Jupiter, FL (October 26, 2010) – Ever since he first arrived at Florida Atlantic University’s Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College in the fall of 2007, Jordy Yarnell has been fascinated with student government. He served in the House of Representatives in the fall and spring of his freshman year. In the summer of 2008, Jordy was elected as Speaker of the House and then was reelected to serve a full term as House Speaker for the 2008-2009 school year. In the spring of 2009, Jordy was elected as the MacArthur Campus Governor, then reelected the following spring. He is currently in office as campus governor as the crowning achievement of his senior year.  Jordy looks back on his achievements by saying, “My accomplishments in student government include extensive revisions of our campus statutes, work on campus safety, and I have some major initiatives for this upcoming year.”
            From such a consistent record of devotion to government processes and public service, you might think that Jordy’s academic concentration was an area like Law and Society or Political Science, but he is actually focusing on Psychology with a minor in Economics. Like so many students in FAU’s Wilkes Honors College, Jordy’s interests and accomplishments are impressively broad.  He pursues coursework with the same passion and dedication that he devotes to student government. Just this past summer, for instance, while serving for the second straight year as a teaching assistant in FAU’s Honors Summer Institute, Jordy interned at Behavioral Health of the Palm Beaches (BHOPB). BHOPB is a Florida Drug and Alcoholism Rehab that specializes in the treatment of co-occurring/dual diagnosed disorders. According to Jordy, his favorite part of the internship was “seeing when [he made] a genuine positive impact on people and their view of the recovery process.”
            Jordy’s has a commitment to counseling and, in the future, he would like to work with adolescents. His ultimate goal is to found a school for students that runs all the way from Pre-K through twelfth grade. This dream was inspired by his parents who founded Batt Private School, and by his experiences at the Wilkes Honors College.
            “Working with student government and my professors has helped develop my potential as a leader. My professors and advisors have driven me to be dedicated to my academics, and have transformed academics from an educational ‘career’ to a dynamic passion for knowledge. Through internship opportunities, directed independent studies, and thesis work, I have been given the opportunity to get real world experience in both research and counseling.”
            Jordy’s experiences are not uncommon at a college that strives to develop students personally as well as across the full academic spectrum.  The philosophy of the Wilkes Honors College is not simply to develop great artists, scientists, writers, and public citizens, but to enable students to see their potential as artistic scientists who are brilliant writers with a lifelong commitment to the public interest.  Perhaps one day a child you know will be attending the school Jordy will have founded and learning how to be a leader in as many areas as he has.  If you do, you may want to say, “You know, Florida Atlantic University has an honors college that might be just right for you …”

byline: Tamara Howard