Skip to main content
NC State Home
Honors Program Student Spotlight: Valerie Hoyos

University Honors Program

Matthew Spencer standing in front of Haedong Yonggungsa Temple in Busan, South Korea during a solo trip he took to Seoul and Busan after attending the SPACETIDE 2025 conference in Tokyo, Japan.

Oct 7, 2025

Honors Program Student Spotlight: Matthew Spencer

For Matthew Spencer, a University Honors Program junior studying aerospace engineering, aviation has always been part of his story.

Italy: Urban History, Tourism, and Sustainability” students and their instructors stand below Italian Renaissance artist Paolo Veronese’s restored panel oil paintings on the ceiling of the Venetian church of San Sebastiano. The church is an art restoration project site for Save Venice, the leading American nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the artistic heritage of Venice, Italy.

Sep 2, 2025

A First for the University Honors Program: Spring Break Study Abroad

Shepherding students worldwide on experiential learning trips is, at this point, second-nature to the University Honors Program. Eight-day trips run through the Study Abroad Office with a three credit hour GEP criteria-bearing academic course attached, however, are not. 
University Honors Program students and OA staff gather their boats together for a photo while paddling at Croatan National Forest.

Aug 27, 2025

Going with the Flow: The University Honors Program’s Spring Break On The Water with Outdoor Adventures

The University Honors Program (UHP) appreciates its long history of partnering with Outdoor Adventures (OA) for student break and weekend trips in the great outdoors.

University Honors Program students standing in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.

May 28, 2025

Canals to Cathedrals: A Spring Break of Culture and Connection

The University Honors Program takes pride in providing numerous opportunities for cultural exploration, and spring break 2025 was no exception.
Lelani Williamson speaking at the Triangle Undergraduate Literary Conference, hosted by Duke University in February 2025.

Apr 22, 2025

Honors Program Student Spotlight: Lelani Williamson

In a university landscape often dominated by STEM achievements, Lelani Williamson demonstrates the innovation of Humanities students.

James Hung is pictured presenting his digital portfolio during the University Honors Program’s Senior Portfolio Showcase on April 7, thereby completing his requirements for the UHP.

Apr 15, 2025

Honors Program Student Spotlight: James Hung

A Special Topics course from Poole College of Management, entitled “Business Research for Undergrads,” gave James Hung a name to put with the feeling he used to get while playing grade school athletics: ‘stereotype susceptibility.’ Hung will be graduating with the University Honors and his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration this May; he joined…
HI 343, “Venice, Italy: Urban History, Tourism, and Sustainability” students and instructors pose with certified native Venetian tour guide, Luisella Romeo (far left) and Maestro Lino Tagliapietra (center) in his Murano glass art showroom.

Mar 24, 2025

World-Famous Glass Artist Instructs Honors Students Not to Fear Mistakes

When the participants of a short-term spring 2025 Study Abroad program traveled via vaporetto (an Italian public water bus) from Venice’s historic city center to the neighboring island of Murano to observe a glass-blowing demonstration, they had no idea they would be honored with the opportunity to meet one of the most beloved and renowned glass artists in the world.
Honors and Scholars Program students enjoying gelato in Genoa, Italy while touring the French and Italian Rivieras during a UHP spring break trip in March of 2024.

Feb 13, 2025

Where In The World Has The University Honors Program Been?

The University Honors Program (UHP) has continued the tradition of exploration that began with the University Scholars Program’s Cultural Explorations trips nearly twenty five years ago.

Students in the Fall 2023 "Defining Sustainability" first year Honors seminar spend their Saturday morning volunteering out at NC State's Agroecology Farm on Lake Wheeler Road thanks to a curricularly-supplemental outside-of-class event hosted by their Honors Fellow, Isaac Paolino.

Feb 12, 2025

What Makes An Honors Seminar?

What happens when you bring together curious minds, passionate professors and thought-provoking topics? Sparks fly — intellectually, that is.

Hoyos at the Roman Baths while on a weekend trip to Bath, Somerset, England during her Study Abroad program in Oxford, UK.

Feb 11, 2025

Honors Program Student Spotlight: Valerie Hoyos

University Honors Program (UHP) third-year student Valerie Hoyos, has never wavered from her first year commitment to the Political Science degree program with a concentration in “Law and Justice.”