McKenzie Moss Discusses Honors Project

Kenzie Moss '20 decided to follow her passion and make the most of her Honors Project.

When I started applying for colleges I was stressed. There were so many decisions to make. In state or out-of-state, public or private, join an Honors College or not. Well, I had always worked hard in high school and told myself I didn’t need to stress myself out even more in college by participating in an Honors College. I figured I had worked hard enough and the last thing I wanted was more graduation requirements, like an Honors project, which I originally viewed as a burden. But let me tell you, carrying out an Honors project is not a burden but rather an opportunity. Not joining the Honors college would have deprived me of so many opportunities to grow and to take advantage of my education.

At first, I dreaded the idea of the Honors project. I mean, who wants to do more work than necessary? But once I found my passion, something I was on fire to do, I was ready to jump in wholeheartedly. The spark came when I heard about the Hoskins global scholarship and was encouraged to apply by my Honors family, that is, the advisors that let me waste hours of their time venting about life related or not to school, Simon, the very personable dean, and of course my friends, so many of whom I met in my Honors classes. Fueled by the motivation of my supporters and the disbelief from my doubters I decided to apply for the Hoskins Global scholarship to fund my Honors project. The Hoskins scholarship provides students with the opportunity to complete a passion project while travelling and taking a trip that you create. It gives you the freedom to conduct research, dive into the field of your future profession, or simply create something that matters to you.

I never wanted to settle for just good enough or let a learning experience pass by without truly taking advantage of what I could take out of it. So I did some soul searching to determine what I could do for the project that would truly matter to me. I realized what really gives me life is learning about other cultures, specifically the colonized, the marginalized, the underdog. But at the same time, my heart was pulling me into two, being equally interested in biological sciences and medicine as I am in helping exploited peoples. So I devised a plan that would pair the two seemingly unrelated fields. I decided to conduct video interviews with native people throughout South America about how they use plants medicinally. I would go where the Inca influence is particularly strong because medicinal plant use in South America originated with the Incas. The idea was to learn about alternative medicine rather than the monopolized pharmaceutical companies we so often use in the US. At the same time, I would document the people’s stories and show the importance of a beautiful culture striving to resist conquest by white settlers and to maintain their customs. I would bring back these people’s stories and remedies in the form of a video journal to make their beauty known to Americans. I wanted to make Americans aware of not only our privilege, but also the devastating effects of colonization. I wanted to help represent a nearly wiped out people group in the form of my passion, medicine.

After presenting this idea for the Hoskins scholarship and receiving the award, I was enabled to start living out my dream and at the same time complete my Honors project. In the Summer of 2019 I will be backpacking through five countries in South America, traveling by bus and staying with local families on their farms. This last Summer, in order to find the best locations and develop relationships with natives I backpacked through each of the five countries that I will be returning to for my research. I had so many surreal adventures including swimming with sea lions in Peru and hiking through a waterfall in the Amazon.

The beauty behind fueling your Honors project with your passion is that you receive credit for doing something that has personal value. It’s not just another paper you have to write or assignment you have to turn in. You end up with results that matter. That doesn’t necessarily mean carrying out the project will never be difficult, but rather that it will all be worth it in the end. And if you let it, it can change your life.

So when you consider your Honors Project, if you think you’re limited to staying at this university, in this city or even in this country, think again. Because you just may find yourself camping in the Colombian jungle, or on an island in Lake Titicaca talking to the Aymara people. Perhaps you’ll find yourself hitchhiking in the Chilean desert or crying over the beauty of the Andes mountains. Allow your passion to drive you and don’t be afraid to dream bigger and further than what people consider “normal.”  Because when you start to view burdens as opportunities, haters as motivators and the Honors College as a tool to help you succeed, you just may find yourself living a life bigger than the one you planned. Maybe other people’s lives will be changed, who knows? But one thing’s for sure, yours definitely will be.