Before their first fall semester in the Honors College, incoming students have the opportunity to jumpstart their journey during the summer. By connecting with esteemed faculty, engaging with texts from multiple disciplines and participating in discussions with fellow students, incoming cohorts can maximize their experience with Summer Honors. 

Through a series of curated discussions, Summer Honors provides experiential opportunities both in-person and online. Benefits of this program include the opportunity to build a community of aspirational peers, gain access to special opportunities, engage with faculty, develop important career skills and earn one cocurricular experience credit through continued participation. 

Most discussion sessions are available online, with the exception of special in-person options, allowing students to participate from anywhere. With over 30 different sessions, incoming students can attend those that interest them most and curate a Summer Honors experience that reflects their unique interests. Topics for these virtual discussions with student-nominated faculty span the sciences, humanities and arts. Opportunities for professional development and sessions explaining how to navigate Honors experiences are also included. 

Past participants highlight the opportunity to learn more about the Honors College, explore disciplines outside of their majors and gain valuable information about how to pursue future opportunities such as research or study abroad. 

Basil Pearson, a psychology student, shared that Summer Honors provided her with “a ton of good information about the Honors College and what opportunities are offered.” 

Select in-person experiences are also offered as part of Summer Honors. During the summer of 2025, the inaugural “Lake Tahoe Experience” summer camp brought 21 incoming students to the University of Nevada, Reno Lake Tahoe campus for two days to build connections with their Honors peers. 

This first-ever overnight camp provided incoming Honors College students with an immersive experience. Students explored the Lake Tahoe region and engaged in discussions about the relationship between the arts and the environment with faculty from both the main campus and the Lake Tahoe campus. They honed observation skills through drawing and exploring nature in Tahoe, and practiced communicating science through social media videos, learned the history of outdoor signal instruments and enjoyed an interactive performance with the Sierra Alphorns. 

Gianni Ayala, an aerospace engineering student, explained that the most memorable thing he learned during this experience was that “cultures across the world are molded by the natural environments around them, musical instruments especially.” 

Honors students learn how to play the alphorn after the performance. 

From these sessions, students seized the opportunity to get to know each other and form lasting connections. Nick Coté, a biomedical engineering and math student, expanded on this sense of community. He shared that the Lake Tahoe Experience “created a space for me to connect with other driven students looking for a final getaway before we took on move-in day and discovered all that it means to be a college student. Heading into on-campus life, it built friendships that I have turned to. This close-knit network of friends I didn’t know I’d need has been a joy, a relief, and a source of support as I have taken on freshman year at [the University] head-on.” 

On the second day of the experience, students embarked on a guided hike in the Mount Rose Wilderness led by Outdoor and Adventure Leadership teaching faculty. During the hike, they further explored their understanding of community and the connection between the arts and the environment. 

Students walk through the Tahoe nature between sessions.

Pearson explained that this guided hike strengthened her confidence and was the first time she learned about directional awareness, which “helped me get through NevadaFIT.” She is “already looking for a weekend class at the Tahoe Campus to stay there again.” 

In addition to incoming students, current Honors College students participated in the Lake Tahoe Experience as Student Leaders. These students played a significant role in facilitating community building and ensuring a positive experience for all incoming students. 

One of the Student Leaders on the trip, Avery Nicholas, an anthropology and biology student, recounted that her most memorable moment from the hike was when her “group played a campfire game called ‘one-word story’. As we were hiking to Incline Peak, each person would take turns adding one word to the ever-growing story. The story ended in both nonsense and laughs and was a great distraction as we trudged uphill.” 

Beyond the value Student Leaders provided to incoming students, they experienced benefits themselves. Nicholas shared that the experience “allowed me to feel closer with my fellow mentors, the incoming students, and the Honors College community as a whole.” Student Leader Oscar Liu, a molecular microbiology and immunology student, shared how the experience benefited his life and future perspectives: “[It] made me engage with my own capacity to gain a deep and intuitive understanding of each of the new Honors students. Throughout the experience, the connection to art and the teachings and contributions of empathy, compassion, curiosity, and understanding were the tools that have helped me grow and remember the most meaningful moments in life.” 

Students take a reflective moment after reaching Incline Peak. 

With another summer on the horizon, a new group of students will have the opportunity to take advantage of these possibilities and make a meaningful first step in their Honors journey. Students interested in participating in Summer Honors should look for more information in the spring of each year.