The University of South Florida’s Judy Genshaft Honors College is launching its inaugural Failing Forward Week from Feb. 17-21, aiming to help high-achieving students reframe setbacks as opportunities for growth. The event encourages students to share their experiences with failure, fostering a mindset of learning through mistakes.
The initiative was introduced by National Merit Scholar coordinator Audra Santerre after she attended the National Collegiate Honors Council conference last fall and was inspired by similar programs at other honors colleges.
“In the minds of high-achieving students, failures often linger longer than successes,” Santerre said. “Many of us tend to only showcase our best selves and talk about our achievements, but what students don’t always realize is that their peers are struggling in similar ways — they just don’t see it.”
SHIFTING THE NARRATIVE ON FAILURE
Honors student Rachel Weitz and guest host Cayley McCloskey record an episode of the Honor Roll Podcast.
For many Honors students, academic and personal expectations are high, making failures feel more significant. Honors student Rachel Weitz sees Failing Forward Week as a chance to grow.
“For me, Failing Forward reminds me that you tend to learn more from your failures than your successes,” she said. “To this day, I still remember some of the questions I missed on tests in elementary school, and I will never forget the answers because I got them wrong.”
Encouraging students to embrace mistakes is another key goal of Failing Forward Week. Melanie Ryerson, a licensed mental health counselor and Honors affiliate professor, emphasizes the opportunities students might miss if they let fear of failure hold them back.
“We’re not learning if we’re not making mistakes. We’re not taking risks if we’re not making mistakes,” Ryerson said. “Oftentimes, students play it safe and miss out on incredible opportunities — especially at a major research university — because they’re afraid of failing.”
BUILDING A CULTURE OF RESILIENCE
Honors students can share their failing forward growth stories at an installation in the Zimmerman Family Foundation Atrium.
Failing Forward Week also aims to create a supportive environment where students can openly discuss setbacks. By sharing moments of failure, students help one another feel heard, understood, and less alone in their struggles. Weitz hopes her fellow students will use this opportunity to redefine success on their own terms.
This year's events include class discussions, social media activations, the Tampa LLC Dinner with the Deans, faculty lunches, and an interactive installation in the Judy Genshaft Honors College Zimmerman Family Foundation Atrium. Students can contribute to the installation by leaving index cards with their own setback stories to inspire and support their peers.
“I want students to take away that you don’t have to conform to other people’s idea of success,” Weitz said.