Meredith McIntyre and Dr. Lei Huang.
Meredith McIntyre is the Honors Student of the Month for May.
A senior, pursuing concurrent degrees in Music Education (Mus.B.) and Music (B.A.), Meredith was nominated for the honor by Dr. Lei Huang, a Professor of Marketing in the School of Business.
Dr. Huang praised Meredith for maintaining a high GPA (3.8) and “good professional relationships with faculty and students” while also being “an active participant in student life in all four...years here, getting involved in various clubs as a general body member and as an e-board member. In their fourth semester, Meredith founded their own club, which has a community that is still strong and growing, and is set to outlast their time here as a student.”
The club, the Fredonia Renaissance Choir, speaks to Meredith’s passion for voice, a passion so great that they chose to audition for voice during their third semester. As Dr. Huang remarked in his nomination, “Picking up a second instrument with as much dedicated study as their auditioned instrument (piano) is not an easy task to begin with, regarding time needed for practice, lessons, and rehearsals. Meredith worked to prepare audition material in the semester leading up to their acceptance as a voice student, and since then, Meredith has had tremendous growth with their voice.”
Meredith has also served on the e-board of the Fredonia Student Keyboard Association. They tutor music subjects at all levels in Mason Hall and does one-on-one tutoring for two music clients through Disability Support Services. Meredith is also active in student life: they attend concerts to support their peers and colleagues and has held various e-board positions for clubs: president, vice president, secretary, and choir director, to name a few.
Through their major, Meredith has had numerous field experiences, teaching at local schools, observing other teachers in action, and building professional relationships. They also attended conferences large (Midwest Clinic, Chicago, IL) and small (SUNY Fredonia mini conferences) for professional development. Meredith participates in community and semi-professional music ensembles like the Vox Lusciniae Treble Choir and the Lancaster-Depew Community Chorus, which also facilitates networking with local music teachers.
Meredith has loved their experience at SUNY Fredonia and in the Honors Program. In particular, they celebrate “the sense of community and the breadth of opportunity I have had during my time here. I have been given flexibility with my degree path, growth as a musician and teacher, connections with other people affiliated with the university, and many strong friendships.” Meredith also praises “how the Honors Program brings together students that I may not have otherwise had the chance to be closer with. This has been most effectively done for me in the Honors classes, but also through Honors events, ceremonies, and housing opportunities for other students.” Among Meredith’s favorite things Honors are the Honors course they took with SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor Paul Mockovac (Intro. to Acting) and the toolkit group project completed in Dr. Huang’s HONR 306: Digital Marketing.
Meredith advises current Honors students to “[s]tick with it! It rewards with connections, financial aid, extra scheduling opportunities, practice with self-discipline, and a sense of achievement.” That will also serve Meredith well when they graduates in December after student teaching in the fall and applies to master’s degree programs. Meredith is a graduate of Amherst Central High School in Amherst, NY.
The Honors Student of the Month Program is a collaboration between the Honors Program and Honors House, which is part of the Office of Residence Life.
