Isaac
“In essence, [the HCC Honors Program] completely altered my experience at Highline as well as my life trajectory.”
About Isaac
- Highline GPA: 3.7 GPA
- Transferred to: Amherst College
- Major: Economics
- Graduation from HCC: Spring 2008
- Financial Aid: Full-ride scholarship, worth $45,000-$50,000 annually
- Of Note: “Re-invented” himself at HCC after making several “wrong turns” in high school
Isaac on the Honors Program
Where shall I begin about the Honors Program? This program at Highline Community College represents the most critical juncture in my academic experience to date. I entered Highline’s Honor Scholar Program under the ideal grounds: I had something to prove, and I wanted success beyond imagination. The Honors program focused my ambition along proven paths toward success; Barbara Clinton, through the Honors Program, not only believed and supported my dreams, she asked me to dream bigger, providing the framework and tools to manifest my new-found ambitions.
In the Honors Program I learned how to play the game. What is the game? The game encompasses a life beyond academics. It covers the secrets of elite academia: networking, personal brand / image, etiquette, jargon, professionalism, values, and most importantly, entitlement. This entitlement is the belief that the world and all that is in it not only is available, but can be procured by effort and technique-the belief that anything is possible. Some people call this hope, and it is one of the biggest deficits in disadvantaged communities.
Too often we face the limitations of life: money, family resources (social capital), academic failure, images and communication projecting that we are destined for mediocrity, at best. The Highline Honors Scholar Program challenges these conceptions, candidly asking “Why not? Why not succeed? Why not dream? Why not accomplish?”
The Honors Program emits hope through every assignment asking you to define who you are in relation to the world. And let’s be clear… it’s hard work. If you truly take advantage and utilize the program, you will be forced to go above and beyond, with a light at the end of the tunnel. So why not?
Through the Honors Program, I realized how to package myself in the most appropriate manner to obtain my goals. By doing the weekly assignments, I discovered what would become my school of choice, Amherst College. Barbara challenged me to become more involved in the campus community, which led to my participation in Phi Theta Kappa and student government. In essence, one small class worth two credits completely altered my experience at Highline as well as my life trajectory.
After having successfully completed the Honors Scholar Program, I went on to Amherst College, where I am currently finishing my senior year. This winter I plan on attending the world championship debate tournament in Botswana; Next summer I will begin work at Next Street Financial as a strategy consultant, located in Boston, where I also plan on purchasing my first home. I can honestly say that my life is in my hands, the manifestation of my goals and dreams depends on my effort and decisions-the world is my oyster! Looking back, I attribute a huge element of my success to the Highline Honors program. It is where my tumultuous life journey started trending upward. It is where I began to understand how to play the game. But most importantly, it is where I became reacquainted with the elusive element that can change everything: hope.