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Honors Program

Winter 2023 Scholarship Awardees

Congrats to these outstanding scholars!
Pictured Above: (top row) Diana Gonzales, Spencer Ashford (bottom row) Dallyn McCracken, Samuel Benson

Robert K. Thomas Scholarship

The Robert K. Thomas Scholarship is named after the founder of the BYU Honors Program. Dr. Thomas “felt a special affinity for the aspiring few and truly believed they would set a standard that would raise the level of academic achievement throughout the university.” This scholarship is awarded to Honors students each semester who are currently working on their theses.

Spencer Ashford, Major: Computer Engineering with Minors in Mathematics & Computer Science
I have always enjoyed learning across all subjects and felt like the world is far more interconnected than we give it credit for when it comes to school. That’s why I love the Honors Program. It gave me the opportunity to study and learn in a different way by breaking down barriers between different subjects. It’s helped find appreciation for subjects I wouldn’t have considered and helped me to think differently. While I loved the Unexpected Connections courses, taking the Great Questions course was an exciting opportunity to apply the interdisciplinary methods I had learned myself.

My honors thesis involves using machine learning to take sonar images and remove the noise (the graininess often seen in sonar images that make it difficult to see objects clearly) from the images so that underwater robots can use them more effectively. I’ve been doing research with the Field Robotics Systems (FRoSt) lab here at BYU for the last few years and as I talked with my professor, Dr. Mangelson, the opportunity presented itself and I could explore my interests in robotics and machine learning.

After graduation I plan on pursuing a Master’s in Robotics before going into industry. Robotics is a multidisciplinary field with a lot of exciting research going on and I have no doubt that the research and interdisciplinary thinking skills I have developed throughout my honors experience will prove their worth in the future.

Samuel Benson, Majors: Sociology & Spanish Studies
As a Sociology and Spanish dual-major, I wrote my honors thesis about British Latter-day Saint emigration in the 19th century, and I did a sociological analysis of the push- and pull-factors that sparked their migration. I studied nearly 100 journals, autobiographies, and letters written by these emigrants and tried to answer the question: Why did they emigrate? It was a fun project, and a profoundly personal one -- several of my ancestors emigrated from England and Scotland during this time period, and I included a few of them in my study.

Participation in the Honors Program has been the hallmark of my BYU experience. I risk sounding trite by saying it was "life-changing," but I really feel it was; it opened doors that would've otherwise been shut (or far too heavy to open without the help of Honors scholarships, mentorship, and encouragement). My participation in Honors had a direct influence on the two highlights of my undergraduate years: studying for one semester at the Barlow Center in Washington, D.C.; and studying for a term at the University of Cambridge.

I plan to work as a journalist. I've dabbled with the idea of fleshing my thesis out into a book-length work, but even if I don't, the experience of working on such a project will have a huge influence on my career. I owe Honors more than I can express and hope to someday give back.

Diana Gonzales, Major: International Relations
The Honors program has shaped my undergraduate experience in many unique and positive ways. It has given me an opportunity to grow and serve my BYU community by allowing me to work with other undergraduate students, many of whom have become close friends. In the Honors program, I have been able to work as an Honors 120 and Honors 110 TA, Honors Advisor, and HSLC president. Some of the highlights of my undergraduate experience include planning the Murder Mystery event, hosting the Honors Conference, and going to the Honors Ball.

My honors thesis is on Republican Attitudes Towards DACA. I chose this topic after being part of the Latinos Civil Rights Seminar. Through the seminar I was able to go to California and learn more about the history of immigration within the United States. This experience was a pivotal point in my undergraduate experience and has ultimately led me to wanting a career as a lawyer. After I graduate, I plan on taking a gap year and then going to law school. Afterward, I plan on getting more involved in local government. My thesis has been able to help me learn more about some of the barriers that immigrants face within this country.

Dallyn McCracken, Major: Linguistics
The Honors Program has been the most influential portion of my undergraduate experience. It has helped, and forced, me to view the world from different angles and points of views. I have been able to learn from people I would not have met otherwise, and gained knowledge in disciplines I did not even know existed.

For my thesis I am creating a language based on the Listener people from one of Brandon Sanderson's book series. The language incorporates intense and systematic intonation. I plan to work for the US government with focuses on international relations and development. My thesis will help me to succeed in this area because by creating a language with very different structures will allow me to view and understand the world in different ways.