Weekly (sort of) Newsletter

We're so pleased to announce that Honors Psychology major Malka Negret will be presenting her paper "Reimagining Life: How Death Rituals Guide the Way We Care for the Living” at the Richard Macksey National Undergraduate Humanities Research Symposium, held at Johns Hopkins University in March.

Here is Malka's description of her work: "My paper examines and compares Tibetan Sky Burial (Jhator), the Korean 49-day funerary ceremony (Cheondojae), and U.S. coffin burial, exploring their origins, practices, and the underlying worldviews. It highlights how culture influences our ethics of care. The aim is to deepen self-awareness of the human condition and consider how different our perspectives can be when they prioritize reducing suffering and approach life with acceptance and compassion."

This event also offers the opportunity to collaborate with the university’s managing editor and peer reviewers for submission to the Macksey Journal. Congratulations, Malka!

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Ready for Your Swag Bag?

Taking an Honors course this semester? You'll get a Google form from your instructor soon asking you for your T-shirt size and whether or not you want an Honors-branded bag of goodies that includes a pen, 20 oz. tumbler, sticker, and sticky notes.

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New Honors Courses Approved: Summer & Fall

We'll be offering a few new courses, one in the summer and two in the fall:

Summer: HIST 1302, US History II: "The Fight for America's Soul: Defining American Purpose, 1877-Present" (HLC, Bryan Port, 10 weeks)
Fall: BIOL 1309, Life on Earth: "Evolution & Ecology: You Are Modified Fish Parts" (HYS, Devin Preston)
Fall: BIOL 1308, Biology Fundamentals: "Demystifying Science" (CYP/Hybrid, Dr. Chelsey Dankenbring)

We have also added a section of MATH 2415, Calculus III (Gustavo Cepparo, DLS) to the summer schedule.

One courses that has yet to be approved but is slated to be offered in the fall is SPCH 1311, Intro to Speech: "Rage Against the Machine: The Rhetoric of Social Movements" (Dr. Joansandy Wong, HLC)

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Call for Volunteers: Health Sciences Open House

Honors students, are you working to fulfill the service requirements of the Honors Scholar tier? We have a February opportunity for you. ACC's Health Sciences will be holding an open house on February 28th at Eastiew Campus, and they need wayfinders to direct the attendees. The event is from 10:00 am-1:00 pm, but you'll need to be there before 10:00. The organizers will contact you via email with instructions.

Please sign up here and plan to wear your Honors Program T-shirt (or any ACC T-shirt) so that you are easily identifiable. Bring your student ID. Pizza lunch will be provided.

Here is the log for your hours; have one of the organizers sign it after you've finished volunteering. Once you're ready to submit all of the activities for the Honors Scholar designation, you'll upload your time logs into Suitable.

If you don't have an Honors T-shirt but are taking an Honors course this semester and plan to volunteer, contact us at honors@austincc.edu and we can make one available to you before the event. (Swag bag forms will go out to all classes shortly, so you may get a shirt in time for the event from your instructor.)

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Book and Cookie Fair: 2/7

Dr. Matthew Daude, Honors Ethics professor and former Dean of Liberal Arts-Humanities and Communications, is downsizing and wants to give Honors students dibs on his books:

I am downsizing my library, and I'd like to invite you to a Book and Cookie Fair at my house on Saturday, February 7, from 10:30 to 2:00 PM. I'm offering ACC students books in philosophy, history, psychology, literature, and other subjects on a "set your own price" basis (cash please). There will also be freshly baked cookies!

If you're interested, email me (mdaude@austincc.edu) and I'll send you my address. Thanks!

Matthew Daude

Professor of Philosophy and Religion

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Competitive University Transfer Panel! 2/18

Back by popular demand is our Honors alumni transfer panel!

As part of Transfer Week, the Honors Program is partnering with Transfer Services to feature a panel of six ACC Honors Program alumni who have transferred to highly competitive institutions/programs: Brown, Yale, Georgetown, and UT. Want the inside scoop on how they did it? Join us for a wide-ranging discussion of transfer tips, scholarships, and more! And hey, there is a Nacho bar!

*Featured UT students will attend in person; out-of-state students will participate via Zoom.

Wednesday, February 18th, 6:00 pm-7:30 pm, Highland Campus Building 2000 (Presentation Hall, Rm 1550)

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St. Edward's Campus Visit Opportunity

On Friday, February 27th, from 3:30-6:30 PM, St. Edward's University is hosting a campus visit in honor of the 40th anniversary of National Trio Day, which is designed to raise awareness about educational opportunities for low-income, first generation students.

The visit will include:

A student panel featuring St. Edward’s transfer students and McNair Scholars
A campus tour
Dinner in the university cafeteria with current students

The organizers would like to invite 12-15 current ACC students who would benefit from the exposure and encouragement. Students will need to provide their own transportation to the St. Ed's campus.

Interested? Please fill out this form.

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(Free) Summer Enrichment Trip to NY: Pre-apply Now; Deadline 2/20

OK, y'all, this is one of the best deals we offer: a week-long, all-expenses-paid educational and enrichment trip to the Chautauqua Institution. It's called the Summer Scholars Program, and over the last four years, we have sent ten ACC Honors Program students (which is actually a large number when you consider that the opportunity is only available to 24 students nationwide every July).

Intrigued? OK, check your eligibility. Do you meet the following requirements?

Have taken at least one Honors course or are registered for a class in Spring '26 (Organizers will verify with us)
A community college student in an Honors program who intends to transfer to a 4-yr institution to pursue a Bachelor's degree in Fall '27
Pell Grant-eligible (per FAFSA)
a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident who is 18-25 years of age
Intellectually curious; interested in meeting new people and forming new connections
Participating (or interested) in extracurricular activities, research, community service, etc.
Able to walk four miles per day

If you're eligible, *pre-apply today. Put my name down as the person who referred you: Dr. Anne-Marie Thomas

If students seem to be a good fit on their pre-application, the organizers will invite them to complete a full application. Weekly themes are for the program are here.

*I want you to pay close attention to the instructions for the essays on the pre-application. You see how it says "Do not use AI to craft your answers"? They are very serious about that stipulation. The organizers don't want bland, boring, and generic--they want to get an authentic sense of who you are and what your interests are. If they determine that your pre-application is consistent with typical generative AI use, expect to have it disqualified.

If you'd like more information about this opportunity, contact our Honors ambassador Parker Garcia, who participated last year: parker.garcia@austincc.edu

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Southwestern U Transfer Info Session (Designed for ACC Honors Students): 2/26

Have you ever considered transferring to the university just up the road in Georgetown that The Princeton Review ranked #19 in the nation and #1 in the state of Texas in their “Best Career Services” category? No? Well, you should. It's an excellent school that offers a lot of options and very healthy financial aid packages. On Thursday, February 27th, Southwestern U's Assistant Director of Admissions Jake Harp will be conducting a transfer info session at the Highland Campus Welcome Center (Bldg. 1000, HLC1 2350) from 3-4 pm. There will be cookies!

If you're joining via Zoom, register here.

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Paid, Two-week Summer Program at the U of Chicago

We've had two students participate in this summer workshop series (in 2023 and 2024), and we'd love to see more Honors Riverbats attend. It's designed for students interested in deepening their knowledge about the philosophy and practice of "thinking" in public. Participation in the workshop will count for college credits, granted by the University of Chicago.

The Summer Workshop provides a space for undergraduate students interested in journalism, criticism, politics, art, and nonprofit work to learn about and practice engaging the public through dialogue and writing. Topics this summer are "Questions Concerning Technology" and "The Good Life."

All student expenses, including transportation, tuition, room, and board, are covered. Both workshops will take place at the UChicago campus from August 3–August 14. You can apply to one or both workshops in the Point-specific section of the application. Applicants may apply to their desired program, but if they wish to be considered for both programs, they may indicate that in the application portal.

If you apply and are accepted, please let me know!

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(Paid) City of Austin Internship: Youth Forest Council

For the last several years, the City of Austin has been recruiting Honors students to serve as student interns, and they report that the interns from Honors are some of the most engaged and involved. Here are the details from coordinator Britney Huynh:

Our program is open to young people in Austin between the ages of 16-20. Interns get the opportunity to do service projects that support our urban forest and build professional skills, while earning $22.05/hr. Applications are due March 15, 2026. We’d love to have more ACC students apply!

For question, please contact Britney Huynh: Britney.Huynh@austintexas.gov

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2026 ACC Student Research Symposium--Call for Submissions

The Liberal Education Advancement and Development (LEAD) initiative is sponsoring a Student Research Symposium in the Spring, and this year the organizers are pulling work from all disciplines. Presenting your research at an event of this kind is a great résumé builder, and it can also enhance your transfer applications. Did you work on a project last semester that turned out well? Submit your application here; the deadline to apply is March 23, 2026.

What: A Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Symposium that will showcase work from students and faculty across all disciplines and levels of research experience.

When: Saturday April 25, 2026, 11:00am-2:00pm.

Where: Highland Campus

More information may be found at the symposium website

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University of Texas at Dallas Hobson-Wildenthal Honors College

Although ACC and UTD are still putting the finishing touches on our transfer agreement, students who are completing the requirements for the Honors Scholar tier at ACC can be automatically admitted to UTD's Honors College. Offering a variety of transfer scholarships and special research and experiential opportunities, this is a small program with a large impact.

Our contact there is admissions counselor Anisha Zaman, so feel free to email her with questions: Anisha.Zaman@UTDallas.edu

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Submit to the Hothouse Literary Journal (UT)

Hothouse Literary Journal, the official literary journal of UT's Department of English, is currently requesting submissions. In the past two years, we've had two Honors students publish work in the spring edition. From Editor-in-Chief Charlie Sharpe:

Dear undergraduates,

We're happy to announce that the official literary journal of The University of Texas at Austin’s Department of English, Hothouse, is accepting submissions for the 2025-2026 print edition! We accept submissions from undergraduate students all over Texas. We are looking for fiction, poetry, and nonfiction.

Though we accept submissions on a rolling basis, you must submit your work by March 1st, 2026 to be considered for the print journal.

If you would like to review the full guidelines, including how to format your writing, you can find them on the Hothouse website, https://hothouselitjournal.com.

If you have any questions about the submission process, feel free to contact us at uthothouse.editor@gmail.com.

We look forward to reviewing your submissions!

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Southwestern Medical School Info Session (Pre-Medical Society)

The Pre-Medical Society is hosting a transfer event:

Who says talking about medical school admissions has to be stressful? We’re bringing the experts straight to you!

Date: Tuesday, February 10th
Time: 3:00 - 4:00 PM
Location: Virtual (Zoom)

Join the ACC Pre-Medical Society for a virtual deep dive into UT Southwestern Medical School, one of the top-ranked medical institutions in the world. Hear directly from Jenna Steinle, Associate Director of Admissions and Recruitment, as she shares insight into what it takes to stand out as a medical school applicant.

This event kicks off a guest speaker series featuring admissions representatives from Dell Medical School, Washington University, Columbia University, and UCLA, with virtual presentations happening throughout the month.

Interested in future sessions? Scan the QR code on the event flyer below.

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Ready to Become an Honors Scholar?

While taking an Honors class can certainly enhance your transfer applications, becoming an Honors Scholar--a student who takes at least three honors courses, maintains a 3.5 GPA, and engages in select leadership and service activities--can set you apart from your peers in ways that admissions committees find appealing. Becoming an Honors Scholar, for example, will grant you automatic admission to the UT Dallas Hobson Wildenthal Honors College.

Honors Scholars receive recognition on their transcripts, a digital badge, and honor stoles for graduation ceremonies. For an explanation of the kinds of leadership and service activities required, visit the Honors Scholar page.

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