Honors College: HSA

Honors Student Association

The Honors Student Association (HSA) provides its members with social and service opportunities aimed toward building its members' characters and fostering a commitment to lifelong learning. Paralleling the goals of West Chester University's Honors College, HSA prepares students to become forces for positive change in both the campus and broader community with focus on leadership, academia, and service.

Thanks to all of the HSA members who completed a combined 5868.2 hours of community service this past year!

In recognition, HSA received the Community Service Leadership Award for 2020-2021, as well as Student Organization of the year Award for 2018-2019.

Meetings are regularly held on Thursdays at 7:30 PM meeting in SECC108, with doors opening at 7:15 for food!

The Honors College largest philanthropic event is the P.E.A.C.E Carnival. P.E.A.C.E stands for Philanthropy Education and Community Engagement.

HSA Logo

HSA Newsletters

Community Service

Throughout the year, HSA offers its members a plethora of opportunities to volunteer on campus, in the local West Chester community, and in surrounding areas. Community service stands at the forefront of HSA values because members believe focusing time and attention on someone else's needs sets a foundation for leadership ability and reflects quality of character. As Dr. Dorothy Height, a great civil and women's rights activist once said, "without community service, we would not have a strong quality of life. It's important to the person who serves as well as the recipient. It's the way in which we ourselves grow and develop." HSA members facilitate and participate in regular Adopt-a-Spot trash pick-ups, entertainment, and card-making for citizens in local senior centers, the yearly P.E.A.C.E. carnival, Relay for Life, blanket-making for Project Linus, dog-toy-making for the Brandywine Valley SPCA, stream cleanups with the Chester Ridley Crum Watersheds Association, Hanging of the Greens in downtown West Chester, and more.

Academia

While service and leadership inspire much of the direction of HSA, the organization also holds on to a passion for celebrating and promoting academia. HSA organizes events such as the Outstanding Faculty Reception, which recognizes faculty members who students have identified as providing excellence in the classroom. Additionally, HSA has worked to form student-to-faculty research partnerships, most recently resulting in the publication of a project contributed to by HSA's Erin Yentz related to the Literacy and Cultural Heritage Map of Pennsylvania. HSA also hosts the Peer Leadership Program, which pairs first-year Honors College students with a mentor student in a similar major to support their transition into college.

Leadership

HSA provides students with opportunities to put leadership into practice. In addition to holding formal leadership positions as executive officers and committee coordinators, members can work within committees to organize social events, service efforts, fundraisers, collaborations with campus organizations and departments, and more. Through student-planned programming and weekly meetings, HSA allows members to enrich their creativity, delegation, communication, and team building. HSA programming directly aims to develop more engaged, active leaders and citizens.

Executive Board

Sara Holland

President

Sara Holland
Major: Exercise Science (Pre-Physical Therapy)
Minor: Psychology
Class of 2028

Layla King

First Vice President

Layla King
Major: English Education
Minor: Philosophy
Class of 2028

Audrey Whitcraft

Second Vice President

Audrey Whitcraft
Major: Marketing
Minor: Digital Marketing
Class of 2028

Sawyer Zimmer

Treasurer

Sawyer Zimmer
Major: Pharmaceutical Products development
Minor: Jazz contemporary and improvisational studies & Civic and professional leadership
Class of 2028

Sophia Pietro