Last Wednesday, October 8th, the Mt. San Jacinto Honors Enrichment Program hosted a new event, led by student honors mentor, Noah Burley. The event helped students meet each other in a creative way. All MSJC students were invited to come and meet new people, start conversations, and build a sense of community.
“I had been a member of Honors for almost a year and didn’t know many people,” explained Burley. “There were events like hikes and movie nights, but I wanted to create something that helped people talk and meet each other. I thought about how to break the ice, then decided we should literally break ice together.
Before the event, Burley created unique activities to get students engaged. To make clear ice spheres, he used silicone nonstick muffin molds and a three-part tray with a rectangular basin and a silicone insert. He filled it with hot water to make the ice clearer, then added the silicone top. The spheres were filled to the very top, sealed, and then frozen.
Each sphere had a laminated prompt frozen inside. To reveal what question was inside, students had the opportunity to work together to melt or break the ice. Once the ice opened or melted, they read the prompt out loud and took turns answering. The questions encouraged students to share fun facts, experiences, and goals. It’s safe to say every student learned something new about one another.
Burley explained how he developed the process from his experience in biology.
“My last job was at Olive Garden, and I got into bartending pretty fast,” he said. “In mixology, fancy bars use clear ice cubes. It looks good, but it also works better. The sphere shape cools the drink fast and melts more slowly because of its surface area.”
“I’m so grateful for the Honors Program. I never have to worry about waitlists, I would never be able to get into the classes I need without the Honors Program,” said one student who attended the event.
About the MSJC Honors Enrichment Program
The Mt. San Jacinto Honors Enrichment Program consists of students and faculty who share a passion for learning and a desire to expand both their academic and personal growth. According to the Mt. San Jacinto College website, the program “provides a rich and productive intellectual environment” that helps students “stretch themselves intellectually, think critically, and communicate skillfully.”
Honors students are encouraged to take advantage of enrichment activities, including workshops, seminars, and cultural events. The website states that different experiences “provide additional opportunities to learn something you could not have learned any other way.”
For faculty, the program aims to “support and encourage innovative teaching strategies,” and to “create a learning community with motivated and creative students.” The website also explains the program’s goals for students: to “engage in intellectually challenging coursework” and “actively participate in a learning community that supports their educational endeavors.” It also highlights how students “develop the skills necessary to complete their educational objectives,” and “encourage transfer to regional and national institutions.”
Through these goals, the Honors Enrichment Program promotes both academic excellence and a strong sense of community at Mt. San Jacinto College.
The Honors Icebreaker event demonstrated how a simple idea, such as breaking ice to find prompts, can lead to genuine student connections across campus. As students worked to melt or break the ice and reveal the questions, they started talking, laughing, and connecting, which is what community college needs. The event brought together students from different backgrounds and reminded everyone how special MSJC really is.
If you want to find out more about the Honors Enrichment Program here at MSJC, click here.
