An Honorable Tradition

Students, alumni, faculty and staff from the Bauer Business Honors Program recently spent an evening networking and reconnecting at the annual Bauer Honors Fall Mixer.

The signature event first launched in 2002 in Melcher Hall on campus but has grown with the program over time, now held at off-campus venues each year. The community celebration strives to let students speak to alumni with motivating career journeys who were in their shoes not too long ago.

The program’s tight-knit nature allows Bauer College staff to have ongoing relationships with alumni and keep up with their careers progress. Each year, Bauer Honors Administrative Director Sarah Gnospelius and Adviser Colleen Davies spend the event introducing students to alumni who they believe would be a good match.

“We view our role is to be a guide or resource to help students on their educational journey, whatever that journey may be,” Davies said. “At Mixer, we get to say, ‘I know you’re interested in a certain industry or career path. Let me introduce you to someone who’s working in a similar vein who might be able to provide more insight into the field, the company culture, the work-life balance, etc.”

Finance junior Smeet Parekh has attended the event multiple times and said the small Bauer Honors community makes everyone feel comfortable with each other. He enjoys spending the Fall Mixer reconnecting with his friends who graduated.

“I meet up with my freshman year mentor here normally,” Parekh said. “I catch up with him and meet some of my past friends from my classes, and I get to introduce some of my mentees to people I know as well.”

Finance alumnus Jesus Maldonado (BBA ‘20) attended this year’s Fall Mixer to get more connected with the Bauer Honors community. He said compared to his larger courses outside the program, honors classes always felt more intimate.

“You got to actually know the people sitting next to you,” Maldonado said. “You even knew the people across the room because you would see their faces every day and you had moments to chat in between courses.”

Bauer Honors is a unique experience that extends far beyond graduation, Bauer College Dean Xianjun Geng said. He credits the long-lasting sense of community to Gnospelius and Davies’ student-first leadership style.

“This honors program is not just about academic excellence; it's about building a community of outstanding people who push each other further in what they do,” Geng said. "Most importantly, these are people who are very happy to be a part of the community, get to know friends and know this program gives them unlimited possibilities.”

Freshmen and mid-career students can learn more about the Bauer Honors program here.