Honors program prepares students for university rigor.
Imagine reading and writing about some of the most influential British authors and then taking a trip to the United Kingdom walking the same streets, eating in the same restaurants, visiting the towns they lived in, and getting a hands-on experience to what you and countless others have read about for centuries. That’s what San Jacinto College Honors program British Literature II students will be doing this May as they tour the land that has contributed iconic foundations to so many literary pieces.
Each year, the San Jacinto College Honors program plans a trip for its students that coincides with the literature and historical themes they’ve been learning about in their classes. This past spring, Honors students traveled to Germany to explore several cities and historical sites.
Photo credit: San Jacinto College.
Since 1997, the San Jacinto College Honors program has provided its students with unique learning opportunities that rival some of the best Ivy League universities. Along with educational travel opportunities, San Jacinto College Honors students have presented papers at some of the most prestigious national and regional academic conferences including the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR), the Great Plains Honors Conference, Texas State Historical Association, and the Texas Folklore Society. Most of these conferences have a majority of university undergraduate and graduate students leading presentations, so having students from a community college as featured presenters has been turning heads in many honors academic circles.
Last year, Honors student, Jeffery Hallinan, along with four other San Jacinto College Honors students, was chosen to present his paper on the origins of the Pasadena Livestock Show and Rodeo at the NCUR. At 38, Hallinan, who plans to become a history professor, is taking full advantage of his fresh start at the College and says being an Honors student is something he always knew he was capable of.
“I always wanted a degree, and after 20 years of working shift work as a plant operator, I decided it was time to do this for me,” he said. “After a while, you realize money isn’t everything. Do what makes you happy because you’re going to have a better life no matter what.”
Honors courses follow a REAL rubric meaning that they contain research, enrichment opportunities, academic rigor, and leadership. The in-depth research and writing assignments within Honors courses aren’t usually found in traditional freshmen and sophomore-level courses, but prepare students for any university-level course they will encounter once they transfer. For most students, it’s an initiation into the higher-level thinking and workload most university courses require. The principles and critical thinking processes they get from Honors courses can be applied not only to their academic work, but in their every day lives and future careers.
“It’s easy to work with students who may not have the preparation for a course like this, because we can work on that with them,” said Dr. Eddie Weller, San Jacinto College Honors program director. “But a student who has no ambition – that’s hard. Sometimes when they’re around kids with that drive, it rubs off on them. You don’t ever write anyone off. You don’t give up – you get better.”
The Spring 2016 semester saw 759 students enrolled in Honors courses College-wide, with 62 student receiving scholarships. Last year, 14 San Jacinto College students presented their research at the GPHC annual conference held in South Padre Island, Texas. The College had historic attendance with a total of 18 students and nine faculty members attending the conference, the largest number of attendees the College has had participate.
For more information about the San Jacinto College Honors program, visit sanjac.edu/honors.
– Andrea Vasquez