Sokolov Honors College at Youngstown State

Kicking off 2025 with a great start by volunteering at the Mahoning Valley Second Harvest Food Bank! Our group worked together to prepare 250 boxes of supplies for local families in need. A big thank you to Honors Students Lucas Wendt, Anna Vo, Regan McKernan, Kennedy Nguyen, and Assistant Director Alisha Dodge for their hard work alongside another amazing volunteer group to get everything ready for shipment.

Welcome back, Penguins! Have a wonderful first week of classes! 🐧❄️❤️

🎉 As 2024, draws to a close, we’re reflecting on an incredible year at the Sokolov Honors College! From groundbreaking research and impactful community engagement to countless student achievements, this year has been one for the books. 📚✨

We’re thrilled to announce the digital release of our 2024 Honors College Magazine! 📰 Dive into the stories that made this year unforgettable, including:
🌟 Innovative student-led initiatives
🎓 Celebrating academic excellence and milestones
🤝 Making a difference in our community

Thank you to our students, faculty, alumni, and community partners who made this year so special. Here’s to a bright and exciting 2025! 🐧

🔗https://ysu.edu/sokolov-honors-college/the-honors-experience/honors-magazine

Thank you to the honors students who participated in the James P. Tressel Institute for Leadership and Teamwork Focus Friday at South Range! YSU students engaged with high school students as they dreamed about the future and began to set goals. Special shout out to honors alum and South Range teacher Lauren Pavlansky for inspiring your students!

Congratulations to Sokolov Honors College graduates and welcome home to honors alum Ashley Totin who delivered the commencement address during the Graduate College ceremony. Ashley spoke of the power of relationships and encouraged grads to step out of their comfort zones and take the risk.

A special congratulations also goes to honors alums earning advanced degrees, including Assistant Director Alisha Dodge who earned her second master’s degree in the form of an MBA... Alisha embodies our mission of inspiring a love of learning.

Congratulations to all YSU graduates and best wishes in your endeavors! 🎓🐧❤️🎉

Shining a light on honors students experiences 💡

Honors was represented among all groups showcased before the YSU Board of Trustees this week. From excelling in Moot Court, Ethics Bowl and Athletics to collaborating with community partners, their impact is remarkable.

A special highlight was Tanya Pai Dhungat and the incredible work of Students for Sight, striving to meet vision needs among college students. Huge thanks to community partner Sight for All United for collaborating with Tanya and her team!

We’re proud of our students for showcasing their drive, talent, and commitment to making a difference. 👏✨

First year honors students wrapped up their Intro to Honors fundraising projects this week by sharing all the ways they raised money for community partner United Way. Students learned to work in groups, communicate with each other, lead projects, and support the work of a local non profit.

Happy Tuesday! Here is what a few of our students are thankful for! 🍁🧡

Today’s rain didn’t stop students from learning how a rain garden works 💧☔️ Honors student and Environmental Studies major Sam Esposito gave 70 students a tour of this redesigned YSU rain garden…which all got to see in action! 🪴🐧

Great work Sam!

The YSU Honors Trustees are hosting a poinsettia fundraiser for the holiday season! This organization works to promote leadership, service, stewardship, fundraising, and philanthropy among the Youngstown State University Sokolov Honors College.

Poinsettias are available in the four colors shown, and four sizes are available. They will all have gold foil around the pot!

Ordered poinsettias will be picked up at Fok Hall (2-26 Tressel Way, Youngstown, Ohio 44555) Please be mindful of this as poinsettias are sensitive to the temperature.

The last day to place your order is November 22nd at 4:00PM.

https://ysu-honors.square.site/product/honors-trustees-poinsettia-fundraiser-2024/25

Congratulations to the students who won awards and all who presented their work at the inaugural honors pre-health research symposium last week. Kudos to the trio of BaccMed students Crescenzo Scheetz, Luca Ricchiuti, and Kaitlyn Vail for dreaming up this idea and executing it! Thanks to Dr. Seese for sharing your MD/PhD and research journey and to our medical school partners NEOMED and LECOM for joining us for the event. Appreciation also to the faculty mentors who support these students.

Honors Staff Spotlight

Carrie Clyde, Assistant Director

My name is Carrie Clyde, and I’m an Assistant Director in the Sokolov Honors College.

I am from Struthers, Ohio and I have worked at YSU for over 15 years in various roles. I hold a bachelor’s degree from Bowling Green State University in Health Promotion. I also hold a Master of Business in Administration in Leadership from YSU. I am a Certified Health Education Specialist with the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing and holds a Wellness Faculty status with the Wellness Council of America.

I am an avid runner and enjoy working out. I love spending time with my family (my husband, Brad and our two children, Brady and Mia, and my two fur babies, Bahama and Rocky), gardening, helping others to reach their goals, and being active in my community.

I am currently the President of the Struthers School Foundation, Secretary of The Honor Society Phi Kappa Phi Youngstown State University Chapter 143, and serve as an Election Committee Member for APAS, the Association of Professional Administrative Staff Union.

If there is anything I can ever help you with, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected].

Welcome to YSU! Honors and friends showcasing experiential learning opportunities at YSU welcomed future Penguins at this week’s Penguin Preview Day 🐧 Thanks to colleagues from , .institute, and Belonging, Empowerment, and Engagement as well as medical school partner for providing a warm welcome to prospective students and families.

Hi everyone! My name is Presley Bowser and I am an Associate Director in the Sokolov Honors College.

I grew up in a little town called Mineral Ridge about 15 minutes from YSU! I definitely embraced the small-town girl persona and wanted to stay local once I graduated in 2016. I chose to attend YSU in pursuit of my B.S in ILA Education (7-12). In short, I wanted to be an English teacher! During college, I coached high school soccer at Mineral Ridge, actively volunteered in the Mahoning Valley, and got involved in honors as a TA! I had a wonderful experience in my undergraduate program, and I realized that I was not quite ready to leave higher education.
I graduated with my B.S. in Spring of 2020 and decided to continue my education by pursuing my M.A. in Professional Communications. During graduate school, I was a GA with honors which helped me to realize that higher education was where I wanted to be forever. When I graduated in Fall 2021, I was then hired into the Honors College full time. Now, I get the chance to work with all of our wonderful students as they begin their college career and help them to navigate their way to graduation.

Honors was the family that made YSU feel like home for me. My goal now is to make sure that our students can have a fun, positive experience filled with opportunity all while connecting with their peers and honors staff - just like I did!

If you ever want to chat about opportunities in honors or in the community, please reach out to me ([email protected]). You can find me in the Cafaro House Honors Office room 1036. I hope to see you soon!