Sofia Balsamo (center) stands with her fellow Chinese majors from the Governor’s Honors Program on July 14 at Berry College in Rome, Ga. While Balsamo was hesitant about attending GHP, she found herself connecting with other students and enjoying her time with friends. Photo courtesy of Sofia Balsamo
All good things must come to an end
Sofia Balsamo reflects on her experience at the 59th annual Governor’s Honors Program where she spent four weeks immersing herself in Chinese culture and meeting new people.
We were five minutes away from Berry College and I was bawling my eyes out because I thought I would hate the Governor’s Honors Program. It was four weeks away from home with over 600 people that I had never met before.
“This is going to be the worst experience of my life,” I thought to myself.
Now that GHP has ended, I see I couldn’t have been more wrong.
No matter how cliché it may sound, GHP truly is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
You’re not constrained to the typical public school requirements. There are no grades or tests, just you and how much you’re willing to challenge yourself. You get a taste of college and residential life while having a variety of learning opportunities, from songwriting to cybersecurity to dance.
As a World Language Chinese major, I finally had the chance to be immersed in the culture and meet people who shared the same interests. From performing a play together, to making candy in class, to our daily Chick-fil-A and Subway runs where we spent half our money, I had some of the best laughs ever.
Outside of class, I had daily game nights and pool-table games with the best group of people. Despite being in completely different majors, from math and science to music and world language, we found a place to just be ourselves and have fun. At the end of the day, that’s what GHP is all about, exploring your passion and making lifelong memories and friendships.
As GHP came to an end, I found myself crying again, but for an entirely different reason — I was sad to leave. I had met so many amazing people and had so many amazing experiences. I wasn’t ready to let that go.
While all good things must come to an end, I will always cherish the memories and lessons from GHP. Sometimes you have to put yourself out there. You have to step out of your comfort zone, make new friends, initiate conversations and try new things because if you don’t, you’ll never know what opportunities you might have missed.
Ayana Lonon poses with a group of friends at the Georgia Governor’s Honors Program. Lonon enjoyed the college-like atmosphere of GHP along with the opportunities it presented her. “Now that I’ve returned home, I do not feel sad because GHP is over. To me, it was a trailer of the rest of my life,” Lonon wrote. Photo courtesy of Ayanna Lonon
Earning my place
Senior Ayanna Lonon looks back at the four-week residential learning experience, the Georgia Governor’s Honors Program.
The selection process for the Governor’s Honors Program was lengthy and rigorous, entailing several interviews, discussions, and in the case of Communicative Arts students (also known as Commies), creative writing submissions. In my mind, there was no question whether I’d get in.
I didn’t feel entitled to a place at GHP. I just knew that I was capable of earning one. To interviewers, I was personable and well-informed. To submission reviewers, my writing was heterotopic and emotive.
But when I arrived at GHP, my peers had not seen any documents that might shape the way they understood me, and had no preconceived notions as to who I might be. When I found myself responsible for world-building outside of written narratives, my confidence was tested.
In my classes with other Communicative Arts majors, I was amazed at the ease with which those poets and orators and narrators created stories worth reading into. I met people, students and instructors alike, who altered my judgments on what is good and what is acceptable.
I met people who could recognize the layers in stories that had no written words, and those whose voices could sway listeners to laugh and sob in public. I was motivated to develop my style as a writer to display that same power, and it led me to produce my best work yet.
I did not know before that there is as much to gain in having your work appreciated by your peers as there is in appreciating theirs.
A slideshow of pictures depict senior Ayanna Lonon at the Georgia Governor’s Honors Program. Lonon enjoyed making friends both within and outside of her communicative arts major at GHP. “I went to as many fine arts shows as I could fit into my week and found myself proud of my friends in those performing majors like they were my family,” Lonon wrote. Photos courtesy of Ayanna Lonon
In my day-to-day activities on campus, I got to practice being an independent college student (to some extent). I spent my days with strangers who quickly became friends that I would keep even after the program ended.
I went to as many fine arts shows as I could fit into my week and found myself proud of my friends in those performing majors like they were my family. I took specialized fast-classes in topics from “The Art of Translations” to “Movie Soundtrack History” where I learned that communication is not limited to words, but can be interpreted differently regardless of the medium.
Now that I’ve returned home, I do not feel sad because GHP is over. To me, it was a trailer of the rest of my life. I am grateful to my mom, for instilling in me a love for education, which serves me as a means of travel.
I am thankful to Ms. Kaela Sweeney, Ms. Erin Horton, and Mr. David Ragsdale for their directions that led me to a camp for free minds. It was the most enriching experience I’ve had yet, and it is a model of the way I hope to live my life: learning, appreciating, and having fun.
