Honors students paint mural at Wahsega 4-H Center

Honors Program students at the University of North Georgia (UNG) directed their creative talents to a local camp for their community outreach project in the fall.

Wahsega 4-H Center, located just outside of Dahlonega, is a place where youth are encouraged to build friendships and community with one another.

That is why Dr. Royce Dansby-Sparks, director of Honors and associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UNG, thought it would be the perfect place for a community service project for students in fall 2019.

"In Honors, we strive to produce graduates who are civic-minded and well-rounded, something that academic preparation alone does not always provide," Dansby-Sparks said. "Service to the university and the community allows students to see beyond their own immediate goals and understand how they can make lasting impacts on the people around them."

The service project has made a lasting impact on students in the Honors Program such as Sharon Jackson, a senior from Rossville, Georgia, pursuing a degree in studio art with a concentration in graphic design.

"It has taught me a lot about keeping things moving along smoothly without inhibiting the creative ideas of the team members or asking too much of them when they are also facing academic pressures," Jackson said. "We have also all learned a lot about problem-solving and perseverance as unexpected issues pop up that we have dealt with by working together."