Honors Student Sets Sights on STEM Career
Mar. 21, 2023
Caroline Conkle , at cconkle@una.edu
Third in a Series
The ӣ is home to the Delores and Weldon Cole Honors College. Its mission is to provide students with a great college experience that translates into postgraduate success. The College is full of a variety of students with different majors, backgrounds, and aspirations.
As a student in the Cole Honors College myself, I am writing a series of student profiles on other students in the College and how their time at UNA and as an Honors student are preparing them for future success.
Helena Heiberger is a junior who is majoring in Professional Biology with a minor in Chemistry and Earth Systems Sustainability.
Q: Why did you choose to come to UNA?
A: I came to UNA because they accepted all of my AP scores and offered scholarships.
Q: If you were to give your younger self advice about coming to college, what would you say?
A: If I could give my younger self advice about coming to college, I would tell myself to not be scared to express my ambitions to my professors. If I never sought advice from professors about my goals and interests, I am positive I would not be as confident as I am now about my future in STEM.
Q: What drew you the Honors College? Why did you want to join?
A: I have always been very studious, so I applied to the Honors College program to make like-minded friends. The faculty mentors in the program truly care about their students and will help them succeed at UNA and beyond.
Q: If you were to encourage someone to join the Honors College, what would you say?
A: I recommend the Honors College to all of my friends and peers because it is a wonderful way to get involved with a kind and passionate community on campus.
Q: How do you feel UNA is preparing you for success?
After graduation from UNA, I plan to attend graduate school to conduct agricultural research. Thanks to the mentorship from my professors and the Honors College, I have been blessed to have gained valuable research experiences here at UNA and through a summer internship at the University of California, Berkeley. I can’t wait to see how the rest of my scientific journey unfolds here at UNA and beyond.
About The ӣ
The ӣ is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I as part of the Atlantic Sun and United Athletic conferences. The ӣ is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: and .