Eckardt honors program has enabled me to pursue my interest in political science and international relations, allowing me to focus on taking courses that directly correspond to my future career. The program also allowed me to have enough credit space to pursue courses that satisfy my own intellectual curiosity, such as studying another foreign language for two years and taking a writing intensive seminar. Both of the required Eckardt seminars that I took were profound intellectual experiences in my career at Lehigh, and the program does not cease to offer interesting seminar topics every year. I ended up taking another seminar, my third one in the program, because I missed the spirit of the Eckardt classroom discussions. I could take more advanced classes with upperclassmen and graduate students sooner than if I were not an Eckardt scholar, and that alongside with attending Eckardt Scholars Thesis/Project Presentations, made me feel that I was "ahead of the curve" compared to my class of 2018. This also helped me to be more prepared for my senior year Eckardt honors thesis research.
Eckardt program has also facilitated my adaptation to Lehigh. It felt like a had a supportive community of peers and mentors I could turn to when experiencing any difficulties. The meetings that we had with other Eckardt students would motivate me to further pursue my academic goals, because all of the students in the program are high-achievers and motivated individuals. The diversity of majors and academic interests of Eckardt scholars allows the group to exchange knowledge and ideas, thus creating a vibrant intellectual community on campus.