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a unique perspective outside of my architecture major,” said Jonathon Brearley, an Honors College graduate now pursuing a master’s in architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The curriculum expanded his “understanding of architecture’s role in the academy and the world.” A CLOSE-KNIT COMMUNITY Honors students and alumni frequently point to community as one of the most vital elements of their Honors education. “My favorite part about Honors is the close commu- nity,” White said. “Every once in a while, I’ll be in a degree-specific course, and I’ll find out that a peer is in Honors. Before even speaking to them, there is already a foundation of mutual classes, professors and friends.” To help build that camaraderie, Honors students share a student lounge and computer lab, a peer tutoring writing program and a dedicated faculty adviser. They also have the opportunity to live in Honors housing at Stephen Epler Hall. A few years ago, the College started a Community Fellows program to strengthen these bonds even more. Fellows—sophomores, juniors and seniors who are paid a quarterly scholarship for this work—organize events like movie nights and midterm de-stress parties. “The students are really hard-working and generous to each other. That’s one thing I really admire,” Glascott said. “It would be very easy for a group of high-achiev- ing students to have a community that was competitive, but our students are really rooting for each other.” A TRANSFORMATIVE HISTORY Honors education at Portland State has undergone various transfor- mations over the past 50 years. It once had no required coursework; now there is a rigorous Honors-specific curriculum. The thesis once was optional; now it is required. The first Honors class was quite small; this year there are nearly 800 Honors students in 49 majors. Among the current Honors students, 27 percent are first gener- ation-college students; 34 percent are from racially or ethnically marginalized groups; and 39 percent are Pell Grant-eligible. Federal Pell Grants are limited to students from low-income families. The number of transfer students in the Honors College is also growing—they now make up 30 percent of the Honors student body. (See the sidebar “Welcoming transfer students.”) “Those are extraordinary numbers for an honors col- lege, and they make us quite distinct,” Glascott said. PSU’s Honors College has a higher percentage of both first-generation and historically underrepresented students than any other honors program in the state. Oregon State University’s Honors College population is 8 percent first-generation students and 10 percent historically underrepresented students. Clark WELCOMING TRANSFER STUDENTS Portland State’s Honors College is dedicated to serving high-achieving students from diverse backgrounds, but not all those students come to PSU as freshmen. Jasmine Gloden is one of the growing number of transfer students in the Honors College. She joined Honors after attending Clackamas Community College for two years. “At first it was a bit intimidating; it seemed like everyone was smarter or more prepared than I was,” said Gloden (pictured), a quantitative economics major. But then a discussion about impostor syndrome in one of her classes put her at ease. People with impostor syndrome lack confidence in their abilities and experience chronic feelings of inadequacy despite success. “It was very eye opening,” Gloden said. “Almost everyone else was feeling the same thing, which reassured me that I did deserve to be there.” Gloden learned about impostor syndrome in a new, accelerated course that gets junior transfer students up to speed on the academic writing and research tools that are foundational to the Honors curriculum. Added last year, Honors 399 is much more than a research and writing class. The course also builds community for transfer students, who now make up about 30 percent of the Honors student body. PSU’s focus on providing a path for transfer students is unusual among honors colleges, many of which do not even admit them. “We noticed our transfer numbers were increasing and the faculty wanted to have a better way to support these students,” program director Brenda Glascott said. “We wanted to live up to our mission of being an honors college focused on access, and building a specific entryway for transfer students seemed important to this mission.” With a retention rate of 91 percent for transfer students, the Honors College’s push to focus on community and inclusion for these students appears to be working. For her part, Gloden recommends that other transfer students consider joining. “You’ll get to challenge yourself and expand your horizons,” she said. 22 // PORTLAND STATE MAGAZINE NASHCO “It would be very easy for a group of high-achieving students to have a community that was competitive, but our students are really rooting for each other.”