The value that honors programs hold for universities lies in the tangibles. Honors programs help an institution pinpoint and cultivate the talents of its finest students. They help these students achieve undergraduate research and encourage them to seek further inquiry and creative endeavor. They provide the counsel, advising, and encouragement that can lead to nationally and internationally competitive, prestigious scholarships in all academic fields and endeavors. They help bring renown to the university they serve by ensuring that the institution's finest students receive the care and attention needed to succeed in challenging academic and research environments. They can and usually do lead the student down a transformational career path. These are the tangibles. Marc Johnson's institute, University of Nevada, Reno, has an honors program that can attest to the validity of such outcomes. In this article, Johnson makes an equally compelling case for the personal byproducts that are often just as important, just as meaningful, that can be gained from the University of Nevada, Reno's honors program. The program helps change the lives of the students it serves, both tangibly through academic achievement, and intangibly through a stronger sense of direction and self-worth.