In the sweltering August sun, 450 first-year honors students stood clustered on the stairs of Curtiss Hall as a photographer snapped a photo that would soon be a memory. 

Among those students stood agronomy major, Truman Brady.

Iowa State’s First-Year Honors Program (FHP) offers educational opportunities for a restricted amount of entering freshman.

The FHP works to enable honors students to network as they exchange ideas and create a personalized academic program.

FHP also works to help with the transition to Iowa State. It challenges students to take advantage of other learning opportunities offered by the university.

“[We are] trying to help first year students have a good start at the university and make connections right away,” said Emily Wilcox, assistant director for the FHP. “We want [honors students] to hit the ground running and take advantage of all the resources at the university.”

FHP students are currently just more than half-way through their first semester with the honors program. They will soon be making the decision whether to submit a letter of intent to continue with the program.

The FHP offers freshman benefits such as priority scheduling, the use of the Jischke Honors Building and computer facilities. In return, students meet twice a week during the fall semester for a seminar led by two honors upperclassmen.

“My favorite part of working with my students is the things I learn in class,” said Preston Schaaf, current FHP co-leader of the group ‘C2’. “The discussions are probably my favorite activities.”

Schaaf is a past FHP student and was trained with current leaders to create a program and curriculum for his class.

“Each year our training for our teachers becomes a little more complete,” said Wilcox. “The caliber of leaders we have is amazing.”

Each group of seminar leaders helps their group of students choose a theme of focus.

Brady is a part of the ‘C2’ group, whose theme is “everyday heroes”.

“[Our theme] has me thinking about the transitions in superheroes’ lives,” Brady said. “Culturally, our need for superheroes has changed. Everyday people can be superheroes.”

‘C2’ is currently creating a program of study that focuses on translating their theme into applicable activities that can be presented at the end of the seminar.

This seminar setup allows students to make new friends while becoming adjusted to the campus and college life at Iowa State.

“I definitely think I have made some new friends,” Brady said. “It has been a good experience for me to get to know these people and to have a nice community and environment where we are discussing things and thinking things through rather than just doing problems.”

Although just a first-year student in the honors program, Brady has already created opportunities for himself at Iowa State.

“[Honors students] go on to be leaders across campus,” Wilcox said. “They are ambassadors about the idea that you need to be passionate about something.”

Second semester, Brady and his honors peers will have the opportunity to conduct research and gain skills with professors through the mentor program.

Future opportunities include becoming a program leader for future FHP students, an undergraduate assistant and/or an honors ambassador.

As students work to improve themselves by taking advantage of the FHP, the individuals responsible for the program are working to improve the experience for students.

“We are trying to maintain the programs we have while trying to work with future leaders to come up with future innovations,” Wilcox said.