Shannon Finn-Wynkoop, ’24, has spent the past year with the Honors College team as an academic advisor, partnering with students as they navigate degree requirements and the honors thesis. She helps students map out coursework, understand program expectations and stay on track for graduation. Shannon is passionate about empowering students and supporting them through each stage of their honors journey. In this Q&A, she reflects on her dream thesis topic, how her experiences shape her work as an advisor and more.
Q: What is your role in the Honors College?
I help students navigate their degree requirements and thesis.
Q: What's one project or initiative you've worked on that you're especially proud of?
I was involved in re-designing our HC 408 Stage 1 Thesis class. This was a really fun project because I was able to utilize knowledge from the Instructional Design certificate which I completed as part of my masters program (here at OSU). I have included a photo from my graduating cohort on graduation day (spring of 2024).
Q: What kind of questions can you answer from honors community members?
Anything related to HC curriculum and thesis requirements! Feel free to ask me an unrelated question and I will do my best to answer or point you in the right direction.
Q: What's something you enjoy doing outside of work?
I enjoy watching movies, especially bad/cheesy ones. Last year I went to a live podcast event for one of my favorite podcasts "We Hate Movies" where a group of four friends talked and riffed about The Goonies. I did a meet and greet afterwards which was surreal because I've been listening to the podcast for about 10 years and feel like I know them all! (I included a photo I took with the WHM guys during our meet and greet).
Q: What's a book, podcast or movie that's inspired you or made you think recently?
I recently read a memoir called "Sociopath" written by Patric Gange. The book talks about her personal experience growing up and later being diagnosed as a sociopath in her twenties. The book was much different than I thought it would be and gave me a completely new perspective.
Q: If you had the opportunity to work on an HC thesis today, what do you think the theme or title would be?
I would love to do some sort of analysis of the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer. I was about 12 when the books became super popular, all of my friends were obsessed but I didn't see the appeal. I recently tried to read the books for the first time which further piqued my interest. I am fascinated by its impact on pop-culture, and the fact it is still relevant almost 20 years later.
Q: What's one of your favorite memories or moments from working in the Honors College?
I participated in a group discussion for the summer read "I Never Thought of it That Way" at the beginning of the fall term. I really enjoyed hearing students personal takes and appreciated their ability to talk about such complicated and emotional topics in a level-headed way. I am not sure if conversations like this would have been possible when I was working on my undergrad (about ten+ years ago) and I am so happy to see students able to work together, with mutual respect, despite difference in opinions.
Q: What's something you've learned from the HC community that's influenced you?
I had no idea how much research is going on at OSU! I feel like I am always stumbling upon different opportunities. Learning about people being so actively engaged in research inspires me to pursue my own research oriented ideas (this is how the twilight book analysis idea came about). In addition, I want to learn more about various topics I hear about from HC students, did you know you can learn how to be a beekeeper at OSU?!
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