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Students enrolled in the ��������Ƶ Honors Program must complete a capstone requirement through a self-designed project or travel. The capstone project must be documented and include a comprehensive project paper and portfolio. Upon completion of the project, an Honors student must complete a formal public presentation of his/her capstone experience.

Three ��������Ƶ University students shared their plans for their Honors capstone project.

Alex Christoff, senior, will walk a portion of the Camino Frances. She will start at Ponferrada and conclude her journey in Santiago de Compostela.

“The length of the Camino is an estimated 12 to 14 days of walking from before sun up to a couple of hours before sun down. I am very excited to begin the traditional pilgrimage. I will be walking the same path that thousands of pilgrims have every year since the 12th century,” said Christoff, noting that she has been increasingly interested in the religious aspects of her life since beginning her education at ��������Ƶ University.

“Looking at my capstone project critically, my main purpose is to remove myself from my comfort zone and challenge myself. I want to attempt something that I have always wanted to do but never had the courage to accomplish,” said Christoff.

April Walker, senior, is creating an 18-credit ecotourism minor program for ��������Ƶ University as her capstone project. The project will include written course descriptions, learning objectives, and a syllabus for each of the classes.
“The purpose of my project is to create a minor for students that are interested in the preservation of our environment. The classes could also be taken by students as electives in order to complete the required amount of credits for graduation,” said Walker who is a hospitality and tourism major at the University.

Lauren Miller, junior, is combining her major, Spanish, and her minor, creative writing, for her capstone project and writing a travel narrative based on her experiences in Spain during M-Term 2009.

Miller’s themes for her narrative include the Spanish Civil War and the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.

“Not a lot of people know about Francisco Franco and the effects that his dictatorship had on Spain. I think that it is important for them to realize that Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini were not the only dictators of that time period. This capstone project will be a challenge; however, I am looking forward to the trip and to writing down my memories, experiences, and realizations to share with everyone when I return,” said Miller.