North Campus will welcome a new Honors College lounge by the end of the Spring semester thanks to a $1.5 million renovation project, according to Evelyn Rodriguez, the senior director of campus administration.
The new 2,593 sq. ft. lounge is located on the south side of 1000 building, on the third floor.
It will be in front of the old lounge, which is currently housed in Room 1372. The new space will include various study areas, a meeting room and student engagement spaces. Adjacent to the area will be three renovated classrooms.
The entire space, with the exception of the private rooms, will be surrounded by glass panels similar to the AI lab at the campus.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to change the way in which students perceive education and the opportunity to to study,” said Honors College Director Taniesha Wright. “It can be a huge motivating factor in completing their education and them wanting to come to the North Campus. [This] space makes a difference for students to see that we have invested in this space.”
The college started working with architects to design the new Honors College area in May of 2025. Demolition of the space began in July and construction started last October.
Before construction started the college spoke with Wright, Honors College Dean Magda Castineyra and students to better understand their needs and they used the input they gathered to construct the space.
“The renovation will create an environment that allows students to study, engage with one another, and participate in programming in a space designed to accommodate that growth,” Rodriguez said.
Mara Castro, a first-year student in the Honors College at North Campus is excited to see the space come to fruition.
“As a student who spends time in the lounge, I have seen how the reduced space affects the students’ interest in different environments,” Castro said. “I am really excited about the renovations because it will allow the honors students to get the safe place that they will be looking for.”
Because students are on campus, construction has been intentionally scheduled to minimize disruption. Portions of the work has happened during evening hours and weekends to limit the impact on students, faculty, and staff.
But now that the space is near completion the anticipation has ratcheted up interest for its stakeholders.
“We got to see the floor plans and the ceiling plans and the lighting plans and all that,” said Karen Zamora, a sophomore studying architecture in the Honors College. “Its looking pretty good.”
Wright, who has overseen the Honors College co-hort at North Campus for the past three years, is giddy for the fresh start in a new location.
“I just hope that as we have this new space that [honor students] really take advantage of this opportunity to utilize it because it serves a purpose,” Wright said. “It’s for them to grow, to learn, to think critically. Your environment makes a difference.”
Click here to subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter, The Hammerhead. For news tips, contact us at mdc.thereporter@gmail.com.
