Honors College Ambassadors
Embodying the best the Honors College has to offer, these Honors students are chosen to represent the college through numerous recruitment events, as well as to help prospective students with any questions they may have concerning the Honors College. Each of these students has a special story about the Honors College and Auburn University to tell.
Prospective students, please feel to reach out to one or more of these ambassadors with any questions you have about the Honors College or life at Auburn University.
Jack Janik
Major: Mechanical Engineering | Minor: Tribology & Lubrication Studies
Senior
Hometown: Katy, Texas
My name is Jack Janik and I am from Katy, Texas. In my free time, I enjoy hunting, fishing, running, lake activities and camping. I am very involved on campus in a variety of organizations such as Greek Life, Engineering Summer Camps, Honors Serves, and Honors Ambassadors. I encourage everyone to get involved with Honors because of the many avenues for success it provides and the opportunity to become a well-rounded leader on campus.
Megan Watkins
Major: Health Services Administration, Political Science | Minor: Business
Junior
Hometown: Gurley, Alabama
My name is Megan Watkins and I am from Gurley, Alabama. My experience with the Honors College has been invaluable, I have always felt welcomed by our diverse community of high-achieving students. There has been no greater privilege than being able to serve the Auburn family, which I have been able to directly achieve through my time with the Honors College. Whether I am participating in a service project through Honors Serves or organizing events with Honors Congress, there have been a variety of high-impact involvement opportunities I have been able to get plugged into. At the end of the day, the Honors College is a family and community who supports one another unconditionally. War Eagle!
Lauren Lavender
Major: Biomedical Sciences and Neuroscience
Senior
Hometown: Roswell, Georgia
My name is Lauren Lavender, and I am from Roswell, GA. If you would have asked me my junior year of high school where I would go to college, I never would have thought it would be Auburn. Coming from a household where my parents met as cheerleading partners at the University of Georgia, I always assumed that is where I would go. However, my experience at an Auburn Honors College recruiting event and my subsequent on-campus tour blew me away, and was enough for me to remove my housing deposit at UGA and put one down for the honors dorms here. Ever since then, the Honors College has continually provided me with incredible opportunities for my own personal growth as well as my academic development, and I undoubtedly wouldn’t be where I am in my academic career nor who I am as a person if it wasn’t for Auburn Honors. I am completely confident I made the right choice and I am eternally grateful for my experience here!
Bren Wells
Major: Industrial and Systems Engineering | Minor: Asian Studies
Sophomore
Hometown: Red Bay, Alabama
My name is Bren Wells and I am from Red Bay, Alabama. Coming from a small rural town and making the transition to a large campus like Auburn’s was difficult for me. Having the support of Honors College through it all has been an invaluable experience. Honors College has given me many opportunities to know my peers, develop my leadership, and give back to my community, from smaller class sizes to their many events and organizations.
Carson Kim
Major: Biomedical Sciences – Pre-Dental | Minor: Honors Business
Sophomore
Hometown: Gardendale, Alabama
My name is Carson Kim, and I am from Gardendale, AL. In my free time, I enjoy working out, playing music, and hanging out with friends. Making the shift from high school to college can be an extremely scary and stressful time. However, the Auburn Family and the Honors College have made this transition a terrifically enjoyable one. With Auburn being as diverse as it is, there is a close-knit and inclusive community for all. And the Honors College has helped me find these communities for me to plug into including Honors Serves, Honors Congress, Emerge, and Auburn Tooth Fairy. Not to mention the incredible academic opportunities the Honors College offers! War Eagle!
Maggie McGuire
Major: Biomedical Sciences- Pre-Optometry | Minor: Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies
Senior
Hometown: Cullman, Alabama
My name is Maggie McGuire, and I am from Cullman, Alabama. The Honors College has given me some of my closest friends, best mentors, and favorite memories while in college. The Honors faculty and staff truly wish to get to know each student and see them succeed in their passions and pursuits, and they work tirelessly to help each of us accomplish our goals and seek more. The Honors College is incredibly special because it is always working to better itself, the Auburn Community, and the world through service projects, student organizations, special topics classes, and more. My first involvement while at Auburn was the week before my freshman year when I participated in the Week of Service. Now as a senior looking back at my time at Auburn, I cannot imagine my college experience without the impactful opportunities and experiences provided through Honors.
Brooke Tilghman
Major: Marketing, Management
Rising Sophomore
Hometown: Centennial, Colorado
My Name is Brooke Tilghman and I am from Centennial, Colorado. Being from far out of state, I understood the value of getting involved on Auburn’s campus early on, and am apart of many organizations such as Greek Life, Emerge, Honors Congress, and Honors Serves, among others. I was fortunate enough to live in the Quad Honors dorm my freshman year which was one of my biggest blessings coming in to college. Living among Honors peers allowed me to be in a close, inimate environment and truly get to know my peers. I found some of my best friends through living in the Honors dorm and was able to form a strong sense of community early on in college. Outside of dorm living, I love the opportunities that the Honors College supports and provides, whether it is smaller class sizes or social and educational events put on by advisors and professors. Being in the Honors College at Auburn and all of its opportunities was a game changer in my college decision process, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
Summer Ecks
Major: Elementary Education
Junior
Hometown: San Diego, California
Hi! My name is Summer Ecks and I am from San Diego, California. Coming to Auburn from across the country, I was looking for a home away from home, and that is exactly what I found in the Honors College. My Honors peers, professors, and advisors were all so welcoming and have provided me with so much support throughout my years at Auburn. The Honors College has enriched my college experience in truly meaningful ways, from having smaller classes that allow for engaging discussions to living in the Honors dorms where I met my best friends. I have had the privilege of serving as an Honors Peer Instructor as well as an Honors Peer Academic Coach, and I am so excited to be an Honors Ambassador! Outside of Honors, I love going to Church, working out, spending time with my sorority, and working with kids!
Avery Bates
Major: Animal Sciences (Pre-Vet)
Junior
Hometown: Andalusia, Alabama
I always say how joining the Honors College has been the best decision of my college career. I have been blessed with so many amazing friends and opportunities through the Honors College that I would not have gotten otherwise. My freshmen year I was able to live in Honors housing, and I met some of my best friends who I still keep up with today. Also, living in a community of honors kids allowed me to stay focused on my studies as I was surrounded by like minded individuals. I was also able to participate in the Honors College Week of Service as a participant, and later a counselor and head counselor, which was such a beautiful program that has defined my college experience. There are just so many beautiful things in the Honors College that have benefitted me that I could go on for days about.
For more information on the Honors College Ambassadors or how to join, contact Rebecca Shippen.
Last modified: January 31, 2023