Nov. 15, 2017
I am a complicated woman. There’s no easy box or category that I fit into. My interests, likes, dislikes, skills, personality traits and activities are all over the place. I love Broadway shows and also gritty hockey games. I’m a confident extrovert who sometimes feels absolutely shy and insecure. I’m outgoing and self-assured but oh-so-sensitive. I enjoy baking but was also happy laying tile in my bathroom and replacing my car’s headlight. I simply don’t adhere to traditional roles for tradition’s sake.
I adore art museums and documentaries, but am addicted to reality television shows. I’m as happy sitting on a beach as I am tearing through a new city exploring everything. Big nights out with a crowd are great, but so is a quiet night in with a book. I like getting dirty in the garden, but love getting dressed to the nines. I crave gourmet foods but am incredibly happy with a bag of Cheetos. Chocolate or vanilla? Sweet or savory? Red or white? Please don’t make me choose – I’m a fan of all of them. In fact, my inability to choose a restaurant, movie, favorite anything drives my husband crazy. But, it’s just who I am.
Even at the office, I’m a bit of a crazy mix. I’m a psych major in an office of journalists, yet I ended up being an editor. My days are never the same and I’m often jumping from completely different projects in a matter of minutes. I’m a thinker and a doer, a strategist and an implementer. I love working with a group, but sometimes just want to shut my door and work alone. My boss calls me the Swiss Army knife of the office – which is really a way to say I’m a complicated box of tools. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m glad that I work someplace where everything changes all the time and I don’t have to choose just one thing to do the rest of my life.
That’s the great thing about MSU. You can be whoever you want to be, no matter how complicated you are. As a Spartan, you can study everything from accounting to zoology and about 200 other things in between. You can create a path that works for you, whether it’s straight and simple or filled with twists and turns. In this big, beautiful place, there are endless opportunities to follow a course that’s made just for you.
Constance Hunt, an associate professor of social relations and policy, is a strong believer in students following their own paths, defying the ordinary and carving out unique experiences. She’s taught students to seek challenges and be creative – having students combine study areas like chemistry and international relations, and piano performance and social relations. She’s mentored many students in the Honors College and was honored by the college for her commitment. Read her FACULTY VOICE: Challenge, inclusion and creativity, to learn more about how she’s helped shape the paths for some pretty outstanding students.
Students in the Honors College are pretty incredible. The students who are part of the college have gone on to do amazing things and win prestigious awards. I’ve met a bunch of them, and they lead pretty complicated lives themselves – double- or even triple- majoring, working multiple jobs, doing research, studying abroad, volunteering, mentoring – all while taking a rigorous course load and maintaining high grade point averages. Check out the MSUTODAY FEATURE: Honors College, to learn more about how this college, celebrating 60 years, has been preparing Spartan leaders for decades.
Currently the Honors College has about 4,000 of the best and brightest Spartans among its ranks, including students from across the globe. Talk about choosing a complicated path – these students not only cross oceans to earn their degrees, they willingly tackle a demanding academic experience. Check out the short video in the STUDENT VIEW: Honors College – international students edition, to hear from some of these students about their experiences and why one says, “you have nothing to lose if you join the Honors College.”
People are complicated, but that’s a good thing. Imagine how boring life would be if we were all the same. Life is anything but boring at MSU. There are as many different kinds of Spartans as you could possibly imagine. The paths we use to get here and the ones we take when we leave are endless. Spartans fill every box, but refuse to be boxed into anything ordinary. Spartans are healers, teachers, inventors, artists, problem-solvers, partners, discoverers, life savers and world changers. It’s really not complicated after all. Spartans Will.
Lisa Mulcrone
Editor, MSUToday
@LMulcrone
Photo by Derrick L. Turner