stress. Get to know your professors by going to their office hours. Getting to know them makes you not just another number. Also, going to every little activity you can (especially through Honors) helps to put a face-to-a-name and allows you to get to know students who work just as hard as you do.”
written by: Sasha Boheme