Claire Minton

I love that there is something for everyone here! I think I've been involved with more UHP and UC organizations and activities every semester. As a freshman, it was so important to me to have a built-in community in UHP that allowed me to meet people and start to shape my upcoming five years from day one. Everyone has a different story, and everyone is genuinely excited about their peers' opportunities and accomplishments. The support in UHP is truly unmatched.

My favorite honors experience was my role as a Welcome Experience Coordinator in Summer 2022. I helped structure the August Welcome Retreat for incoming first years...the first in-person event of its kind since my own in 2019! Throughout the summer I got to know the other coordinators, meet many younger UHP students who would serve as mentors, and plan post-retreat events during the schoolyear. This was a great way to apply my organizational and leadership skills, learn from other students' unique experiences, and directly strengthen the UHP community.

Returning to DAAP studios after nearly two years...enough said. The camaraderie that semester was even more prominent than I'd remembered, and between early mornings, late nights, work sessions, and many coffee breaks, I got really close to my classmates. On rare quiet days we'd put the NYT crossword on the projector and all yell out our answers, and mornings like that will always stick with me.

I'm entering Fall 2022 as a fourth year, and about to jump into another co-op search. I'm also going on my first UHP study tour this winter to Iceland!