Chloe Koon Forsyth

Honors College sophomore and Piqua, OH native Chloe Koon has always been fascinated with the mystery of death. Even as a child, death never unnerved her, and as she got older, her interest continued in the form of forensic science with future plans to go to medical school. During her first semester, she took an Honors BGSU 1910 class, where she further explored career paths, and discovered the ability to combine her interest in the mystery of death and her love of science and become a medical examiner. 

As a member of the Honors College, Koon found a program that provided her with a strong sense of community, and in fact that community was the most memorable thing about Honors during her first year. Honors advisors’ doors were always open, she had the chance to get to know prospective students through her role as an Honors Ambassador, and her Honors critical thinking professor “brought the idea of critical thinking to life inside the classroom.”

Being in a classroom where she was encouraged to learn for the enjoyment of the topic, and challenged to think about things from a different perspective was incredibly meaningful. The ability to look at information critically and from various angles, as well as her rigorous coursework, is going to provide Koon with an advantage in medical school.

The critical thinking classes during her first year were particularly impactful for her. “Professors opened my eyes to a whole new world of thinking that I hadn’t explored before.” Being in a classroom where she was encouraged to learn for the enjoyment of the topic, and challenged to think about things from a different perspective was incredibly meaningful. The ability to look at information critically and from various angles, as well as her rigorous coursework, is going to provide Koon with an advantage in medical school.

Due to her vigorous preparation throughout high school, having brought enough credit hours in to be classified a junior during her first semester, Koon became a 2018 Presidential Scholar Award winner and was awarded the Forsyth Award. The Presidential Scholar Award, presented as an in-state tuition scholarship, is given to incoming freshman who present a 3.8 cumulative high school GPA on a 4.0 scale, a 30 ACT composite, and are accepted into the Honors College.  Based on their application, finalists are chosen to interview.  This year 331 applications qualified, and 30 students were chosen for the Presidential Scholar Award. However, the Forsyth Scholarship was only given to one outstanding science student in the 2018 Presidential Scholar cohort.

The Forsyth Scholarship honors the life and contributions of Jane Forsyth, one of Ohio’s pre-eminent scientists. Dr. Forsyth was a pioneer in her field. She was recognized as a leading authority on the glacial geology of Ohio and co-authored the first glacial geological map of the state. She taught at Bowling Green State University for 27 years where she studied the interrelationships between geology, botany and ecology long before interdisciplinary research in the sciences was popular.

Having read about the Forsyth Scholarship when she came to interview for the Presidential Scholar Award during her senior year of high school, Koon thought it would be exciting to receive an award that honored a woman who was so influential in the sciences and at BGSU. “It meant a lot to me to be given an award that connected to her.”