La Salle University prepares all of its students for wherever life takes them. 

For Explorers enrolled in the Honors Program, a unique academic experience awaits. First-year students are enrolled in the Honors Triple which is a group of linked courses, including literature, history, and philosophy, and taken with a cohort of students and professors over the course of two semesters. 

Honors students continue to work together through the program, taking classes and living together in the residence halls, making the experience that much more of a tight-knit community.  

At the end of the program, students present their Honors project to showcase an articulate perspective on a subject of their choice. 

This Honors students shared how the program is helping him find success in his chosen career path.  

Vinnie Colon, ’24, computer science major and communications minor   

Colon stays busy on campus. In addition to his studies and Honors Program membership, he is a member of the men’s soccer team and is the Vice President of the Chess Club.  

This past semester, he took an Honors travel study course, taught by philosophy professor and Vietnam veteran Joe Volpe, Ph.D., that studied different personal perspectives on the Vietnam War. Following the course, Colon spent Spring Break traveling throughout Vietnam. 

Colon decided to take this class for a variety of reasons: he has a love for travel, he is interested in learning about other cultures, and he saw this course and travel opportunity as a chance to push himself out of his comfort zone.  

“The class is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I really wanted to be a part of,” he said.  

Colon described the opportunity as a privilege and said that the friends he made on the trip are some that he will cherish forever. 

As Colon considers his career path, he said he has a lot of diverse interests and one of them is filmmaking. He said after his experience in Vietnam, he feels called to the idea of traveling and making films about it. The experience in Vietnam inspired him to be a better human being and to be open to embracing cultural differences.  

“Sometimes, I fall into the habit of finishing projects and taking exams as a means of finishing an assignment so I can pass a class,” he explained. “Now, I view schoolwork as a means to create opportunity for myself.”  

Additionally, his semester traveling has amplified his appreciation for the Honors Program.  

“I had already met some great people through the Honors Program, but now I have been given the chance to experience something even greater,” Colon said.