YCS Fellow Aleena Tomy and General Studies major Cougar Seale have been nominated for the 2024 All-Texas Academic Team as members of PTK. They will attend a medallion ceremony designed to celebrate outstanding community college students, hosted by the University of Texas San Antonio on April 19th, 2024.
YCS Fellow and Journalism major Marisela Perez Maita has been accepted to the 2024 The Point Program for Public Thinking summer workshop at the University of Chicago. As one of 14 students selected nationwide for this two-week, fully funded workshop, Marisela will learn about and practice engaging the public through dialogue and writing while earning college credit. She will also attend film screenings, visit cultural institutions, and take a variety of excursions around Chicago.
Liana Lopez, Benjamin Kajs, and Jessica Ortiz have been selected to attend the 2024 Summer Scholars Program at the Chautauqua Institution, a week-long, all-expenses paid enrichment experience in Western New York State designed for high-achieving, under-resourced college students. As three of 12 students selected nationwide, Liana, Benjamin, and Jessica will attend a variety of lectures and performances; they will also receive training in interpersonal and communication skills that will help them to build social capital.
2023
YCS Fellow Ronald Ngamby and Rachel Hernandez successfully completed the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars Missions 1 (Discover) & 2 (Explore), with Rachel serving as Project Manager of the Artemis Gold team on the latter mission. During the five-week Mission 1, students learned about NASA missions and engaged in a variety of STEM-based activities. For Mission 2, they formed teams to design a mission to explore the Moon or Mars and attended events hosted by NASA subject matter experts. Ronald went on to complete Mission 3 (Innovate) at the AMES Research Center in San Jose, California.
Honors Physics major and YCS Fellow Marc Stoyer has been admitted to Columbia University’s School of General Studies and will pursue a Physics degree beginning in Spring 2024. A recipient of the university’s PTK scholarship, Marc will receive $25,000 a year to fund the completion of his undergraduate education.
The following students participated in Honors-focused panels and roundtables at the Community College Humanities Association 2023 National Conference (Oct. 12-14): Marisela Perez Maita, Marc Stoyer, Myles Lopez-Cepero, Theodore Courtois, Rose Ott, Sebastian Leal, Maria Realpe, Raghad Abu Jabal, Aliana Taylor, and Alexis Turrubiartes. Honors students Brooks Michaels, Sebastian Leal, Zek McCormick, and Adelaide Roueche-Beard presented papers.
Honors Math major Claire Hobbs has been admitted to Yale University through the Eli Whitney Students Program, which is designed for non-traditional students. Claire will major in Computer Science and Linguistics beginning in Fall 2023.
Honors Chemistry students Lauren Brown, Quinci Rogers, Guilhermi Ragi Berto, Gianna De Jacimo-McGough, Gerritt Tipping, and Lilith Voss participated in the 2023 Summer Chemical Research at Texas (CREATE) Research Program at UT Austin. Students were paired with faculty mentors and worked in research laboratories for nine weeks on current topics in chemical research, earning course credit through UT Austin’s Extension Program. All participants received a stipend.
Honors Chemistry major and YCS Fellow Amber Traylor is a recipient of the 2023 Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarship, one of the most competitive transfer scholarships in the nation. Amber is one of 60 community college students who will receive up to $55,000 a year to fund the completion of her undergraduate education. She will attend Rutgers University in Fall 2023.
Mirella Hurtado and YCS Fellow Kameryn Arnold have been selected to attend the 2023 Summer Scholars Program at the Chautauqua Institution, a week-long, all-expenses paid enrichment experience in Western New York State designed for high-achieving, under-resourced college students. Mirella and Kameryn will attend a variety of lectures and performances; they will also receive training in interpersonal and communication skills that will help them to build social capital.
Artwork by Reynaldo Alaniz, Chloe Blodgett, Sahara Bond, Dianne Spelce, Juliette Nickle and Yen Yu Lien has been selected for inclusion in the 2023 Texas Association of Schools of Art Artovation, a statewide art competition open to community college and university students.
Angelica Ruzanova has been accepted to the 2023 The Point Program for Public Thinking summer workshop at the University of Chicago. As one of 16 students selected nationwide for this two-week, fully funded inaugural workshop, Angelica will learn about and practice engaging the public through dialogue and writing. She will also receive college credit.
Science and Environmental Studies major Suzanne West is a 2023 scholarship recipient of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving Institutions. Suzanne is one of 15 recipients who will be awarded financial assistance for two years of study related to NOAA’s mission critical sciences. She will also participate in two summer internships at NOAA facilities, during which she will receive a bi-weekly stipend, as well as travel and housing allowances.
YCS Fellow Alexia Rebollar-Perez and Aliana Taylor have been selected to participate in Explore Law, a four-week summer program hosted by UT’s Longhorn Center for Academic Equity. Students who complete the 2023 program earn a stipend, are eligible for free LSAT prep, and are connected with a law school mentor.
Adelaide (Ada) Roueche-Beard and Zek McCormick have been accepted to the 2023 Humanities Collaboratory, a summer research program hosted by Johns Hopkins University. Ada and Zek will each receive a $5700 stipend for 10 weeks of full-time mentored research in the Humanities and will be housed at the college’s Maryland campus.
YCS Fellow Marisela Perez Maita is a 2023 recipient of the Parrhesia Summer Academy scholarship, and will take a course on “Ethics in the Digital Age” at the University of Chicago. The academy’s offerings are rooted in the university’s principles of free expression.
YCS Fellow Shannon Aguirre has been accepted to the Summer 2023 Research Experience for Undergraduates at the University of Texas at Austin. As a research assistant/intern who will receive a stipend of $5600 over 8 weeks, she will have the opportunity to work on a funded research project focused on conceptualizing and measuring access to safety, examining the effectiveness of restorative justice in youth diversion, and studying judicial discretion in municipal courts.
YCS Fellow Theodore Courtois successfully completed the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars five-week Mission 1: Discover program in Spring ’23 and has been selected to advance to the Mission 2: Exploration Simulation. In Mission 2, students form teams to design a mission to explore the Moon or Mars and attend events hosted by NASA subject matter experts. Theodore is currently Project Manager and Safety Officer for the MACHMIRE (Mars Climate History Micro Rover Expedition) mission at the NASA L’SPACE Mission Concept Academy and was selected to participate in a 5-week internship with the Arizona State University Space Works Instrument Incubator Laboratory in Summer ’23. As a NASA Lucy Mission intern, Theodore will receive a stipend of $4500 and work in distributed teams assigned by the L’SPACE Leadership to design, build, and test simulated flight hardware.
Dr. Shawn Amorde’s Honors Chemistry students had a publication accepted by the Journal of Chemical Education titled “A Research-Focused Approach for Introducing Undergraduate Students to Aromatic Organic Synthesis at a Community College.” The student authors are Jessica Boette, Daniel Kira, Josephine Lietzke, and Sean Roberts.
2022
Mickie Amezquita and YCS Fellow Mars Medina attended the Summer Scholars Program at the Chautauqua Institution in Summer ’22, a week-long, all-expenses paid enrichment experience in Western New York State. Mickie and Mars attended lectures; shared in discussion groups; enjoyed musical, dance, and theater performances; and connected with educators, authors, artists, and many others.
Honors Chemistry students Andrea Donatti, Joshua Santos, Lauren Brown, Jack Seaquist, Joseph Belle, and Gerritt Tipping participated in the 2022 Summer Chemical Research at Texas (CREATE) Research Program at UT Austin. Students were paired with faculty mentors and worked in research laboratories for nine weeks on current topics in chemical research, earning course credit through UT Austin’s Extension Program. All participants received a stipend.
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