Honors College Provided Home away from Home
Sep. 27, 2023
Caroline Conkle , at cconkle@una.edu
Ninth in a Series
The University of North Alabama is home to the Delores and Weldon Cole Honors College. Its mission is to provide students with a great college experience that translates into postgraduate success. The College is full of many students with different majors, backgrounds, and aspirations.
As a student in the Cole Honors College myself, I am writing a series of student profiles on other students in the College and how their time at UNA and as an Honor student is preparing them for student success.
Rebekah Callahan is a junior at UNA from Atoka, Tenn., but Florence has quickly become her home away from home. She is double majoring in Political Science and English, with a concentration in Professional Writing. When she is not in class or working with her campus organizations, she loves hiking, running, going to spin class at the Student Recreation Center, and exploring the Shoals with her friends.
Here she is in her own words.
Q: Why did you choose to come to UNA?
A: I chose to come to UNA because, when I first visited during my sophomore year of high school, I was struck by how friendly, engaged, and personable everyone is. It was important to me to find a school where everyone genuinely enjoys their campus and community, and UNA fits that perfectly.
Q: If you were to give your younger self advice about coming to college, what would you say?
A: If I could give my younger self advice about coming to college, I would tell her that college is a growth phase, not a waiting phase. I was worried about just making it through four years and trying to figure out my future. Through different leadership roles and activities, I have grown and learned so much that I will leave with way more than just a degree when I graduate.
Q: What drew you to Honors? Why do you want to join?
A: I was drawn to the Honors program because I knew I wanted to be connected with students who have similar goals and mindsets as me. The community within the Honors College cares about excelling in classes and gaining skills to use beyond the classroom, and it makes for an even better learning experience.
Q: If you tell someone to join the Honors College, what would you say?
A: If I were to tell someone to join the Honors College, I would tell them that they have nothing to lose and everything to gain. The scholarships, opportunities, and friendships I have gained through the Honors College have cost me nothing but have enhanced my college experience more than I can quantify.
Q: How do you feel UNA is preparing you for success?
A: I believe UNA is preparing me for success by giving me access and encouragement to participate in so many activities and leadership roles. I serve as a Student Government Association Senator, Freshman Forum Advisor, and LaGrange Society ambassador. Those roles have developed my professional, communication, and leadership skills in such a way that I will be prepared for any career after I earn my degree.
About The University of North Alabama
The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering credential, certificate, baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs in the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. The first-choice University for more than 10,000 on-campus and online students, UNA is on a bucolic campus in Florence, Alabama, part of the historic and vibrant Shoals region. Lions Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of the NCAA Division I’s ASUN Conference. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: www.una.edu and www.una.edu/unaworks/