Fall 2024 Honors Graduates

 Congratulations to the Honors College Fall 2024 graduates! 

L to R: Ong, Trejo, Payne, Tipton

L to R: Henderson and Lok

Kaylie Tipton Bucket List

 

I’ve never thought before about what I want done before I die. That seems kinda morbid to me. But if I absolutely had to decide something I would say maybe a well paying job in my dream career. I want to make a game that people love and play all the time. 

 

That’s one of the few things I'm absolutely sure on. I also wouldn’t mind honing my art skills more and becoming more skilled and able to draw things I’m not able to right now, or at least what I’m not good at drawing right now like hands. 

 

There are several stories I’d love to either write or draw out in a comic at some point. But before I do that I want to get better at drawing things so it looks better. 

 

Same for writing, I need to improve before I decide to write any of my stories, especially in a setting where others may read it.

           

 I want to be able to work in a place where I can achieve my dreams of making video games for people to play. That’s all I’ve wanted to do since 7th grade just about. I have ideas for games I’d love to make a thing but I have to learn more before I can make them a reality. 

 

Because while I know some coding, it’s not near enough to be able to make an entire game from scratch. Nor do I have the art skills required to make it good looking as well as functional. 

 

Hopefully it can be achieved in the future because I am learning and I look forward to it greatly.

3D Printers

 

 

SAU Honors College staff deliver 3D printers

One of our new full honors courses is 3D Printing. Naturally, you cannot teach course without printers.

We are looking forward to offering this innovative course.

Kayla Duke Bucket List

 

The first item on my list would be to travel. I love going places and seeing things, especially if I get to learn while sightseeing. My first time on a plane was when I was 5 years old, going to Disney World for the first time. I have been traveling much of my life, getting bored if I spend too much time in one spot. When the world shut down during COVID, it really emphasized for me how much I love the "going" part of trips and vacations.

      The second (and probably largest) item on my bucket list is to graduate with my bachelor's in psychology. Psychology has always been something I love learning about, and I enjoy helping others and navigating large or stigmatized subjects with them because, if I don't, who will?

      Another item would be all the thrill items. I've always been an adrenaline junkie for most of my life. I love roller coasters and shot towers. Anything that gets my heart racing. I think two big thrills for me would be sky diving and bungee jumping. Also, that zip line in Vegas that you get to do Superman-style, on your stomach. I have also always wanted to go to a monster truck show, so that is another big one on the list.

      One more item for me would be to have a family of my own, no matter what it looks like. Family has always been really important to me, and I cannot wait to have one of my own that helps others and shows them support, love, and care.

      I hope to cross off many, if not all, of these items in 10-15 years, but some goals might take longer than others.

Bucket List David Barlow

 Academic Goals 

1. Join a Study Group: Collaborate with classmates to enhance learning. 

2. Attend a Guest Lecture: Take advantage of speakers from various fields. 

3. Grades: Pass all my classes with at least a B Social Experiences 

4. Make New Friends: Connect with people from different backgrounds. 

5. Attend a Campus Event: Go to a concert, festival, or cultural event. 

6. Join a Club: Find a student organization that matches my interests. Personal Development 

7. Volunteer: Get involved in community service or campus initiatives. 

8. Learn a New Skill: Take a workshop (cooking, photography, coding). 

Adventure

 9. Explore My Campus: Visit all the important spots and hidden gems. 

10. Take a Weekend Trip: Explore nearby cities or nature spots with friends. 

11. Go Hiking or Camping: Enjoy the outdoors and recharge. Fun Activities 

12. Host a Game Night: Bring friends together for board games or video games. 

13. Try a New Restaurant: Explore local eateries and cuisines. 

14. Attend a Sporting Event: Cheer for the Muleriders. 

Health and Wellness 

15. Physical: Start going to the gym regularly. 

16. Establish a Self-Care Routine: Prioritize mental and physical well-being. 

17. Cook a Healthy Meal: Experiment with nutritious recipes. 

Unique Experiences 

18. Attend a Cultural Festival: Experience diversity on campus or in the community. 

19. Try a New Hobby: Whether it’s pottery, dance, or coding, give something new a shot. 

20. Capture Moments: Take lots of photos to document my journey. 

Bonus Challenge 

21. Go a Week Without Social Media: Focus on real-life connections and experiences.

Hunger Summit 2024

On October 24th Dr. Kardas attended the 2024 Hunger Summit along with three honors students. The three students gave a presentation on surveys given to fellow SAU students regarding food option preferences on campus. 

From left to right: Jada Bell, Jasmine Lopez, Kayla Duke

Kathy Gean (right) takes honors students to Hunger Summit

Bucket List Ranaiya Kirkindoff

When I was told to come up with a bucket list my mind went blank. Growing up I would always hear about people's bucket lists on TV and social media. I would never hear that people I know in real life have one.

The first thing on my bucket list is traveling to all seven continents. My first time traveling on a airplane was on a family trip to Florida when was in the 10th grade. Ever since then I’ve loved traveling by airplane. Also, learning about the different cultures around the world and their traditions would be pretty fascinating.

Being a business owner has always been a dream of mine. I would really like to open up a Beauty Shop because hairdressing has always been a passion of mine. I’ve been doing hair since I was little, but I didn’t start doing others hair and having clients until I was in the 10th grade. In Black culture the beauty shop is a place where we can vent, laugh, cry, and connect with other people all through hair.

Getting my doctoral degree in music has recently been something added to my bucket list. Music has been in my life since I was born. My whole family sings and plays instruments. Music has always been something that I gravitated to more than anything else. Music is healing in a way, when you don’t have the words you have music, the sounds, the lyrics, the way the music makes you feel. Being able to teach others the ins and outs of music and being able to connect with them is important to me.

Ever since I was little I’ve always had big dreams and aspirations; I have accomplished many of them. Hopefully, I can push myself to cross more things off of my bucket list in the next ten years. To many it might seem impossible and intimidating but I love a good challenge.

Bucket List Brianna Henry

Right now as a college student, I can go on and on about things I hope to do one day, but all of it seems so far when my main goal at the moment is to get through these next few years and earn a diploma. 

I know it may seem pretty basic, but my main item on my bucket list right now is get through college. I don't even have a specific goal then because I'm still torn between whether I am going to get a Bachelors or Masters Degree. The only thing I am certain of when it comes to my "things-to-do" is I am going to graduate with a degree in Accounting. 

Obviously, I have things I want to do once I have the money for it, and that's more like what you would want to hear about, so here it is... For one, I want to go sky-diving. I have always loved rollercoasters and thrilling rides growing up. I'm not sure if its the adrenaline or the rush of everything, but I've always found it fun. 

Another thing I would love to do is bungy jump off a bridge and ziplining. I love the feeling of free-falling, or "flying", and having the wind blow against me. 

Traveling is also something on my list. Not exactly sure where I would go, but the idea of visiting a new country, or even state, sounds exciting. Getting to know more cultures and how things are ran, its intriguing. 

So, although my bucket list may not be as exciting or detailed as other peoples, there are still some pretty cool things I'd like to do one day.

Bucket List Erica Zofcin

Ever since I could hold a pencil, I have made it my mission to put it to paper. Growing up, I drew and wrote practically nonstop, filling notebook after notebook with all manner of characters and creatures, dotting assignments with haphazard doodles, and scribbling barely coherent notes on the backs of printer paper. 

I enjoyed learning. I enjoyed science and history and math (sometimes, anyway). I enjoyed reading, and writing, and many times I felt as if I was the only one who did (in a sea of students complaining about essays and English homework). 

As I got older, I put my creativity to use: I wrote award winning poetry, had my art published in books, and won awards for acting and design. I even won first in state for my set design in UIL Theatrical Design last year. The feeling of accomplishment and pride is one that I will never forget. 

I have always wanted to create. It is a passion that has shaped every decision I have ever made. Now I even get paid for it (only occasionally; I have to eat somehow), but I still create purely for fun as well. I’m currently writing a book, which I hope to eventually publish. 

My goal, not only as a writer and an artist, but also as a person, is to make a mark. I want to do something valuable with my time, my talent, and with my skills that I have worked hard to hone. I would like to do at least one great thing, something that has a lasting impact on the world. My hope is that college will help me do that, which is why I’m here.

Bucket List Carter Wall

 

The main goal on my bucket list is to attend and attempt to understand all 9th (and part of the 10th, as I believe it is unfinished) of Gustav Mahler's symphonic works. So far, I have seen his 7th symphony in Fort Worth, and his 5th symphony, which I believe is his greatest, in Dallas. In March 2025, I am going back to DFW to attend the 9th. For a young and aspiring musician, I believe his work is the best thing humanity could've possibly come up with, and I believe attending these concerts will greatly benefit my understanding of music in general, how it is created, how to create it, and how to perform it the way Mahler intended in the future. 

 

      The proper way of performing Mahler leads me to my next goal, which is to be able to perform at least one of his works in a concert, a professional setting, whether it be in a symphony orchestra in the US, or abroad. For me, this will be the most difficult objective on my bucket list, if not the most difficult achievement for me in life. As a horn player, the market for my area of expertise is limited to the extremely talented and is oversaturated. Both will keep on getting smaller as classical music continues its declining demand. 

 

      My final objective unsurprisingly involves music, as I also want to make it possible for me to become a successful piano player, and whether it be in a jazz or classical setting, play in a professional ensemble. 

 

      My love for Mahler's work fuels my drive to become extremely good in both french horn and piano, so I can achieve everything I want from life. 

Bucket List Simea' Newton

In the future I plan to be a physician's assistant but there are many goals I wish to achieve in the meantime. 

 

I would like to hike to the top of a mountain, preferably a mountain that has little threat of death, injury, or trauma. 

 

I want to successfully nurture a plant to adulthood. This is very big because I struggle to keep plants of any variety alive longer than a few weeks. 

 

I want to see a shooting star and the Northern Lights occur at the same time. I can hardly imagine how beautiful that rare sight would be. 

 

I would also like to travel as far north as legally possible. How cool would it be to walk around and explore the white vastness that is the Arctic?

 

I want to travel overseas to New Zealand and learn about the Māori people. This means I would also have to face my fear of large bodies of water which is also on my bucket list. 

 

I want to become fluent in a popular language such as Spanish or Korean. Having both of these languages under my belt would not only be really cool, but it would be advantageous in my career field to be able to communicate with people outside my culture. 

 

I want to have my own moment in pop culture and become a microcelebrity that people randomly think about from time to time. It doesn’t have to be anything super impactful, but I really want to have a little sample of fame. I would like to meet Beyoncé before she officially retires from the music industry completely. I’ve loved her since I was a small child sitting in the back seat of my mother’s car screaming along to her songs at the top of my lungs and meeting her would literally change the trajectory of my life. 

 

I want to sing for an audience and receive a standing ovation. Singing is a big passion of mine and being shown appreciation for my voice would be so amazing. 

 

Hopefully, I can achieve it all before I kick the bucket.

Bucket List Kale Rehm

In 2024 I hope to improve on my habits that I struggled with in high school. Whether that be procrastination, lack of discipline, or just the willpower to make myself do an assignment. 

I hope to finish this first semester of my college career with A’s in every class. While I do intend on focusing on school work I'd also like to develop bonds with new people and pursue new opportunities. 

I want to set a strict diet and stick to it. Along with this diet I'd like to continue working with my personal trainer. 

All in all I just want to have a positive, successful first year in a new environment. I want to lay the foundation for my future school years to come.

Bucket List Savannah Sivils

I don’t think I have ever sat down and made a list of things I want to do in the future as I never thought I would make it to the future. I don’t know what I thought was going to happen, maybe I had secret knowledge about a zombie apocalypse that I wouldn’t survive, but I never made any decisions for future me. Now I am pretty set on having a future and am excited to have goals and a plan for what I want to do with my life. 

My first item on my bucket list is to travel outside of the country, preferably Italy, but honestly wherever is cheapest. I haven’t been to a lot of places in my life and never outside of the U.S, so getting to see more of the world would be amazing. I love learning about different people and cultures, and getting to see and learn in person would be phenomenal. 

The next item on my bucket list is to successfully make a project to improve my community. I say successfully because I have planned projects before to help out, but they never went anywhere. I believe if I can just get more experience I will actually make a successful project. 

In the same vein, I really want to finish a larger scale creative project, such as a short film, book, or comic book. Again, I have started creating lot of things, but just never finished them. I would like to have finished something big and creative. I probably wouldn’t even share it anywhere, just finish it to prove to myself that I can and that I can follow through on plans I have made. 

Another thing on my bucket list that is significantly lamer is to go to a fancy restaurant, I just want to see how much better the food would be.  

Bucket List Nicholas Martinez

I have put some thought into a bucket list since one of my friends recommended that I make one. I love the idea of a bucket list since it's a good way to really think about your aspirations and goals, and one of the main things I want to achieve in life is to be worry free. 

There is always something happening in my life and I am always dreaming of coming back to a more relaxed time like when I was younger. Back then, I had fewer responsibilities and no heavy expectations. Now, I will be working the hardest I can to achieve my other dream: being a well respected actor and performer. Pursuing college is helping me work my way to cross this part of my bucket list off by bettering my skills and abilities. I also hope that this preparation of work will help me achieve my first goal sooner rather than later near the end of my life. 

Another goal of mine is to find someone I can spend the rest of my life with. I want to be able to share our experiences and knowledge and always have the reassurance that I always have someone that cares for me and vice versa. I love people and it's so nice to be able to really know and be with someone and it takes a lot of worries away for me. I know it's a lot of work and I will have to put a lot of effort into this too but I believe all three of these goals are all worth it to make my life the best experience for me.

Bucket List Cynthia Lopez

Since I was in middle school, I never truly had the idea of making it to my 18th birthday or college. As the years went by, not once did I ever think about making it to college. I found tennis and started playing when I started high school, I did play on and off as I did struggle with a weak mentality and couldn’t handle the pressure sometimes. 

When I got to my senior year, we had the opportunity to watch live professional tennis matches at a country club in Houston. When we got there my favorite tennis player, Ben Shelton, was already playing and I was amazed on how tall he was, his ability to keep up with his opponent, and how skilled of a player he was. When he was done playing, he and his opponent had to walk back to his building to rest. The crowd and I were waiting outside trying to take pictures and autographs. I managed to get a picture with him and it is in my room, framed. After that day of watching live tennis matches, I told myself that I wanted to keep doing that. 

I plan to travel abroad sometime during the summer 2026 when they begin hosting the ATP tours, but I will at least ONE time be able to attend any US Open matches. I plan on playing tennis and to play in UTR tournaments when I go back home during the winter. Since seeing those live tennis matches, I want to continue playing and enjoy the game. After seeing players interviewed and how they talk about the feeling of playing the game, I want to be able to also experience that.