"The UHON Program has given me the freedom to explore my interests in African Development, and has, through the honors curriculum, challenged me to think outside of the box and expand my understanding of the world around me. UHON has empowered me to reach for the stars as I venture out into the world. I could not have gotten the many internship and work opportunities that I have thus far in my college career without the academic foundation from the Honors Program. No matter what programs I desired to apply for, the UHON staff has been supportive and helpful.

"Being a part of the UHON program goes beyond academics. The University Honors Program has become a campus family for me, and has been a source of academic and social support. From the community service projects that we have each semester, to the various social activities, the UHON program ensures that from freshmen year forward every student feels a part of the UHON family. I am thankful to UHON for helping me to learn and grow as an individual during my years at UTC."

LaShunda Hill is UTC's latest winner of the nationally competitive Harry S. Truman Scholarship. She is a current senior in the UHON Program majoring in English: Literature, Humanities: African Studies and Political Science: International Studies. She has taken full advantage of opportunities to enrich her educational experience outside the classroom, serving a semester-long internship with the Tennessee state legislature in the fall of 2007, a Washington Center internship with the Constituency for Africa in Washington, DC in the summer of 2007 and a semester at the University of Ghana during spring 2008. In the summer of 2008, she participated in the Woodrow Wilson School Public Policy and International Affairs Junior Summer Institute at Princeton University.

When she is in Chattanooga, her energy and involvement is no less impressive. With her extensive outside-the-classroom experiences, Ms Hill is a natural choice to serve as a Cultural Exchange Ambassador for UTC's Cooperative Education and International Programs Office.