Emily LaMay, Class of 2020

Hometown: Chalfont, Pa.
Degree: Bachelor of Business Administration
Major: Management

Honors Project: "EXCELlent Training"

Emily's project focused on the design thinking process and entrepreneurship to create an online Excel training course for students.

Adviser: Dr. Todd Palmer, associate professor of management

How did your Honors Project develop out of other work you did at Bonaventure and/or experiences that you had?
My Honors Project developed through the work I was involved in with the St. Bonaventure Innovation Center. Through the Innovation Center I learned more about the design thinking process, how to create a successful pitch, and how to connect with multiple professions in the e-learning industry to help me create my training course. In addition to my work with the Innovation Center my project also allowed me to use additional concepts I learned in the classroom and apply them to my project.

In what ways has your Honors Project prepared you for a future career and/or graduate school? 
Conceptualizing and developing my project challenged me to think outside the box and work on my time management skills. It also helped me find my passion and allowed me to narrow down what career path I would like to pursue. There are so many job fields out there that it can be very overwhelming when applying for jobs, but my honors project allowed me to narrow down my search, which has reduced the stress I was starting to have. I am very happy I chose to be part of this Honors Program and am grateful for the support of the Bonaventure faculty that I have received.

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Rachel Collins, Class of 2020

Hometown: West Des Moines, IA
Degree: Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science (double-major)

Honors Project: "Revolutionary Lessons: A Comparative Analysis of the American Revolution and the Arab Spring"

Honors Project Adviser: Dr. Ibrahim Zabad, associate professor of political science

How did your Honors Project develop out of other work you did at Bonaventure and/or experiences that you had?
My honors project grew out of my work for my political science and history majors. My political science capstone focused on the role of women in the Arab Spring and my historiography final paper concerned the role of women in the American Revolution. A comparative analysis of the two provided me the chance to dive deeper into both and better understand the larger frameworks at play.

In what ways has your Honors Project prepared you for a future career and/or graduate school? 
My honors project allowed me the chance to develop the research and analytical skills necessary for me to succeed in law school at Notre Dame next year. It also provided me the chance to discuss the ideas in my paper with my professors, enhancing both my academic relationships and my subject knowledge.