Honors scholarship strengthens the way students prepare for the workforce
Advancing Honors Scholarship recipients (clockwise from top left) Adrian Eduardo Ramirez Uriarte, first-year electrical engineering major; Naomi Payan Rodriguez, first-year finance major; Eduardo Montanez, first-year computer information systems major; Miah Gomez, third-year political science and transborder studies major; and Kay Kemp, third-year biomedical sciences major. Courtesy photos
As the workforce continues to change, Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University is rethinking how honors education prepares students for life after graduation.
Through a national initiative — the Advancing Honors Scholarship — the college is testing and sharing new approaches designed to strengthen honors learning and help students develop skills employers increasingly expect.
Students participate in hands-on, student-led cohorts focused on career preparation, working alongside faculty and staff to design solutions that connect academic learning to real workplace expectations. Students gain practical skills, confidence and clarity about their career paths while helping shape long-term approaches to career readiness that can be shared with institutions nationwide.
For many, the impact is immediate.
“Receiving this scholarship has allowed me to fully commit to my academics without the constant pressure of financial stress,” said Eduardo Montanez, a first-year computer information systems major in the W. P. Carey School of Business. “Instead of worrying about balancing work and school, I have been able to dedicate more time to honors courses and experiences that genuinely support my growth.”
Connecting education to the evolving workforce
The initiative is rooted in a simple reality: Employers want graduates who can think critically, collaborate across disciplines and adapt as industries change. While those skills have long been part of the honors experience, Barrett is now working to connect them more directly to career exploration and preparation.
“This initiative is focused on designing meaningful career exploration and development for honors students, regardless of program, campus or learning modality,” said Chris Smudde, innovation fellow for honors talent development. “By working with ASU colleges, industry partners and alumni, we are building a model for career readiness that can be shared with other institutions.”
Smudde said a key part of the work is helping students recognize how honors skills translate beyond the classroom.
“Honors education prepares students to think critically and be adaptable,” he said. “Our goal is to help students apply those skills within their careers and respond to the changing needs of the workforce, including project collaboration and emerging technologies like AI.”
For students, that connection is already shaping how they approach their work.
“My honors experience has pushed me to connect what I am learning in the classroom to real people and real problems,” said Miah Gomez, a third-year political science and transborder studies major. “I am not just writing papers. I am designing a mentorship program, doing research and learning how to communicate complex ideas in ways that actually reach communities.”
Removing barriers and expanding opportunity
Supported by a learning grant from anonymous donors, the project includes 100 Advancing Honors Scholarships that place students directly in the work.
Fifty students received awards in the first round this fall and are participating in student-led cohorts focused on career preparation and rethinking the honors experience. Each recipient receives $2,000 per academic year and works alongside Barrett faculty and staff to help shape long-term honors initiatives.
For some students, the experience has changed how they see their role within the honors community.
“Being part of a program that is shaping the future of honors education means a lot to me,” said Adrian Eduardo Ramirez Uriarte, a first-year electrical engineering major. “Being able to contribute to the community I come from gives me purpose.”
Ginger Stoker, innovation fellow for honors pathways, said the work also encourages students to see themselves as capable of high-level academic and professional success earlier in their educational journeys.
“By creating broader pathways, honors colleges can reach students who may not have previously seen themselves as honors material,” Stoker said.
Guided by research and collaboration
The initiative began with a review of existing research, peer institution programs and internal efforts to identify where honors education can evolve. Those findings are now shaping pilot projects, including mentorship models and experiential learning opportunities that connect students more intentionally to professional pathways.
“Our goal is not only career readiness,” Smudde said. “It is also helping students develop the confidence and agency to approach their fields thoughtfully as they enter the workforce.”
For Kay Kemp, a third-year biomedical sciences major, participating in the work reflects her long-term goals in medicine.
“Our mentorship project has shown me how important it is to listen first and build support around real needs,” Kemp said. “That approach will carry directly into my future in health care.”
Looking ahead
Over the next year, Barrett will continue piloting initiatives focused on career preparation and will share findings through Future of Honors Education workshops with institutions across the country.
For Naomi Payan Rodriguez, a first-year finance major, the work carries both opportunity and responsibility.
“It means I am not just benefiting from the opportunities Barrett offers,” she said. “I am also helping strengthen those opportunities for students who will come after me.”
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