Innovative Scholarship
Rethinking how exceptional students learn is the cornerstone of the academic experience in Honors College.
Students have the option to enroll in Honors classes offered in their major and to choose our diverse small seminars, which are capped at 15 students. Honors seminars encourage discussion and deliberation, critical thinking and discovery. In the Honors College, there are many ways to learn—from departmental honors to small seminars, visiting faculty and artists-in-residence to self-directed study, honors by contract and internships. The Honors College prepares students for a future of service, advanced education, and outstanding professional achievement.
Parker
Hometown: Birmingham, Alabama
Major: Accelerated Master’s Program / BS Marketing / MS Marketing
Parker is preparing to graduate with both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees by the age of 20. In his short career at the University of Alabama Honors College, Parker has built a project combining his marketing studies and life experience into a service that cares for others.
Parker is not one to point out his own hearing loss, but a professor noticed it for himself. He connected Parker to his wife, an audiologist, and mentored Parker through his independent studies. Parker began his research with Hear Here Alabama, a nonprofit mobile unit treating rural areas. He combined his enjoyment of people with a passion for quantitative and qualitative data analysis to develop a strategy for the organization’s social media and content marketing plans.
Working 10 hours each week in addition to his classes, Parker was thrilled with the task of translating his research into real business goals. “I want to wake up at 3 a.m. now to do my projects, because I literally cannot contain my excitement over my research and strategy formulation. I know this sounds nerdy, but I would not trade my passion for anything.”
When asked how the Honors College has helped him reach his goals, Parker said, “I owe my accomplishments to my mentors in the Honors College. Without these people seeing my determination for success and will to make a difference, I don’t think I could leave the University feel like I had.”