ACC Honors Program - Celebrate curiosity

Student Spotlights

Chemistry major 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.

Mirella Hurtado and 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 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.

Alexia Rebollar-Perez has 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. 

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.

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. 

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 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.

Reynaldo Alaniz has been admitted to the Art Institute of Chicago, one of the country’s most prestigious Fine Arts colleges (ranked #2 by U.S. News & World Report). As an Honors Painting student who has already earned a Bachelor’s degree, Reynaldo will be pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree beginning in Summer ’23 at the institute.

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.

Mickie Amezquita and 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.

 

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