The honors students are involved in many activities where they learn more about the outside world. Some of the students will be traveling to New Mexico, Costa Rica, and Honduras.

“We are taking a group of students to Costa Rica in May,” said Dr. Jessica Mallard, head of the Honors program and interim dean of the College of Fine Arts and Humanities. “Freshmen are also working for the Common Reader essays and the top students get to go to Honduras.” The Common Reader program, also called Readership WT, began in 2005 for freshmen at WT and it is part of the University’s Quality Enhancement Plan. Each year freshmen of the Honors program are encouraged to write an essay over the book Readership WT selects. The winners take an international trip related to the book.

“The trip for Costa Rica will be on May 14-22 and a group of 15-20 people are going,”  Kaitlynn Fish, a student of the honors program said. “I will be going to the Costa Rica trip in May, where we will be doing volunteer activities, visit volcanoes, and hiking.”

The program also visits locations that are closer to home.

“We are going to the Guadalupe Mountains in McKittrick Canyon located in Carlsbad, New Mexico,” Nick Ellis, another student of the honors program, said.

New adventures are headed for the honor students but they also have to complete their requirements to take part in these new journeys. Mallard said to become an honor student there are certain requirements. The requirements, along with a calendar of upcoming events, are available at www.wtamu.edu/honors.