Throughout a student’s journey in the Newman University Honors Program, he or she will grow in writing and research abilities, participate in conferences and develop skills that will transfer to his or her career and personal development.
Newman sophomores Joe Davis and Max Masem recently did just that, thanks to a November trip to Kansas City to attend the National Collegiate Honors Council.
Nicknamed the City of Fountains for having more than 200 fountains — the world’s second largest amount only to Rome — the Kansas City conference fittingly quenched the students’ thirst for knowledge.
The conference’s theme, “Harmonizing Heritage,” showcased honors programs throughout the region in terms of culture, capital and community engagement. Keynote speaker and social justice activist Erin Gruwell shared a message of hope, encouraging college students to “stand up, speak up and speak out.”
Newman Director of the Honors Program Kelly McFall is committed to helping students find and use their voices effectively. By investing in conferences, McFall hopes students’ personal experiences simultaneously contribute to the long-term growth of Newman’s Honors Program.
“Last year, students AJ Sweitzer and Isabel Porres attended the national conference in Chicago and both said they had an excellent experience,” McFall said. “I wanted to share that chance to grow in confidence and self-awareness with other students.”
In addition to personal and professional development, Masem and Davis explored Kansas City’s National WWI Museum and Memorial and the downtown area. McFall hopes it gave the students a “new kind of exposure to a city they’ve probably driven through but not explored,” he said.
Davis’ transferable takeaways
According to Raising Multiples, an online resource for families, the chance of having quadruplets is one in 571,787 pregnancies.
“Being a quadruplet is an amazing thing,” Davis, a Newman biology major, said. “However, when we were born it was a very scary time for my family due to the risks. I know I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for a great team of nurses and physicians.”
Davis said his infant care team “undoubtedly” inspired him to pursue a career in medicine. He also chose the field to follow in the footsteps of his biggest role model — his grandfather. Davis’s grandfather is both a doctor and founder of HopeNet, a nonprofit that provides counseling services to those in need.
“My grandfather was born and raised in India and after coming over to the States for college, he quickly excelled and became a doctor,” Davis explained. “He is known for providing exceptional care as a family doctor, but the most important thing about his service is he takes time to listen to his patients and build connections with them. This is something I hope to one day accomplish.”
Davis recognizes the importance of helping patients engage in their health journeys. His Honors Program experiences help him practice and gain confidence in this skill.
“For me, the opportunity to be surrounded by like-minded individuals at the NCHC was an invaluable benefit of the Honors Program,” Davis said. “I participated in a number of activities such as attending presentations, board presentations and keynote speeches. I also had the opportunity to work as a student moderator for presentations at the conference.”
Davis plans to implement mentorship programs discussed at the conference by the University of Wisconsin and the University of Louisiana into his Honors internship.
“This should help with engagement in the Honors Program and how to grow engagement that could benefit my future career as a doctor,” Davis said.
Masem makes the most of his education
Masem opted into the Newman Honors Program for its challenge factor and the opportunity to receive more from his education.
“I’ve stayed Honors because of the community,” the biology major with a chemistry minor said. “The Honors students are what make the Honors program; without them, there is no Honors.”
Masem values the networking and communication skills he honed at the national honors conference. He has “no doubt” that he will continue to use them at Newman and in his professional career.
“We wanted to bring back new ideas and concepts from the conference to better the Honors Program at Newman,” Masem said. “Ideally, I want future Honors students to experience the ability to customize their education and academic goals to their own experiences and objectives.”
While no singular event convinced Masem to become a physician, his home environment certainly helped foster an interest.
“Growing up with a mom as a nursing professor and a science teacher dad, I was always pushed academically and fell in love with STEM,” Masem said.
Masem earned his certified nursing assistant license as a high school sophomore and worked in a nursing home. There, he enjoyed interacting with residents and witnessing the positive impacts he could have on others.
Ideally, I want future honors students to experience the ability to customize their education and academic goals to their own experiences and objectives.
Max Masem
“I quickly knew that no matter what career I chose, I would be working in health care,” he said. “I asked myself, ‘In which ways can I utilize my skills and abilities to positively impact the most amount of people while finding value and worth in my career?’ I decided that being a physician would encompass everything I wanted in a career and allow me to feel fulfilled in my day-to-day life.”
Today, Masem works full time as a rehabilitation/mobility technician at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis in Wichita.
Fresh ideas for Newman’s ‘Degree of Difference‘
Newman University’s program prides itself on being a student-led honors experience. McFall, Davis and Masem have already implemented new ideas into the long-term strategy and structure of honors at Newman.
“When we sat around at lunch and debriefed after one of the sessions, I asked Joe and Max to share their findings and thoughts from the conference,” McFall said. “From that conversation, we decided to take an idea and add a component to the Newman admissions application process for honors. I texted Georgia (Drewes, senior associate director of admissions), and within a couple of days it was implemented.”
They also discussed making the senior honors theses earlier in their course of study, ensuring students can present their research beyond campus before they graduate.
“Newman student research is every bit as good as the student research that was presented at the conference,” McFall said. “This has always been our goal, so we’re going to encourage our students to present there in the future.”
McFall said he looks forward to discovering more development opportunities for Newman Honors Program students.
Learn more about Newman University Honors Program
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