At Auburn University, the Honors College provides a dynamic and supportive environment for students to achieve academic distinction through enriched coursework, collaboration, and personal exploration. For students in structured majors such as nursing, traditional Honors courses may not always align with degree requirements.
To address this, the Honors College offers contract projects — unique, academically rigorous enhancements to non-Honors courses — empowering students to delve deeper into topics of personal and professional significance. It allows them to work closely with faculty, developing projects that go beyond standard curriculum—whether through research, creative pursuits, or service learning. These contracts foster independent learning and are designed to create qualitatively different experiences, rather than simply adding more assignments.
Nursing student Rachel Dinkel, a Prattville native, exemplifies the impact of Honors contracting. Set to graduate as an Honors College Scholar in Spring 2026, her journey reflects her passion for nursing, shaped by personal experiences and a family legacy in healthcare. Her early respect for the profession was cultivated by time spent as a patient and through the guidance of family members, including her grandmothers — both nurses — and her late grandfather, Dr. Robert Helmling, who inspired her interest in science and patient care.
She values integrating classroom theory with clinical practice and has gained broad experience across various healthcare settings. According to Dinkel, her rotations in the nursing school have further broadened her perspective, revealing that nursing is not just about bedside care but also advocacy and holistic support for patients and families.
Compassion, empathy, and seeing patients as individuals are central to Dinkel’s approach, which she cultivates through patient engagement. A meaningful experience during a challenging shift underscored the power of compassionate care and personal connection. “My journey has taught me that the influence of nursing extends far beyond hospital walls,” she added.
Innovative Contract Projects
With supportive faculty behind her endeavor, the Honors College enabled Dinkel to pursue independent learning and diverse interests beyond the structured nursing curriculum. Her first contract project, a podcast, explored accessibility issues in healthcare education, drawing from her personal experiences as a nursing student with a hearing disability. She highlighted the impact of simple accommodations, like consistent microphone use and video captions, on student success. The project fostered broader conversations on inclusion and even inspired another student facing similar challenges.
Her second project focused on Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Education, where she developed educational handouts for Auburn’s annual TBI camp. Assisting at the camp gave Dinkel hands-on experience, connecting classroom learning with real-world application and reinforcing the importance of seeing the bigger picture in patient care.
Dinkel is particularly interested in labor and delivery nursing for its patient-focused care and clinical complexity. She is currently completing a research study on postpartum mortality. She plans to present her findings to her nursing cohort, advocating for improved outcomes and heightened awareness in postpartum care. This experience has deepened her readiness for a nursing career by exposing her to aspects of the field she might not have otherwise encountered.
Dinkel is drawn to nursing for its endless opportunities and flexibility, allowing her to adapt her career as her life evolves. She has faced academic rigor and personal obstacles, including adapting study habits and managing her hearing disability through proactive communication and accommodations. “I manage challenges by prioritizing self-care, balance, resilience, and rely on faith and support systems to navigate emotional and physical demands.”
Through innovative contracting, Dinkel has developed both professionally and personally, building relationships, honing research and time management skills, and making a lasting impact on her Auburn experience. Her advice to future students: seize opportunities to make your education meaningful and enjoyable, as empowered learning leads not only to academic success but also to profound personal fulfillment.
