In the HON 3150 class, students were challenged to create tiny stories — short, 100-word narratives inspired by their experiences as Michigan Tech students. Each story included a title and an image, and students were free to choose any topic that resonated with them.
The Story Behind the Assignment
When asked about the inspiration behind the assignment, Dr. Laura Fiss, faculty fellow in the Pavlis Honors College and associate teaching professor in Humanities, shared the story of how it came to be:
“I’ve loved reading the New York Times’ Modern Love column and its spin-off Tiny Love Stories for years, but it didn’t occur to me that I could use them in the classroom until a conference I attended in 2021,” said Dr. Fiss. “Nancy Sommers, whose work on revision I had taught, led a workshop that used the framework to help shape ‘tiny teaching stories.’ We wrote 100-word stories about teaching, shared them with peers for feedback, and then revised them.”
That experience sparked an idea.
“I had already been teaching HON 3150 for a while, and I liked the possibilities,” she explained. “In spring 2021, I was still teaching online, so I adapted the workshop into an in-class activity. It worked really well, so I introduced it as a take-home assignment the following fall.”
Over time, the assignment evolved.
“I think it was in fall 2021 when I had the idea of having students respond to each other in class,” Dr. Fiss said. “We created ‘story chains’—an adaptation of the ‘silent discussion’ activity I’d heard about in other classes, but more formal. I like that this assignment helps students get over some of the hump of writing about themselves. One hundred words is manageable, and it’s very pleasant for me to have students complaining that they need to cut rather than saying they don’t know how they’ll fill out 1,000 or 1,500 words!”
For the in-class portion of the activity, students paired up to share their original Tiny Tech Stories. Each student then created a response story to their partner’s, following the same 100-word limit and including a title. After sharing their responses, students switched partners and repeated the process — creating a web of interconnected stories and perspectives.
“I always enjoy reading the Tiny Tech Stories,” said Dr. Fiss. “It’s a way of connecting that’s a little different from a verbal conversation—and it tends to lead to interesting ones afterward!”
This creative, reflective assignment not only encourages concise storytelling but also builds connection and empathy among students. Through their tiny stories, Michigan Tech honor students share small but meaningful glimpses into life at Tech — one hundred words at a time.
Honors Students Share Their Tiny Tech Stories
One Step at A Time
by Madeline McRoberts
The journey started 3600 miles from home. The climb itself spanned 3560 ft. Backpack, snacks, water bladder? Check. The trail started off gradually, surrounded by cascading mountains dotted with fluffy white sheep. Steps grew larger as our group traversed the mountainside. Vibrant, green landscapes turned white as we were swallowed by the fog. Light breathing became heavy panting as the summit grew nearer. Large steps were replaced by climbing as the terrain difficulty increased. Signs led the way and boosted morale until the last step. At last, I straightened my back and took a deep breath. This was it: Snowdon.
Meeting the “Blue Blur”
by Aris Arvanetes
Nerds, Cosplay, Vendors, Videogames, and best of all celebrity voices! That’s one checkmark for the bucket list! My heart was pounding, both legs swaying my body back and forth, eyes couldn’t focus, and time felt too slow! The nervousness suddenly kicked in. What would he be like? Would he think I was cool to talk to? Would I be able to afford the prices for signing stuff or pictures? What should I say? And there I was standing face to face with the Blue Blur himself. Chill, positive, energetic, and way past cool! Everything just fell into the right place.
The Wary Traveler
by Shuang Gao
Week 0 at Michigan Tech, I joined one of my roommates Joe for lunch and sat with his friends. They shared a story about a late-night “traveler” who wandered into their room uninvited. At first, the silhouette by the bed seemed like a dream—until the traveler spilled bodily fluid (urine) across the carpet. Two hours of scrubbing later, Joe’s friend knew him much better than they wanted. Listening, I realized college isn’t just classes and roommates, it’s also the unpredictable encounters that become instant cautionary tales. The moral? Never leave your door unlocked at night. Some lessons arrive messier than others.
Oh Dearest Charlotte
by Connor Nunn
Though I have only been away from you for 2 months, the moment I pulled into the driveway by surprise coming home for thanksgiving break, I felt the typical weight of the old memories reminding me of why I push at MTU. Then I get hit with the weight of your little body running up to me, jumping up on to me and you wrapping your legs and arms around me in a much needed bear hug. Though it hurts to leave you, I have to remember why I went in the first place. That’s you.
An Exam that Doesn’t Count for Credit
by Jack Schall
Michigan Tech is far away from everything and has long difficult winters. The drive to get to campus is an exam that does not give any credit. Due to these hardships that most other college students don’t go through, there is a certain pride with going to college in the UP. Similar to how trades people say everybody else has soft hands, living in the UP can make a person laugh at most other college student’s winters. These hardships that all MTU students have to deal with to perform simple daily tasks are the key to the sense of community.
When I Learned to Write Down Exam Dates
by Andrew Stieve
In the second semester of my first year, things were going well. I was preparing for a Materials Science exam that night, and I had spent the last two evenings studying hard. After I finished my classes, I jokingly texted my friend asking if he was ready. I was not prepared for his response.
“It was yesterday.”
“WAIT WHAT!?” I replied.
In a panic, I wrote an email to my professor explaining the situation, hoping and praying that he would cut me some slack. Thankfully, he let me retake it. I then put all my future exams on my calendar.
Missing Them
by Kylie Overly
Coming to Tech was scary but I was excited. Moving 8 hours away from all that I knew for a fresh start at me. When I got here meeting new people was the easy part, getting over the homesickness was the hard part. For every new memory that I made there was a part of me that wished that someone from home was there too. Missing the little girls that I babysat, missing my little sister, missing my aunt. It will be ok I tell myself. You will see them soon.
