Student Stories

Why Belmont/ Why Honors?

I chose the Honors Program at Belmont because I wanted to broaden my horizons, as well as be challenged and stimulated. I knew there would be extra room for creativity and self-expression in an advanced academic setting. Additionally, I felt that becoming a part of a smaller program would make it easier to form relationships with like-minded peers (which ended up being true). Like countless other Honors students, I am also extremely interested in the study abroad opportunity, not to mention the research project included as part of the curriculum. 

Why Nashville? 

Nashville is my home, so it felt natural to remain here for college since my family, friends, and all my favorite spots to hang out are in Nashville. I don't regret it one bit, since family ties and friendships are important to me and hold much significance in my life. I plan to keep Nashville my primary home.

Favorite Honors Community Memory

I love all of the inside jokes I share with many of the Honors students. It's almost like having our own language - most people have no idea what we mean! These kinds of silly jokes have brought us together as both classmates and friends. The Honors community is very kind, accepting, and understanding. 

Campus Involvement

Eco Club 

Career Plans

My career plan is to begin practicing family law at a firm in or near Nashville after graduating from law school and passing the bar exam. I hope to eventually open my own practice once I have sufficient knowledge and resources to do so. 

Why Belmont/ Why Honors?

I chose the Honors Program at Belmont because I wanted to have an active role in my classes. I appreciate how the seminar style of the Honors classes allows me to participate in the classroom discussion. Furthermore, the Honors professors are top notch teachers and mentors.

I also love the fact that, as an honors cohort, we have time carved out of our degree track to complete a major project. As a creative writing major who is working to publish her first book and write a second, this is the perfect way to jumpstart my career as an author while still finishing up my time here at Belmont. I ultimately chose Belmont’s Honors Program because of the amazing opportunity we have to gain essential first-hand experience in our field of study while exploring other parts of the world through a custom-designed Honors study abroad experience.

Why Nashville?

Living in Nashville was a huge factor in my choice to come to Belmont. I’m from a very small rural town, so I was looking for the big city experience during my four years in college. Nashville is the perfect mix of small town community and big city opportunity.

Favorite Honors Community Memory

My favorite memory with the Honors Community at Belmont so far was having a dinner party at Dr. Sisson’s house! Her class was so challenging, but the laughs, connections, and absolutely delicious food shared with Dr. Sisson and my best friends made all the hard work worth it in the end. The Honors professors seriously care about Belmont students so much, and they would do anything to make them feel happy, healthy, and more at home here.

Campus Involvement

Towering Traditions, Bruin Recruiters, Belmont Office of Leadership Development, Delight Ministries, Alpha Chi, and Sigma Tau Delta (English Honor Society).

Career Plans

After graduating from Belmont, I plan to work in the book industry, hopefully writing fiction novels or working in social media management. I am also pursuing a dance minor in hopes to land a role dancing in shows or for a traveling company. 

Why Belmont/ Why Honors? 

I chose Belmont because it was the only institution I applied to that had a close community of students and faculty that would benefit me as I pursue my degree. I knew I would cherish the relationships I made with other students and my professors here, and I didn’t want my college experience to be devoid of connections with other students.

Similarly, I chose to apply for Honors to facilitate even closer relationships with a smaller group of students and faculty. I enjoy being able to come in contact with a variety of different majors and interests when it comes to Honors, and I appreciate the smaller class sizes as well. 

Why Nashville? 

I’m from Atlanta, so moving to Nashville was far enough away from my home, but close enough to still be able to visit regularly if I choose to. Additionally, Vanderbilt University is in the city, which is a perfect location for medical research and internship opportunities for pre-med students. I wanted to go to college in a city where there would be opportunities to grow my scientific knowledge and experience taking care of myself away from my family; Nashville had both of these things.

Favorite Honors Community Memory

In my first semester at Belmont, Dr. Bonnie Smith Whitehouse hosted a dinner for the freshmen Honors class. This was an opportunity to get to know the other students in Honors and it really made the first year of college seem less daunting and stressful.

Campus Involvement

Black Student Association, Women in Science club, AED Pre-professional Health club, Alpha Chi, and the Belmont Office of Leadership Development (BOLD).

Career Plans

After undergrad, I plan on attending medical school, specifically in a MD/PhD joint program, and later becoming qualified to be an Anatomical Pathologist.

Why Belmont/ Why Honors? 

I chose Belmont because of its emphasis on community. Community springs from various sources, whether it be classmates in the same major, residents in the same building, or fellow enthusiasts in the same club. But the Honors camaraderie is something special. Everyone in the Honors Program has the same drive, goals, and love for learning. There is so much to absorb from those around you, and the Honors Program really highlights this.

As a more scientifically-minded individual, I love to see how some of my more creative minded peers see the same assignment through a very different lens. It has pushed me to think in different ways and expand my view of the world. This community has given me some of my closest friends. As we have multiple classes together, struggle through papers at the same time, and hang out in the library, everyone naturally gets to know one another and become friends. The curriculum even has a built-in study abroad program during the second semester of your sophomore year to learn and explore a new culture with your friends. The Honors Program is structured to foster this unique community in which you can learn and grow from your peers. 

Why Nashville?

Nashville is a thriving city with easy access to anywhere. From amazing concerts at the Ryman Auditorium to cheering on the Tennessee Titans, from quaint bookshops to some of the best BBQ anywhere, Nashville does not disappoint. As both a state capital and the nation’s music capital, Belmont obviously attracts many political science and music majors. However, healthcare is also a significant and growing industry in Nashville. Being an exercise science major with a goal of becoming a physical therapist, this was ideal for me to gain a variety of field experience. Belmont itself is perfectly sandwiched between 12 South and Hillsboro Village, two vibrant neighborhoods which have endless areas to explore and bottomless food to enjoy. Just two miles from downtown and only a 20 minute drive from hiking trails, Belmont is a great place for people of all interests. 

Favorite Honors Community Memory

One of the things I love most about the Honors Program are the amazing professors. During my first semester, the Honors faculty invited the entire class over to Dr. Bonnie Smith Whitehouse’s house for food and games. This was a great opportunity to get to know my peers and professors outside of the classroom. I think this really shows how much the professors care for their students both academically and personally.

Campus Involvement 

Bruin Recruiters, Plunge. I also hold two on-campus jobs, one in the Office of Admissions and the other in the Department of Fitness and Recreation. 

Career Plans 

I am currently an exercise science major on the pre-physical therapy career track. After graduating from Belmont, my goal is to go on to graduate school and earn my doctorate in physical therapy to eventually work with the pediatric special needs population. 

Why Belmont/ Why Honors? 

Before I began my college process, I wanted to understand what this next chapter in my life would look like. I am a first-generation college student, so with that, I carry a big responsibility to not only prove to myself that I have the capabilities of succeeding but also make my family proud. When I first started searching for colleges the summer of my senior year, I was just following everyone’s advice by applying to big state schools and investing hours filling out applications to Ivy League universities. However, none of these choices were made in the interest of my own desire to attend them in the first place; I was simply trying to keep my high school connections strong and follow their journeys.

I had already made up my mind that I wanted to major in something related to social health sciences, but I did not know what specifically. One of my friends from high school told me about Belmont University, and I booked a campus tour to look into Belmont. I was astounded by how beautiful the campus was as well as how amazing everyone made me feel. There was something so magical about talking to the current students at the time and receiving their honest responses about what Belmont had to offer and what its purpose was.

I wanted my future university to challenge me academically as well as empower me to become a man of character who will work towards transforming the world. Fortunately, that was exactly what Belmont had to offer. Not to mention, the nursing professors I talked to during my visit were so amazing and persuading that I decided that no other school had the same level of expectations and excellence as Belmont.

It was always a decision of mine to engage in challenging curriculum that made me think critically about issues. I have always been in honors classes, and I wanted to continue that trajectory by joining the Honors Program at Belmont. I felt like I would become a more well-rounded individual and broaden my horizon if I engaged in classes that had other people from different majors. I wanted to find a community that explored my interest in learning.

Why Nashville? 

My hometown is Jackson, TN, but the thought of remaining in the same place and not moving on from my childhood for college seemed like a step backwards in my pursuit to success. I was born in New York, so I wanted that city life aspect for my college years. Nashville was at the perfect distance away from my home but close enough that I didn’t feel like I had abandoned my family. Nashville is also the center of music so that was also very convincing to come to Belmont.

Favorite Honors Community Memory

My favorite memory with the Honors Community has definitely been hanging out with my friends late at night in someone’s dorm room and having charcuterie nights. We would often just sit and talk about our lives, make fun of each other, watch Scooby-doo, and just enjoy being in each other’s company. The friends I have met through the honors community have become more than friends; they are now a part of my family.

Campus Involvement

Phi Kappa Tau fraternity, Belmont Democrats Organization, Hispanic Student Association, Bruin Recruiters.

Career Plans

My hope is to receive my BSN at the end of my Belmont journey and start working as a registered nurse in the intensive care units. I want to continue my studies in nursing at a graduate level to hopefully get my CRNA certification and start administering anesthesia. I know that with nursing, there is an array of opportunities within the field, and something that has interested me lately is the ability to travel as a nurse. Perhaps before I begin my graduate level education, I may embark in working as a travel nurse for a bit or join the air force as a nurse.

Why Belmont/ Why Honors? 

I chose the Honors Program at Belmont because it seemed to be more than just academic rigor. Honors at Belmont takes Belmont’s core, well-rounded academic focus, and applies it to who you are as an individual— shaping you for the better in not only scholarly ways but in all areas of life.

Why Nashville? 

My family has always liked Nashville. It felt right.

Favorite Honors Community Memory

Taco and board game night at Dr. Bonnie’s! 

Campus Involvement

I am currently involved in Younglife at Belmont and serve on Belmont Ambassadors.

Career Plans

I am majoring in Exercise Science and plan to go to school for occupational therapy.

Why Belmont/ Why Honors?

I chose Belmont because I really wanted to experience life outside of my home state of Michigan, and I wanted to be a part of a welcoming and inspiring community. I was drawn in by all of the options and opportunities on and off campus that Belmont offered, especially in regard to studying abroad. Belmont’s Honors Program also played a large role in my decision to come here. I love how Honors has an extremely interdisciplinary approach to all of its signature courses. I feel like I am really learning to think for myself and mold my own ideas and opinions rather than just learning material to pass tests.

Why Nashville?  

Being in Nashville was a strong factor in my choice to come to Belmont. I love the idea of being a part of a smaller community inside of a big city. I also love that the city where I attend college has so much more to offer than simply being a “college town.” And, of course, it makes my family and friends want to visit me even more! 

Favorite Honors Community Memory

I don’t have a specific memory that comes to mind, but it’s always exciting to walk into (or zoom into) Honors classes on the first day and excitedly see familiar faces that immediately bring comfort and joy into the classroom setting. It is such a welcoming and supportive  community, which makes the learning experience that much more transformative.

Campus Involvement:

YoungLife leader at Glencliff High School, YoungLife College ministry, Kappa Alpha Theta sorority,

Career Plans 

I recently changed my major and have a lot of goals for the future, but my dream right now is to go to law school after my undergraduate coursework and become either an international or immigration lawyer. I  want to work in other countries and help displaced groups of people such as refugees and immigrants be protected and have an opportunity to thrive. 

Why Belmont/ Why Honors?

I chose Belmont because at my very first campus visit, Belmont felt like home. I could easily see myself living at Belmont, and Belmont also made me really excited about my next season of life. I took honors and AP classes in high school and really enjoyed the challenge, so I was excited to apply and be a part of the Honors Program here at Belmont, especially with the new Honors’ curriculum and opportunities. 

Why Nashville?

Nashville and all it has to offer is a huge benefit of attending Belmont, so it was definitely a factor in deciding where to go to college. Nashville is also home to Lifeway Christian Resources’ headquarters, which is a huge benefit to me, considering I have loved reading the books they have published over the years and I hope to intern with them while at Belmont. 

Campus Involvement

Bruin Recruiters, Kappa Alpha Theta, the Belmont Office of Leadership Development, Towering Traditions, and RUF (Reformed University Fellowship).

Favorite Honors Community Memory

My favorite memory with the Honors community so far would have to be when one of professors, Dr. Sisson, invited our Honors humanities seminar class over to her house for dinner and dessert last year. It was such a sweet gesture, and I had a lot of fun playing games and spending quality time with my friends.

Career Plans

After Belmont, I hope to land a job in the editing or publishing field. Eventually, I would love to write devotionals or Christian non-fiction books, as well as teach English as an adjunct professor. 

Why Belmont/ Why Honors?

Belmont felt like where I belonged. With the Honors Program, I knew I would be surrounded by like-minded peers and professors who not only shared my interests and academic goals, but also cared about my success. It's all about community for me, and that is what I saw at Belmont when I visited and what I have experienced at Belmont with each class.

Why Nashville? 

Belmont's location in Nashville plays a huge role for opportunities and offers a unique atmosphere. Nashville has been a perfect environment for me to live, explore, and thrive in. From the suburbs to the big city, there’s no place like Music City.

Favorite Honors Community Memory 

My favorite memories of Honors have been the connections and pop-up conversations I can have with other Honors students and my professors. Though we aren't always in a classroom or face-to-face, I feel like I have friends all over campus.

Campus Involvement

Belmont Vision (as an aspiring photographer and amateur journalist), Patton's Community Council. 

Career Plans

Right now, my plan is to study Music Business and Emerging Media and pursue a career in Digital Marketing to understand people from a Business, Entertainment, and Media perspective. I am also enlisting in the Army Reserves as a Civil Affairs Specialist, and through that experience, I will begin applying what I learn from Belmont to real-world situations and likewise bring a growing world perspective to Belmont.