The Enhance Your Education (EYE) Grant provides up to $1,000 to support travel, supplies or other costs associated with your honors capstone, study abroad program or honors-related research/artistry endeavor.
Read about the four recipients and their plans:
Anna Lantz:
“Participating in faculty-mentored research has allowed me to have access to the tools to complete research I thought would be impossible for me. I have been able to work with people with a 13 hour time difference to organize, plan, and conduct research that will hopefully give more knowledge and insight into the health of people in Indonesia. While there have been many struggles throughout the research process, I have learned how to use my own voice and advocate. Having the ability to experience hardships and being vocal is important for a student. It sends a president for how they will handle research in the future. Having the ability to set this president for myself, is a huge benefit for my future self.”
David Meyer:
“The program involved a tour of the Yucatan Peninsula, in Mexico. The journey was largely concerned with the newly constructed Mayan Train, and it’s impacts on the ecology, indigenous communities, and the more well-known tourist industry of the region.
The experience gave me invaluable hands-on experience and real-world skills. I will be able to draw from this trip for many years. It was a very substantial addition to my overall academic package and I am very grateful.”
Lila Roblin:
“Participating in faculty-mentored research has helped developed research skills I would have not gained otherwise. But most importantly, it has provided me with a deeper understanding of the research process, and what it means to be researcher. This played a key role in helping me decide my next steps after graduation—leading me to apply/be accepted into graduate school here at NIU, where I will get to continue doing research with my mentor!
The funding was intended to help me purchase materials for histology analysis of our tissue samples; unfortunately, something went wrong, and the tissues deteriorated, leaving us unable to continue this side of our research project/analysis.
However, the second part of this funding was intended to help me attend the Animal Behavior Conference in Bloomington, Indiana. Attending this conference was truly enlightening and deepened my understanding of animal behavior research, which really confirmed my desire to continue in this path. I learned about so many fascinating research projects and discovered great things about the field of animal behavior. Finally, I also had the opportunity to present my poster to a group of like-minded peers, and have interesting conversations about our respective research projects and the broader research world of animal behavior.”
Jacob Perez:
“The study abroad program I’ve been accepted into is a 13-week full-time internship in London, England, through AIFS Abroad. This program will put me at the forefront of one of Europe’s most dynamic and diverse cities, providing me with hands-on experience directly relevant to my academic focus in Family Social Services and Child Welfare. London’s extensive and historic social service landscape offers an ideal environment for real-world learning, and AIFS guarantees an internship placement tailored to my particular field of Family Social Services.
The funding I received through the Honors Program has genuinely made this trip a possibility. As a first generation American and college student, I’ve already pushed the bounds as to what I am capable and deserving of compared to how society might view me. Being granted this financial gift has truly liberated my mentality on my true potential for all I might be able to accomplish in the future.”
