April 23, 2014 | honors.missouri.edu

To graduation and beyond

HC bids seniors goodbye

Elizabeth OkaforStudent Spotlight

From competitor to coachHC senior Lauren Flaker

explorateUniversity of Missouri Honors College Newsletter

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Emerging bright ideas

Dean Lynda Kraxberger

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Last week, I ran into an honors student graduating in a few weeks. When I asked how he was doing, he replied frankly, “I’m scared to death.” “Why?” I asked, knowing all the while what would come next. “I have no idea what I’m doing after graduation.” This student, let’s call him Sam, knew he didn’t want to go straight to graduate school, but hadn’t been able to land a full-time job, either. He wor-ried about paying off his student loans, getting stuck in a low-paying and mindless job, spending the rest of his life in his parent’s (finished) base-ment. We were both on our way to class, and so the conversation ended abrupt-ly. But it hasn’t left me since. Years ago, I remember reading an interview with a famous photographer who, at the age of 81, was asked to identify his top ten pieces of advice for those embarking on their adult lives. “Embrace uncertainty” was number one. Perhaps it was easy for him to say so, although at 81, he faces the “Great Uncertainty” of when he’ll die and how, which is far more powerful than any other uncertainty we face in this life. And although it’s easy for me to say “embrace uncertainty” when I have a full-time job (and one I love), I can also say that if I could replay my 50 years over again, I’d have “embraced uncertainty” more than I have. I went straight from college to graduate school, and then straight from one academic job to another. I was extreme-ly fortunate to get them. But had I lived with more uncertainty, I might have become a better person for it. What does “embracing uncertainty” do for us? For one, it allows us to let go of fear, the worst enemy there is (guilt runs a close second). “Don’t waste life in doubts and fears,” says my guy Ralph Waldo Emerson, “spend yourself on the work before you, well assured that the right performance of this hour’s duties will be the best preparation for the hours and ages that will follow it.” Someone who pursued the life of reading and writing despite the constant shadow of poverty for many years, Emerson knew how to live deliberately in the face of uncertainty. He is absolutely right when he tell us not to “waste” our lives in doubts and fears, both of which are nasty, nebulous things. Fear can become a way of living, something that can overtake our lives without us even knowing that it has. But if we resist it now--even in the smallest of ways--we’ll all have a much more reward-ing life—and that’s something I know from experience, having wasted too much of my own life in doubt and worry. One means of combating fear, as Emerson suggests, is to “spend” our time on the work before us. For those writing in the 19th century, the idea of “work” was profoundly important—not in terms of financial or social success but, rather, as the fulfillment of one’s obligation to others, to the small and larger

Dr. West on

Embracing Uncertainty

world around us. In this sense, there is al-ways “work” to be done, paid or not, pro-fessional or not. So, to all of you graduating, I ask that you try to focus on “the right per-formance of this hour’s duties.” Even with the future looming before you with a capi-tal “F,” try to attend to whatever is in front of you now—the completion of your final semester here at MU, helping your parents at home this summer, taking care of all that needs to be taken care of before you go off to your first job or the next phase of your professional training. Another blessing uncertainty can bestow is self-development. It allows us to go deep into ourselves in a way that the rigor of class or work schedules doesn’t allow. “Creativ-ity requires the courage to let go of certain-ties,” writes philosopher Erich Fromm. And creativity is essential to happiness and per-sonal development. This is the time, when your life is relatively free from obligations, to experiment, read, learn new hobbies-- to explore your mind and talents, perhaps to even try out a different self, a different way of being in the world. I wish all of you the very best. And I hope, between now and graduation, that I’ll get to say so in person-- to give you a handshake or pat on the back, as you leave MU and go off to your new lives. But if I don’t get the chance to do so, let me end by evoking one more writer, Emerson’s good friend, Henry David Thoreau, who famously went out to the woods in order to “live deliberately.” It’s entirely possible, I think, to live deliber-ately as we embrace uncertainty—perhaps that’s the only way to truly live. . .

Graduation, Uncertainty, and a Deliberate Life

in this issue

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Announcements

Sports: From competitorto coachHC senior Lauren Flaker

11 Faculty: Emerging bright ideasDean Kraxberger on Emerging Media

5 To graduation andbeyond HC bids seniors farewell

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FacebookUniversity of Missouri Honors College

Twitter@MUHonors

explorate contributors

editorRachel Koehn

staff reportersSiyu Lei

Kate MaxcyJacob Renie

Kelsie SchraderCongrong Zheng

faculty advisorDr. Gregory Triplett

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explorateexplorate (ex-plo-raht) is a plural imperative form of the Latin verb explorare, “to ex-plore.” Drawing on the Hon-ors College motto, Explore. Dream. Discover., explorate invites students to seek out every opportunity available to them.

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1 Dr. West on Embracing Uncertainty

Cover photo courtesy of Lauren Flaker.

7 Student Spotlight: Elizabeth Okafor

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AnnouncementsHonors Humanities Courses with Seats Available

Gn Hon 3120H Honors Humanities Colloquium: Letters as a Genre – Writing IntensiveMartha Townsend - English

Laments appear frequently in the popular press decrying the demise of letter writing (e.g., ”The Death of Letter-Writing,” New York Times, 11/10/13), and informal queries do suggest that contemporary students’ knowledge about letters is slim. They rarely write or receive letters, nor have they had an opportunity to study the impact of letters and letter writing in our culture or over time. This course seeks to fill that gap for students from across the curriculum by taking a rhetorical genre approach to answer such questions as: What makes letters different from other forms of communication? Who writes letters and why? Who reads them, and for what purpose? What is the impact of digital technology on letter writing? Is letter writing dead, as many journalists and critics suggest, or has the practice taken another form? And finally, why should we care? In this discussion-based writing-intensive course, students will write short, informal papers; a longer, formal research paper; and be invited to propose alternative assignments within the spirit of the material we are studying. There are no quizzes or traditional exams.

Gn Hon 3113H Interdisciplinary Topics in the Humanities: Big Ideas, Big Questions

Co-taught by an English professor and a Professor of Psychiatry, Depicting Mental Illness explores the intersections between the fields of psychiatry, literature, film, and art. More specifically, it investigates how mental illness has been represented in these venues and has shaped them. Some of the central topics we will study are: - The literary nature of madness - Depictions of the relationship between psychiatrist and patient - Sigmund Freud as novelist - The ubiquity of madness in nineteenth and early twentieth century art - The evolution of theories about mental illness and its “proper” treatment - The impact of violence on the mind - The gendered nature of mental illness - Present-day stigmas associated with mental illness

Depicting Mental Illness will be the second course offered under the new honors series,* Interdisciplinary Topics in the Humanities, 3111H-3114H, whose general topics are Narratives and Histories (3111H), Aesthetics and Perfor-mance (3112H), Big Ideas, Big Questions (3113H), and The Digital Humanities (3114H). Depicting Mental Illness will be offered under “Big Ideas, Big Questions,” which is designed to explore key issues, problems, and questions related to the humanities. Like all the courses offered in this new four-course series, Depicting Mental Illness can be used to fulfill an upper-level humanities credit for all honors students.

TA Choice Awards

The TA Choice Awards are just around the corner! The TA Choice Awards, organized yearly by the Missouri Student Association, is an opportunity that allows teacher assistants to be recognized for their dedication, their hard work, and for exceeding expectations. The Missouri Student Association would greatly appreciate your support by notify-ing your students of this opportunity to nominate a TA!

Nomination applications are due Tuesday, April 29th by 5 pm and can filled out at msa.missouri.edu. The awards ceremony for chosen TA’s will take place on Tuesday, May 6th at 4 pm. The Time is Now! MU Serves…Do YOU?

Researching courses for fall semester? Do you have some space in your schedule? Do you want to make a difference? If so, the Office of Service-Learning has just the perfect internship for you. You can credit through us or we will work with you to credit through your own department if that is an option available to you.

Civic Leaders Internship Program: Not-for-Profit

Through our credited program, you are given the opportunity to utilize your skills and strengths while working directly with those in need and helping community agencies carry out their mission. Internships range from 8-20 hours per week during the fall. An internship may be an excellent opportunity to move forward with your current service-learning agency, or explore other avenues and areas of interest within our community. Students must be a sophomore, junior or senior with a 2.8 GPA and a passion to serve!

Students will: - Serve with an agency that aligns with their personal interests - Practice skills and abilities relevant to future career goals - Create and implement unique plans and programs - Own and manage individual projects - Develop extensive problem-solving and teambuilding skills - Build an impressive resume reflecting professional growth - Earn credit towards degree completion If you feel a not-for-profit internship may be for you, we encourage you to visit https://muserves.missouri.edu/internships for more information and start the application process.

Thank you,

Your Service-Learning TeamDr. Anne-Marie Foley, Jason Kinnear, Kirsten Pape, Mike Burden, Julia Parcell, and Cara Gallup208 Lowry Hall Columbia, MO 65211 |Main: (573) 882-0227servicelearning@missouri.edu | http://muserves.missouri.edu

#MizMoments Campaign

The MU Career Center wants you to share your best Mizzou moment on social media (Twitter/Instagram) using #MizMoments and get entered to win a $50 Visa Gift card! It can be anything you want – not just career-related mo-ments! Pictures are encouraged but not required – we want everyone to participate!

The Career Center staff will select finalists and the public will vote for the winner! All students are welcome to apply and creativity counts. Share today – submissions accepted thru April 25th!

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To graduation and beyond

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The Honors College bids farewell to its outstanding seniorsBy Kate Maxcy and Congrong Zheng

In May, 254 seniors will graduate with the Honors Certificate. Students that maintain a 3.3 GPA and complete 20 or more hours of honors credit are eligible for the Honors Certificate. Five of the Hon-ors Certificate recipients completed more than 30 honors credit hours. The average GPA of students graduating with an Honors Certificate is 3.705.

Lauren Bond

Freshman Year Goals: My plan freshman year was to pursue a degree in biochemistry in preparation for attending medical school to become a doctor. After learning how extremely squeamish I am, I kept my major the same in biochemistry but decided to focus on scientific research instead with a goal of working in the biomedical industry after graduation.

Current Goals: I am currently seeking a career in the biotechnical industry. Long term, I am also interested in patent law and may pur-sue a law degree and focus on patents for the biotechnical industry.

First Honors Class: Chemistry 1320H with Dr. Adams

Last Honors Class: Undergraduate Research In Biochemistry with Dr. Heese

Honors Experience: The Honors College gave me the added challenge and opportunity to push myself academically. Through smaller class sizes and more one-on-one instruction, I also develop better and stronger relationships with my professors and fellow stu-dents. Being part of the Honors College has significantly enhanced my education and will help me succeed in my post graduate plans as a result.

Sean Bennett

Freshman Year Goals: I had two main goals Freshman year. One was to get as involved as I could in my academics and in organiza-tions on campus. I feel that I have achieved that goal, as I’ve been involved in MU swim club, STRIPES, Phi Sigma Pi Honor Fraternity, re-search in the McClellan lab, and feel I have done well academically. My other goal was to apply and be accepted to medical school. I have also achieved this goal, and am matriculating to the Mizzou school of medicine this fall. Overall, I don’t think my goals changed much over my undergraduate career, and I feel that focus has been worthwhile.

Current Goals: As I said before, I will be matriculating to the MU school of medicine next fall, and currently I just plan on enjoying my relatively short break (2 months of summer) in any way I can. I plan on spending time with my family, maybe take a couple of trips, and potentially do a little research while hanging out in Columbia.

First Honors Class: Human sciences sequence with Dr. Laird

Last Honors Class: Cross-Cultural Psychology with Dr. Naveh-Benjamin

Honors Experience: The Honors College has allowed me to pursue a greater level of breadth and depth in my education through the exploration of the humanities and social sciences. This diversity be-yond my major (Biology) and minor (Psychology) is why I value my honors education greatly.

Freshman Year Senior Year Freshman Year Senior Year

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Sean Harmon

Most Memorable HC Experience: The most important thing the Honors College brought me was challenging material from my ma-jor as well as topics I would never have thought of learning before college. My honors courses have included classes about nuclear weapons, baseball, movies, economics, public policy, philosophy, and others. It has opened my eyes to many new disciplines and the classes are always interesting.

Goals: My goal when I first became an honors student was to con-tinue to challenge myself academically throughout my college ca-reer. This goal has remained the same throughout my years at Miz-zou, and I still enjoy challenging myself by taking honors courses.

Advice for HC Freshmen: I would definitely recommend the Hon-ors College to anyone who wants to enrich their academic experi-ence at Mizzou. The honors courses you take will introduce you to new things and make you think, which is what college is all about.

Caroline Kreps

Most Memorable HC Experience: My most memorable thing about the Honors College has been the classes I have been able to take because I am in the Honors College. Courses that focus on complex and interesting issues in a setting where discussion is the basis of the course and individual interpretations are not only encouraged but appreciated.

Goals: My goal when I first became an Honors student was to do well in courses that would challenge me more than my other classes. Taking Honors classes has enhanced my experienced at Mizzou by challenging my abilities and has helped prepare me for graduate school.

Advice for HC Freshmen: I would definitely recommend the Hon-ors College to incoming freshman because some of my favorite classes have been honors classes and they have helped me de-velop my own opinions and goals for my future.

Senior Year Senior Year

Attention Honors College Seniors!

Share with us about your Honors College experience by taking the Honors College senior exit survey:

https://missouri.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_d0z1do7dCU1xbVz

Best of luck in all your future endeavors!

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ElizabethOkafor

Story and Layout by Siyu Lei

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

“I love it.” “He is amazing.” “I think that is so cool.” One can hardly find anything that fails to trigger freshman Elizabeth Okafor’s interest. Her optimistic spirit is almost contagious as her enthusiasm remains at its peak. She ex-presses her passion in almost everything, whether she has done it or not. The list of things that really light her up includes learning about medicine and French, preparing for her role as a student mentor, and not very surprisingly, interviewing a pop band in front of a camera. Okafor came to MU last fall and started studying biology. As the first year comes to an end, she recalled a few memo-rable moments that will leave a mark on her college expe-rience. One of these was the moment when she received the email informing her that she will become a Peer Advi-sor with the MU Residential Life Department and is going to teach a Freshman Interest Group (FIG) class in Fall 2014.

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When the email came in one morning at the end of March, Okafor was walking into her classroom. As soon as she saw the email, she walked out and started screaming. “Everyone surrounding me was staring at me like I’m cra-zy,” Okafor said. Screaming was her first reac-tion at that very moment, but just like everything else that Okafor does, she knows how to start with a thought and turn it into reality. Before next semes-ter starts, she needs to form a lesson plan for the class, dis-cuss class contents with her faculty co-facilitators and work out some tasks that she can as-sign to her students so that they not only learn new knowledge about biology, but also have a little fun, too. “I will be working with about 20 students. It will be a bio-intensive course to get them ready for all the courses they will have to take for their major, and to get them transitioned from high school to college,” Okafor said. “I want to see what they want to learn from me.” In terms of Okafor’s own tran-sition to college, she said that she has done things here that she could have not imagined before coming to MU. Last October, Okafor inter-viewed Youngblook Hawke. The Los Angeles-based band per-

formed at the 2013 MU Home-coming concert, and Okafor happened to sign up to cover the event for MUTV. “Initially, I thought I was just the camera girl,” Okafor said. Thirty minutes before her shift, Okafor learned that it was not behind the camera where she was assigned to stand. Oka-for remembered throwing on nicer clothes while coming up with a list of questions that she could ask the band members, all at the very last minute. “It was really fun. The video turned out OK,” Okafor said. “And they followed me on Twit-ter.” Okafor connected with the Honors College through her French professor, Dr. Wetzel. The professor recommended that Okafor take the honors sec-tion of her French class. “I called [the Honors College], and they gave me permission to take the course,” Okafor said. “I also got permission to take Dr. Keller’s chemistry class. That’s how I first got into the Honors College.” The first two classes were merely a starting point for Oka-for. She gave it a try and decided to stick with it. Next semester, Okafor will be taking one of the humanities sequence courses, General Honors 2113H, which covers the 17th-19th centuries. “I am super excited,” Okafor

said. Okafor considered Honors Col-lege as a great way to network around campus. She still goes to Dr. Wetzel’s office hours some-times “just to say hi.” She also looks forward to working again with Dr. Keller, who will be one of the faculty co-facilitators of Okafor’s biology FIG group, af-ter taking his chemistry class first semester. Okafor may have no problem finding a list of things that she enjoys, but what is hard for her is to narrow it down. As she declared her French ma-jor recently, her future options seem wider than ever: medical school, graduate school, or even the Peace Corps. “I want to see if there is a job that I can do something inter-nationally with my French. Be-cause I see myself doing a lot of travelling, but then again, I also want to incorporate medicine,” Okafor said. “For example, I think Sanjay Gupta who works for CNN has the most amazing job.” However, instead of thinking about five or 10 years from now, Okafor prefers to think about now. She wants to start her own research project next semester. She needs to think about what textbook she can to use for her FIG class. She also wants to meet more new people.

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The transition from player to coach can be very difficult for some. Just because you know how the game works, doesn’t mean you can teach others. Teaching others requires a certain skill set of patience, encour-agement and the want to help oth-ers. For MU senior Lauren Flaker, the transition went better than she would have thought possible. After deciding she no longer wanted to run track her senior year, the All-SEC and All-Big 12 sprinter took an opening as a track coach for a local high school. “I heard in the spring about an opening up at Rock Bridge, which is where I went to high school,” Flaker said. “I contacted Coach Blackbird at Rock Bridge, and he was really ex-cited about the possibilities.” She was heavily influenced to take the job because of a class she took

with the MU Honors College. “Last semester I took a class on positive coaching and it was part of an honors requirement,” Flaker said. “At first I was just taking it because I heard good things about the class and other athletes had taken it. And a guy was who teaching it was working with track team and he helped me last year.” She said the class taught her a lot about coaching techniques and how to be a good coach. “I researched positive coaching techniques and how to be a positive coach and I did a research paper on that,” Flaker said. “I think it help me gain a better understanding of athletics and to be better athlete and coach.” She brought this newfound knowledge to Rock Bridge. “Honestly at first I was like I know a lot about track. I’ve been doing it for 10 years,” Flaker said. “But now maybe a little over a month in I’m seeing a lot of the changes that are coming about on the team and the relationships formed and it’s really cool.” Flaker was originally a walk-on, but earned a scholarship after proving her worth to the team. She loves getting better and said she misses competing the most. “[Getting better] was one of the things that made me really sad about not doing track,” Flaker said. “Because I was excited about competing and getting better, but on flip side I really enjoy watching the kids get better and seeing them improve and wanting to improve.”

From competitor to coachBy Jacob Renie

SPORTS

HC senior Lauren Flaker running the final leg of the 4x400 at the SEC Outdoor Championship in Spring 2013. Photo courtesy of Lauren Flaker.

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“Because of that they’re more inter-esting. The profes-sor recognizes the people in class are more interested and I think they give more because they’re getting more from stu-dents.” As of right now, Flaker plans on continuing on into graduate school with MU. She said that while honors classes and the journalism school have helped her develop, it was really thanks to athletics that she learned self-disci-pline and met with success during in-ternships. “I’m very confi-dent in my future because of my ex-periences at Miz-zou,” Flaker said. “In retrospect, I’ve had a great experi-ence at Mizzou.”

She also really enjoys seeing the change in demeanor of her team as her players went from hesitant to executing and competing. Flaker started track in 7th grade and after realizing she had a talent, decided to keep doing it. “I won all my races,” Flaker said, “every one when I was in 7th grade, and so I realized I was good and kept doing it.” In college Flaker ran the 100-meter and 200-meter with a personal best of 11.9 seconds and 24.3 seconds re-spectively. These fast times helped her to win the Marvin L. Patterson award three times, which is given to students that help the team overall through their dedication both on the field and in the classroom. Even though she no longer com-petes, Flaker said she still maintains great friendships she made during track. She even rooms with three girls on the track team. “My best friends and roommates have come through track,” she said. “I think there is a special relation-ship with track members. The ath-letes are weird and they’re cool and they’re like a family.” In the classroom Flaker said she enjoys honors classes because of the students. “I think that [the classes] are more engaging and the people are general-ly more interested in the class when-ever it’s an honors section,” she said.

The Seventh Column

Learning to Appreciate Golf

I have enormous respect for golfers. The skill re-quired to hit a ball from a 100 yards out and land it on the green is phenomenal. This applies to both men and women. I never fully appreciated their skill until I started playing. They seemingly with ease sink 10 foot putts and longer. It’s just unreal. Those short putts are harder than the long ones. You’re supposed to miss the long ones. But to miss a short putt by less than an inch or to toilet bowl the ball is infuriating. I feel like pulling a Happy Gilmore and throwing my clubs in frustration. But enough on how hard it is. How about how awe-some it is! First off, their clothes. Epic! I could wear golf apparel all the time. It’s classy and comfortable. I’m pretty sure most of “Frat wear” comes from imi-tating golfers. I even enjoy watching the golf channel now. It’s just incredible. As you can imagine the Masters was the highlight of my April. My boy Bubba did his thing and joined the select few of two-time winners. The Georgia boy kept the green jacket in-state. If you ever visit down there you’ll quickly learn that we love him. With his hat hair and polos he is the perfect Georgia boy. Not to mention he went the UGA which is like a cult of its own. I’ve decided, after watching that incredible perfor-mance, to work at the Masters next year. Wanna know why? It’s not because of the pay. Rather it’s for the opportunity to play on Augusta National. Yup. You heard, or should I say read, right. Sorry for the lame joke, it had to be done. Back to the point, everyone who works the tournament gets one free round of play on Augusta as an added bonus. Just imagine playing on the same course as legends like Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and more. Not to mention only some 300 other people who are members there ever get to use that beautiful course. It would be like the Blues inviting you to play a game at the Scottrade Center, the Cards inviting you to hit BP on Busch Stadium, the Rams inviting you to prac-tice at Edward Jones, only better! This place is a living, breathing history museum that you can replay for yourself. So next time you’re flipping through the channels and you come across a little golf, watch it for a little. It’s like art. You can’t help but appreciate it.

By Jacob Renie

Flaker and Cara For-té at the SEC Out-door Championship in Columbia in spring 2013. The two had just completed the 4x400 relay on the final day of com-petition. Photo cour-tesy of Lauren Flaker.

This semester, Krax-berger is co-teaching a Convergence cap-stone course, as well as a new Honors tuto-rial—Emerging Me-dia: The Intersection of Tech Trends and Journalism. Though the latter is brand new this semester, both Kraxberger and her students agree that it has gone even better than planned. Kraxberger’s inspi-ration for the tutorial came from one of her own lectures. Each semester, she gives a

two-week lecture to Conver-gence Reporting students. The lecture is based on tech-nologist and speaker Amy Webb’s annual Top Ten Tech Trends presentation. Webb’s presentation discusses new technologies and how to “stay ahead of the curve,” as Kraxberger phrased it, in

terms of media. According to Krax-berger, after she lectures on this pre-sentation, she assigns students to try out new apps, tools or other devices mentioned in the presentation for one week. However, she wanted students to be able to test out their chosen de-vices for longer than a one-week pe-riod. Thus, she created this tutorial to allow students the entire semester to test such new tech tools. Originally, the tutorial was to be based on students trying out a new app or other technological device each week or so and then discussing the de-

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Dean Lynda Kraxberger on her Honors tutorial, Emerging Media

tails and effectiveness of the device, as well as possible implications the device may have on journalism in the future. While students have done this to an extent, they have also molded the class to fit the areas that interest them. “We’re not going to investigate things that [the students] don’t find worthwhile to investi-gate,” Kraxberger said, “so every week or so, I come in with ideas and they come in with ideas, and we’ve been build-ing our syllabus two or three weeks at a time.” The course has there-fore included a variety of activities, including speaking with visiting professors or technolo-gists, attending events taking place on cam-pus—such as the RJI Tech Showcase—and engaging in much dis-cussion. Sarah Darby, a sophomore journal-ism and international studies major and one of the three students taking the tutorial, said that the freedom she and the other students have been given in de-ciding the direction of the course has been “an exciting change of pace from other classes where a looming grade

Dean Lynda Kraxberger, Associate Dean of the Missouri School of Jour-nalism for nearly two years, has worn many hats since her arrival at MU in 1993. She has not only served as As-sociate Dean of the journalism school, but has also created and taught a wide variety of journalism courses, worked at KOMU-TV in Columbia and served on the Honors Council for the Honors College. Prior to teaching at MU, she taught for one semester at the Univer-sity of North Florida.

FACULTY

Emerging bright ideas

By Kelsie Schrader

Photo by Kelsie Schrader.

is often restrictive of [her] desire to stray too far from an assign-ment’s instructions.” The course is unique from others in several aspects. It not only gives students the freedom to experiment and decide what to investigate, but also allows them to do so in a more casual set-ting. Students have the privilege of working closely with a distin-guished faculty member and with other students in a more informal man-ner. Rather than stu-dents sitting on one side of a desk and listening to the professor lecture, students have the abil-ity to engage with the professor and exchange ideas with each other, allowing them to really get to know the profes-sor—an opportunity that may not arise in other courses. Students currently tak-ing this tutorial agree that it has been a great experience. Sophomore entrepreneurial jour-nalism major Kara Ta-bor said the tutorial has already opened up “so many more doors than I ever thought going into it.” Already, she has been able to attend the highly prestigious Jour-nalism Interactive Con-ference with Kraxberg-er and other journalism faculty, a trip she knows

she would never have had the oppor-tunity to go on had she not been in this tutorial. She says the tutorial is one of the most important things to have hap-pened to her in the journalism school so far. Darby agreed that the tutorial has “exceeded [her] wildest expectation for what a journalism and Honors course” could of-fer. She added that the tu-torial has greatly fueled her own passion for jour-nalism. “I have never felt so pas-sionate about journalism and all of its possibilities,” Darby said. Both students agreed that Kraxberger has been exception-al as a professor of the course. They said Kraxberger is as interested and involved in the course as the students are, and that her passion for her work clearly shines through. Tabor com-mented that working with Kraxberger and being exposed to her expertise has been fantastic, and she has loved hav-ing her as a professor. “Though she is an expert in her field, she is incredibly open to feedback,” Darby said. “After working with Dean Kraxberger, I have also never been more convinced that Mizzou is the best place in the world to study journalism. In her hands, the school is driven by the needs of students and is set on a path of innovation and success.” Kraxberger, Darby and Tabor all highly recommend that Honors stu-dents take advantage of the tutorials offered to them. The small class size—typically three or four students—al-lows students to be truly engaged in the class and to get to know the other students and the professor. In addi-tion, the classes typically meet once or twice a week for an hour, making the

class a small time commitment, though it can be more of a commitment if the students decide as such. Tabor said the tutorials allow students to get more in-volved in their specific areas. However,

even if a tutorial does not relate to a student’s major, it may open many doors for the student that would otherwise never have been opened.Kraxberger would certain-ly like to see the Emerging Media tutorial become a regularly offered course, and even, ideally, expand the class size to around twelve students or so.“We have an existing

course called Emerging Technologies,” Kraxberger said. “I could see what we do in this class being taught as Emerg-ing Technologies or being taught as an Honors section of Emerging Technolo-gies, or as a tutorial again.”In the future, Kraxberger would also like to see larger Honors classes so that students can fulfill their Honors requirements without having to add a bunch of extra hours to their schedule. In addition, she would like to develop more online options for journalism courses that would optimize learning in an interesting manner while still al-lowing students to return home for the summer or during the semester.Kraxberger offered a word of advice to students: “Be curious, be flexible, be skeptical…in your education, in work, in your personal life, in every category.”In addition, she encouraged students to have fun: “If your gut is saying some-thing—that class, that thing—looks fun, just do it.”

explorate | 12- -

Kara TaborSophomore

April 23, 2014 | honors.missouri.edu

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore. Dream. Discover.”

— Source Unknown