Honors College

Hello everyone! My name is Seth Thomas and I am a second year student studying Biology with an emphasis in Ecology and a Chemistry minor. I am from Reno, Nevada, a high desert area which has frozen snowy winters and 95 o summers. Growing up in a place where rain and trees are scarce, I find Oregon’s climate amazing. I went to Damonte Ranch High School in Reno where I participated in a diverse set of activities from varsity athletics to being the President of my school’s Chapter of the National Honor Society, to being a member of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) where I was a five-time state champion and two-time national top ten finisher. I was also engaged in many activities outside of high school, including being the President of my local 4H club and raising and showing rabbits at local and national competitions.

After touring and applying to schools from coast to coast, I finally decided on OSU and the Honors College was a major part of that decision. The massive amount of research that takes place at Oregon State is one of the main reasons that I chose to attend OSU. The Honors College takes undergraduate research at OSU to the next level by opening more doors for their students and requiring a thesis project which allows us to contribute something back to the academic community.

Coming from out of state I was worried about my transition to OSU, but the warm welcome of the honors community made my worries melt away. In such a big school, you would never expect to walk into a room and see so many familiar faces, and the honors college gives you just that.

The honors college provides so many different opportunities to experience new and amazing things. One of these opportunities that has greatly affected my life is the Honors College study abroad programs. I have had the opportunity to attend programs in both London and France with interactive classes run by honor’s professors. These programs have helped me connect more deeply with other honors students and create memories that will last a lifetime.

As soon as I arrived at OSU and became part of the Honors College community and I became more involved by becoming the president of the West Hall (Honors Dorm) council and hosting events within the Honors living learning community. This year I am the President of the Honors College Student Association and a representative for ASOSU. If you have any questions about the Honors College, Honors Study abroad trips, getting involved on campus or just OSU in general don’t hesitate to contact me!