"Buildings are just buildings, they are brick and water. And then the students came, and the students made this university what it is today."
Those were the words of former German professor Robert Spaethling at the annual Honors Program reception Oct. 14. The CAS Honors Program awards the Robert H. Spaethling Prize each year and this year those attending the gathering, an evening dedicated to introducing new students to the program, were not disappointed with the two recipients.
Students Christopher Craig, an English major, and Gabrielle Halpern, an economics major, received the awards, and spoke eloquently of their work in becoming outstanding students.
Craig returned to studies after 12 years of being out of school. "My life has never been the same," he said. "It has changed in ways I never anticipated." Craig looks forward to helping his fellow students find the same opportunities for success.
Halpern spoke of her grandmother's and mother's unsuccessful struggles to attend college in China and how she has held higher education as a goal for many years. "I know we're all working hard to make the most of our education," she said. "Today my grandparents know that I kept my promise to them alive."
The total number of students in the Honors Program reached 130, with 48 of those being new students. Among the new honors students, 10 hold scholarships from UMass, five hold outside scholarships and one is a national merit scholar.
"I have never been at a university that's so real," said Spaethling. "Nowhere do I have this feeling of people working hard … as this place… The students, the honor students especially, are the essence of this."