Honors Student Gives Keynote Speech at Scholars Ceremony

In September, Farquhar Honors College student Olivia Singleton received the honor of delivering the keynote speech at the Presidential Scholars Pinning Ceremony. The ceremony was held in recognition of the high-achieving students in the Presidential Scholars Program, a prestigious scholarship program that allows recipients of the full-tuition Presidential Scholarship to effect change across campus through transformational committees and projects.

In her speech, Singleton reflected on the program’s projects, growth, and goals to inspire her peers to continue to be catalysts for change on campus.

“Being chosen as the keynote speaker for the Presidential Scholars Ceremony was a very surreal moment for me,” Singleton said. “Being able to represent such a stellar group of students was a huge honor. It’s an amazing opportunity to help spearhead programs that will create change on campus, so to be able to put the group’s passion to make a difference into words was a privilege. It was also a very important moment for me because Dr. DeNapoli was a monumental mentor for me in the Presidential Scholars Program as well as in the Admissions Office, so it was a great opportunity to remember him, the influence he had on the program, and the way he pushed us all to strive for our goals.”

Along with being a Presidential Scholar, Singleton is a junior Honors student pursuing a B.S. in Chemistry with minors in Spanish and Honors Transdisciplinary Studies in the hopes of becoming a general surgeon for local and global missions. She is also the president of Greenhouse Campus Ministry and gives campus tours to prospective students as an Admissions Ambassador in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

“Being in the Honors College has enriched my academic experience in so many ways,” she said. “I have been able to maintain my love for books and English by taking three different Honors reading seminars with some of the most amazing professors we have on campus. Those classes as well as an honors class I took on transmedia studies in film, television, and social media have been my favorite classes outside of my core science curriculum because they allow me to be extremely well-rounded in what I get to learn about. They also have really opened my mind to new cultural perspectives and current issues that we face today. Honors classes are also my favorite because the style of classes makes it really easy to get to know my classmates, make new friends, and hear diverse opinions.”

For more information on the Presidential Scholars Program click here.

Posted 01/16/22