Meredith College Honors Program Visits Washington D.C.

Twenty-nine Meredith College honors students and five faculty members traveled to Washington, D.C. from September 15 to 17, 2023, for the Honors Program’s annual fall trip. 

Students had the opportunity to participate in one of four mini-courses offered, which are listed below.  

• Marching on Washington: A History of Protests in the Nation’s Capital with Angela Robbins, associate professor of history
• Night at the Museum: Exploring the Legacy of Roxie Collie Laybourne, ’32, with Matthew Stutz, associate professor of geoscience
• Global Gastronomy: Farm to Fork and Sensory Exploration in a City Built on Immigration with Cathie Ostrowski, director of the Dietetic Internship Program 
• Exploring Memory and History in the Nation’s Capital with Jennifer Burgess, associate professor of English

All four courses included excursions in Washington, D.C., allowing students to learn experientially on the trip. On the final day, each group of students presented their takeaways from the classes. 

“My group, led by Dr. Stutz in the geoscience department, went to the National Museum of Natural History. We were able to learn about the forensic ornithology department and explore the DNA lab. We learned about Roxie Collie Laybourne’s influence on forensic ornithology and her contribution to museum collections,” said Mikayla Watts, ’23, the sub-committee chair for the fall trip. Laybourne was a Meredith alumna from the Class of 1932.

There was also time to leisurely explore the capital city. Students and faculty toured the U.S. Capitol Building, took a lights tour of Washington, D.C., visited Old Town Alexandria, and more. 

“We spent time as an Honors cohort, getting to know one another and making new friends!” said Watts.