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Donald “Trey” Moore: Finding Fellowship

August 13, 2014

When Donald “Trey” Moore chose ASU over the myriad schools in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, he had no idea of the many ways it would affect his future.

Now a senior political science major from Colleyville, Moore had the type of high school grades that allowed him to pretty much handpick where he went to college. His mom and a cousin had attended ASU, but it was the offer of a generous Carr Scholarship that convinced him to visit campus.

“ASU was not what I had pictured in my mind,” Moore said. “It is bigger than I thought, and it is just far enough away from home that I can be my own person, but it’s close enough to where I can easily drive home. There is also a lower cost for attendance compared to the schools in Dallas-Fort Worth, which are very expensive. Plus, San Angelo is a great town.”

“The Honors Program was also a huge motivation for me,” he added. “It has opened up so many opportunities. When I was being recruited, I was promised that if I did certain things in the Honors Program, certain opportunities would be available, and they were right.”

Through the Honors Program, Moore was selected as one of only 70 students, and the first from the Texas Tech University System, to participate in the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress’ (CSPC) 2013–14 Presidential Fellowship. The program included two conferences in Washington, D.C., to study the American political process and network with top policymakers and government leaders.

“When I was being recruited, I was promised that if I did certain things in the Honors Program, certain opportunities would be available, and they were right.”

Donald “Trey” Moore

“I met a lot of other really gifted students,” Moore said. “I met a guy who is going to be the chief of staff for the Costa Rican government in their next election cycle, and he is a student at Columbia. I also got to meet U.S. senators, which was amazing and something I never thought I would get to do.”

As part of the 10-month fellowship, Moore was also required to complete a research project on some aspect of presidential or congressional policy. He chose U.S. presidential transitions and rhetoric for his topic, and completed the project under the mentorship of political science faculty member Dr. Deanna Watts and Dr. Shirley Eoff, Honors Program director.

“There is no way I would’ve gotten into the fellowship if I had gone to another school,” Moore said. “There were three other Texas students, one from Texas A&M, one from SMU and one from Rice, and they had to do a lot more than I did to get in. So, ASU and the Honors Program gave me a better opportunity.”

Membership in the Honors Program also inspired Moore to join the ASU Student Government Association and led to his induction into the Alpha Chi and Phi Kappa Phi national honor societies. He is also now in a position to pretty much handpick the law school he will attend when he graduates in May of 2015 with a planned future in corporate law and possibly politics.

But perhaps the biggest influence the Honors Program has had on his future is that he will not be going it alone.

“I’m really glad I chose ASU,” Moore said. “It’s the best decision I’ve made in a long time. And, here’s a fun fact—I met my fiancée, Tara Warren, here in the program, so I’m engaged because I came to ASU and joined the Honors Program. Everything has worked out great for me.”