Welcome to Honors Spotlight, the official podcast of MTSU’s Honors College! Host Robin Lee chats with standout students, faculty, and alumni about adventures, discoveries, and the bold ambitions shaping our Honors community. Tune in for stories of creative theses, global experiences, and personal growth—plus exclusive behind-the-scenes insights for prospective Blue Raiders and curious listeners alike.
What does it take to build the support system you wish you had?
In this episode of Honors Spotlight, MTSU Honors student Trinity Johnson shares the story behind launching “The Next Chapter,” a student organization dedicated to helping students explore graduate school opportunities and navigate higher education with confidence.
As a first-generation college student, Trinity understands how overwhelming the path to graduate school can feel without guidance or community. She discusses turning that experience into action by creating a campus initiative that connects students with graduate programs, mentorship, and resources.
From organizing a graduate education event featuring more than 50 programs to building a community for students with big goals, Trinity’s story highlights leadership, perseverance, and the power of creating opportunity for others.
Listen now to hear how one student is helping fellow Blue Raiders prepare for what comes next.
(Intro music by MTSU Music major Elloise Layus.)
Thanks for joining us. Be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share with others.
Follow us on social media. @MTSUHonors
For more information, visit honors.mtsu.edu (https://honors.mtsu.edu/).
22 Sept 2026
Lost and Found Abroad with Rachelle Laurel
In this episode of Honors Spotlight, host Robin Lee sits down with Rachelle Laurel, a dual major in Japanese and Marketing whose Honors journey has taken her far beyond the classroom, and far beyond Tennessee. Rachelle shares how a childhood love of anime grew into a passion for language, culture, and international storytelling, eventually leading her to spend a full academic year studying abroad at Kansai Gaidai University in Japan.
She reflects on the transformative moments that shaped her experience: navigating a new country alone, building unexpected friendships, traveling to iconic sites like Mount Fuji and Okinawa, and discovering the everyday cultural differences that surprised her most. She also discusses how her time abroad strengthened her interest in global marketing and opened the door to hands‑on work with international partners.
The conversation expands beyond Japan as Rachelle talks about her time in Washington, D.C.—first through the Washington Center and later as Tennessee’s delegate in the National Cherry Blossom Program. From interning in a multicultural environment to reading Tennessee children’s books to a kindergarten class, her story highlights how opportunities cultivate confidence, curiosity, and global citizenship.
This episode is a celebration of stepping outside your comfort zone, embracing cultural exchange, and letting curiosity lead you to unexpected places.
(Intro music by MTSU Music major Elloise Layus.)
Thanks for joining us. Be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share with others.
Follow us on social media. @MTSUHonors
For more information, visit honors.mtsu.edu (https://honors.mtsu.edu/).
8 Sept 2026
Mapping Survival in Gaza with Syd Panak
What does it mean to survive inside a system where aid can exist nearby—but remain unreachable? In this episode of Honors Spotlight, student researcher Syd Panak takes us inside the spatial logic of Gaza’s humanitarian crisis. Using GIS mapping and real‑time conflict data, Syd uncovers a stark truth: the geography of destruction and the geography of aid rarely overlap.
We explore how families navigate collapsed roads, shifting frontlines, and miles‑long distances to essential services. Sid shows how aid distribution forms its own kind of infrastructure—one that can unintentionally deepen inequality when access, not need, determines where help flows.
From ethical dilemmas in conflict mapping to the challenge of working with incomplete datasets, Syd’s work pushes us to rethink how humanitarian success is measured. This episode is a reminder that crises are lived in space, shaped by systems, and experienced by real families whose stories are often hidden behind statistics.
(Intro music by MTSU Music major Elloise Layus.)
Thanks for joining us. Be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share with others.
Follow us on social media. @MTSUHonors
For more information, visit honors.mtsu.edu (https://honors.mtsu.edu/).
RESOURCES
You can view various maps at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs website: https://www.ochaopt.org/maps (https://www.ochaopt.org/maps).
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