The College of Arts and Sciences’ Honors Project Symposium will take place Monday in the Ohio Union’s Great Hall Meeting Room. Credit: Daniel Bush | Campus Photo Editor
Many Ohio State students strive for the height of academia. For some Arts and Sciences honors members, this height is the Honors Project Symposium.
For the Spring 2026 semester, this achievement will take place Monday in the Ohio Union’s Great Hall Meeting Room.
In recent years, the College of Arts and Sciences has required all of its honors students to complete a two-part project that can span over two semesters.?
There are many project choices. They can complete an internship, a study abroad or even a more creative endeavor, such as a novel, said Rebecca Sallade, honors project coordinator for the ASC Honors Program. As long as a student can show proof of work and complete two of these options, she said they meet the requirements.
“You can use an infinite number of experiences to complete your Honors Project,” Sallade said. “We just need something that spans multiple semesters.”
Students may also choose to do a thesis or any other medium — in place of the symposium — as long as it is approved, according to Sallade. She said this can be leadership roles, clinical experiences or any opportunity they may find.
Mia Castro, a fourth-year in psychology, said she combined three different experiences of her own to complete her project. She utilized substance use research, her participation in REACH — Ohio State’s suicide prevention training program — and undergraduate teaching.
“I was pretty passionate about them and they connected,” Castro said. “I wanted to express things that I wouldn’t normally have had a chance to.”
The Honors Project allows for students to present their passionate involvements to a wide range of people, Sallade said. She said it is a final seal on their ability to go above what is expected of them in a basic sense.
“It’s meant to be a fun, celebratory experience,” Sallade said. “We have a chunk of students who are choosing to do the Honors Project Symposium, even if they don’t have to.”
As long as the project is completed in some way, she said that meets the requirements for the College of Arts and Sciences honors. This can be done at the Denman Undergraduate Research Forum for research projects, or in a thesis defense for students who choose to go that route.
The college is currently acting as a spearhead, Sallade said, in how it has incorporated the presentations as a requirement for the honors students. She said these presentations are reflections.?
“If you’re on top of things and you’re passionate about what you’re presenting, then it’s an opportunity for you to speak about what you like, not just to prove yourself,” Castro said.
This upcoming symposium is expected to be the largest yet, with at least 170 students presenting in intervals between 1 to 4 p.m., Sallade said. These are some of the first students graduating on the new requirements.
“The world is their oyster,” Sallade said.
