The James Scholar Honors Program has allowed me to make the most of my experience as a Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) student. I completed challenging yet engaging honors assignments to fulfill my four honors credit course requirement. I presented a research poster at the Undergraduate Research Symposium with the help of Dr. Brian Ogolsky on the relationships between social media behavior and perceived desirability of potential partners among college students. I also took a graduate level course with Dr. Susan Koerner on Aging, Families, and Health and was one of only two undergraduates in the class. Through these experiences, I was able to build relationships with the faculty of the HDFS Department while growing my understanding of children and adolescents, families, romantic relationships, and aging in the United States. Although the James Scholar requirements seemed daunting, the opportunities they present ended up as some of the most rewarding during my time at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Maddie is an HDFS senior with a concentration in child and adolescent development and aspires to become an occupational therapist.