Academics
Katherine Honold '08
Katherine Honold '08 is the editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, The Elm. Some of her favorite college memories are from her semester studying abroad in Ireland.
From teaching and technical writing to majoring in history and editing the student newspaper, senior Katherine Honold's time at Washington College has taken her out of her comfort zone but exceeded her expectations.
"I didn't know anyone before I came," she remembers, "but the freshman experience here jumpstarts your college career."
Katherine quickly developed close friendships with classmates who contributed to her personal development. Now editor-in-chief of The Elm, Katherine first became involved with the paper after a friend invited her to tag along to a general interest meeting; now, she's considering careers in journalism or environmental writing.
"This school really allows students to become independent, to take their own path and come into their own," she said.
Last fall, Katherine's path took her across the Atlantic to a semester-long study abroad program in Ireland.
"It definitely changed my life, just to go someplace completely foreign. I had never been exposed to that culture before. It's really great to find out that you can manage on your own," Katherine said.
At the University College Cork, Katherine, who is completing her senior capstone on the relationship of church and state in Ireland, studied the conflict between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland and met with members of Parliament in the Republic and in Belfast to get both sides of the story.
Though conflict has bitterly divided Ireland for years, Katherine remembers her time there as fun and exciting.
"The people are so welcoming and friendly, and the program is great too because you're not just going to Washington College in Ireland. You attend another university and are immersed in the culture."
Still, Katherine was happy to return to her friends and classes in Chestertown. "At University College Cork, there were 14,000 students. Here, you're so much more integral to the community," she said. "You're able to accomplish a lot and be recognized for it because it's a small school and your professors encourage you to get involved, and there are so many things to get involved with here."
"I just can't believe it's almost over," Katherine said of her college experience. "It really flew by."
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