News from The Mahurin Honors College

The week of November 6-10, 2023 is National First-Generation Student Week. A first-generation student is a classification given to a student whose parent(s) did not complete a 4-year college or university degree. Parker Stallings (he/him) is a first-generation MHC class of ‘27 scholar from Morgantown, KY. He is majoring in Professional Legal Studies with goals to go to law school and possibly go into politics or government. Last week, he was able to attend the Student Conference on U.S. Affairs (SCUSA), and after the SCUSA conference, Parker expresses interest in the law of outer space which is gaining traction and without many specialists. He is very involved on campus in Out in Honors, Mock Trial, Philosophy club, and the Pre-Law Association. He loves the community of Out in Honors and the helpful resources provided by the Pre-Law Association, such as resources for going to law school and a study group for the LSAT.

Parker chose to come to college to pursue a better education and acquire the degree necessary to become a lawyer. He desired a better education and his parents and grandparents encouraged him to be the first to go to college. He chose WKU and the MHC because of the community. While attending a Head for the Hill event, Parker was able to talk to professors in the Political Science department and students at WKU and learn about the community on campus, which he loved. Additionally, he visited the MHC table and further learned of the community the MHC builds through activities like H4, and the resources offered to help students become better scholars. Parker says, “And it has been amazing. I've loved being in the Honors College.”

As a first-generation college student, Parker commented that the application and decision process went fairly well, and he did not find himself needing to reach out for additional resources. However, he does speak to the additional resources provided to students by the MHC. While available to all students, Parker notes that it is easier to access resources like the Office of Scholar Development(OSD) and WKU Global Learning because of their location within HCIC. He says, “I feel like being in the Honors College gives me that little extra push.”

Through the college application process and college in general, Parker has learned that he is capable of being more independent than he knew. He also has realized the love he has for his major, being in college, being on campus, and attending honors events. Parker comments that he has never been a very social person, but he has gotten to meet lots of people through the MHC. Within that community, Parker has gotten help with various aspects of college, such as advice on dorm essentials from friends at H4 and advice on classes from others in his major whom he met in Mock Trial. Also through Mock Trial, Parker built a relationship with a professor in his major, Professor Kelsey Truxal, who also reaches out about classes.

Last week, Parker had the opportunity to attend the SCUSA at West Point Academy. This opportunity presented itself as an email from Will Randolph in OSD notifying scholars of the slots provided for this conference. The OSD application was short and consisted of a small essay and some personal information. After being alerted that the MHC was given extra spots at the conference, Parker was able to attend and met with Will Randolph to go over the SCUSA application and other information pertaining to the conference. OSD also paid for Parker to attend the conference.

At SCUSA, there were five total delegates in attendance for the MHC, and the conference consisted of 15 roundtables, each with different topics under the overarching theme of Innovation and the Future of American Foreign Policy. Parker's roundtable was Politics and Economics of Space, which he discussed for the entire conference. Other delegates from the MHC participated in roundtables, including Sub-Saharan Africa and China and the Pacific. While at SCUSA, delegates stayed in the West Point barracks and dorms. Parker’s roundtable consisted of 12 delegates from all over the world, including a Singapore international student attending Harvard, and students from both the Japanese military academy and the Italian military academy. He also had two co-chairs who were able to provide the delegates with education and firsthand knowledge on the topic- one is working as a consultant for the Space Force, and one is doing space-related work in Washington, D.C. Parker comments, “It was literally work with people from all around the world.”

Throughout the conference, the groups discussed their broader problem then picked specific ones to work on further. Parker’s group picked space debris in low earth orbit and space traffic management in low earth orbit as their specific problem. Together, the group wrote a two-page memo, which was submitted to West Point and will be published, and put together a presentation which they presented in front of the other roundtables and people from West Point.

This conference was both a great career experience for Parker and also an opportunity to network. When asked what his dream job is, Parker always says “Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. I'll settle for President of the United States.” With this, Parker talks about getting to learn about space and what working in a committee on policy is like. He was able to learn from others and from professionals, as well as hear from their keynote speaker, John Kerry, former senator and Democratic presidential nominee in 2004, and the nation’s first Special Presidential Envoy for Climate. Parker says that hearing John Kerry tell the delegates, “As the world, we can make our world better,” and “You are the next generation. You are the ones who are going to change things,” was really inspirational and encouraged him to further pursue law. In terms of networking, Parker connected with people from other parts of the world, inside West Point, and other MHC scholars.

When asked to give advice to those deciding if they want to go to college, Parker says it is a great opportunity and experience, especially if a scholar’s career will benefit from higher education. When coming to college, it was suggested to him to take a lower course load the first semester and he agrees that was very helpful. Additionally, Parker talks about the MHC saying, “The Honors College really is a great resource. It's great for making friends, great for community, and great for just being close to and having more opportunities to talk to like OSD and Global.” For students who are interested in SCUSA, Parker suggests keeping up with global events, being passionate, and having things you want to accomplish. 

In giving general advice for college students, he says to be part of clubs and the community. Parker also speaks on some methods to manage school if you don't have very much experience studying or working independently. He suggests not overloading on courses at the beginning and studying outside the dorm, away from distractions. Parker talks about one of his favorite study spots saying, “Going to the commons and getting a coffee is like the perfect way to study.”

We are proud of Parker’s hard work and his representation of the MHC at SCUSA and are excited to see how he continues to Ascend Toward Excellence with The Mahurin Honors College.