Honors Students Beyond the Classroom: "I Didn't Know I Could Be This Person"
Honors College Dean Ed Munn Sanchez recently sat down with senior Makenzie Strickler and junior Kaine Koehler to discuss their Honors experiences outside of the classroom. Learn more about their conversation including ways Honors students have access to world-class opportunities.
Beyond the Classroom: “I Didn’t Know I Could Be This Person”
When alumni ask what today's Honors students are doing, the answer is usually impressive: internships, leadership positions, mentoring, research, service projects.
But sitting down recently with Honors students Kaine Koehler and Makenzie Strickler, I was reminded that the story isn't really about activities. It's about transformation.
Listening to the two of them talk, it was hard not to think back to when they first arrived at UMSL.
"I had no idea what I was going to do," Makenzie said. "Or how I even belonged on campus."
Today, that uncertainty is difficult to imagine. Makenzie has become one of the students new Honors freshmen look up to. After finding community through Honors Cultural Traditions and first-year courses, they returned as a peer mentor, helping new students navigate the same transition they once faced.
"I found community," Makenzie said. "And getting to help people adjust to college the way my peer mentor helped me has been really fun."
Kaine's journey has been equally remarkable. He currently serves as the President of the Student Government Association and has represented UMSL before state leaders through the Associated Students of the University of Missouri. Along the way, he has been active in entrepreneurship initiatives, Pride Alliance, and numerous campus leadership efforts.
Yet neither student pointed first to a title or accomplishment when talking about what mattered most. Instead, they talked about experiences that happened beyond the classroom.
For Makenzie, one of those experiences was the Pershing Fellows Internship Program.
The program places students with nonprofit organizations across the St. Louis region and provides a substantial summer stipend, allowing students to gain professional experience while contributing to missions they care about.
Makenzie spent their summer with the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival.
What they expected was an internship. What they found was a new way to connect their academic interests with something they loved.
"I got to understand how fundraising works, what's the importance of storytelling and human connection, and how all of that works," they said. "I got to bridge the gap between some of my academic interests in psychology and my favorite hobby of all time, which is theater."
Like many Pershing Fellows, Makenzie discovered that some of the most valuable lessons had little to do with a job description. Working with students from Washington University, Saint Louis University, and Harris-Stowe State University expanded their network and exposed them to people pursuing very different paths.
The experience also reinforced something alumni often tell current students: opportunities rarely arrive in isolation. One experience leads to another. Relationships matter.
For Kaine, one of those transformative experiences came through UMSL in D.C.
Each year, the Honors College helps students pursue internships and professional experiences in Washington through scholarships funded by generous donors who support the Honoring UMSL in D.C. Alumni Fund. Students secure their own internships, and the financial support makes these opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach possible.
Kaine's experience took an unexpected turn.
"I didn't find an internship," he admitted.
But rather than seeing the program as a disappointment, he described it as one of the most meaningful opportunities he has had at UMSL.
"Because of the Honors College and the donors that make it possible, that was something I was actually able to aspire for," he said. "Sure, I wasn't able to secure placement, but simply the idea that I was able to strive for that was the most meaningful thing."
The process itself became preparation for the future. The applications, interviews, and professional networking required for the Washington experience helped him secure an internship with ArchCity Defenders here in Saint Louis.
Looking back, he believes there was a direct connection.
The lesson? Sometimes success isn't getting the position you originally pursued. Sometimes it's becoming the kind of person who is ready for the next opportunity.
Both students also participated in NextGen Leaders, the Honors College's partnership with FOCUS St. Louis that introduces students to regional leaders and challenges them to think about leadership in new ways. The program is designed to strengthen leadership and communication skills while connecting students with community leaders and fellow student leaders.
For Kaine, the biggest impact wasn't the workshops.
It was the relationships.
"I went through the program, I learned a lot, but those relationships that were developed didn't go away," he said. "I still have a very close relationship with everyone at Focus St. Louis."
Those connections have continued long after the program ended.
"There is this immense network of professionals in St. Louis that all went through similar programs and all want to grow St. Louis to be more flourishing for all citizens," he said.
As the conversation turned toward graduation, both students began talking less about themselves and more about future students.
Makenzie hopes Honors alumni will remain visible and engaged.
"I would love to have Honors alumni at more events," they said. "I feel like it gives students a glimpse into what is possible after school, because when you're in school it's really just trying to do the next assignment, write that next essay."
Kaine immediately agreed.
"The future can often feel very daunting," he said. "The ability to connect with Honors alumni that have been in our shoes, and they got through it is really important."
Then he added something alumni will likely recognize.
"Never forget where you came from."
"I have such an immense debt to Honors for how they've helped me grow and change as a person. I look forward to being able to pay that forward, whether that's showing up to events, mentoring students, or supporting faculty. It's all about paying it forward because it's been so transformational for me."
As I listened, I found myself thinking about the first time I met both students.
Near the end of our conversation, I told them something that surprised neither of them.
"I remember you as freshmen," I said. "This was not you."
We laughed. But it's true. The confidence. The ease. The leadership. The sense of purpose. None of it was fully formed four years ago.
Programs like Pershing Fellows, UMSL in D.C., and NextGen Leaders certainly provide internships, networking opportunities, and leadership development. But the real outcome is harder to measure.
They help students discover possibilities they didn't know existed.
And sometimes, as Makenzie and Kaine demonstrate, they help students become people they never imagined they could be.
Beyond-the-Classroom Opportunities at the Honors College
The experiences highlighted by Kaine and Makenzie are part of a broader commitment within the Honors College to empower students to develop professionally, thrive personally, and contribute meaningfully to society through opportunities that extend well beyond traditional coursework.
Pershing Fellows Summer Internship Program
The Pershing Fellows Program, supported by a generous gift from the Pershing Charitable Trust, provides Honors students with paid summer internships at nonprofit organizations throughout the St. Louis region. Fellows work directly with organizations in areas such as education, health care, the arts, community development, and social services while receiving a substantial summer stipend.
Beyond the internship itself, students participate in professional development activities with students from other St. Louis-area universities, build storytelling and communication skills, and explore how nonprofit organizations address important community challenges.
UMSL in D.C.
The UMSL in D.C. program helps students pursue internships and professional experiences in Washington, D.C. Through donor-funded scholarships, students receive financial support that makes living and working in the nation's capital more accessible.
Students identify and apply for internships that align with their interests and career goals while gaining experience with professional applications, interviewing, networking, and career planning.
NextGen Leaders
NextGen Leaders is an invitation-only leadership development program for Honors juniors and seniors offered in partnership with FOCUS St. Louis. The program brings students together for leadership seminars, community tours, and discussions with civic and nonprofit leaders from across the region.
Participants strengthen leadership and communication skills, learn about regional challenges and opportunities, and build lasting relationships with fellow student leaders and community professionals. The program is designed to help students lead with confidence, awareness, and purpose.
Help Create the Next Transformational Experience
The opportunities highlighted in this story exist because of alumni and friends who believe that an Honors education extends beyond the classroom.
Whether it is a student spending a summer at a nonprofit through Pershing Fellows, pursuing a life-changing opportunity through UMSL in D.C., or discovering leadership potential through NextGen Leaders, donor support makes these experiences possible.
As Kaine reflected, the value of these programs is not only the position students earn, but "having the opportunity to aspire to something bigger." For Makenzie, these experiences helped connect classroom learning with professional passions and introduced them to networks and mentors that continue to shape her future.
A gift to the Pierre Laclede Honors College helps ensure that future students have access to internships, leadership development programs, professional networking opportunities, travel experiences, and the support they need to take full advantage of them.
Interested in supporting Beyond the Classroom opportunities? Contact the Pierre Laclede Honors College or the UMSL Office of University Advancement to learn how your gift can help the next generation of Honors students discover what is possible.
The next Kaine or Makenzie may already be on campus. With your support, they can find the opportunity that changes everything.
