Weekly (sort of) Newsletter

HSO 5th Annual Ghostly Gala, 10/30

Are you a member of the Honors Student Organization yet? You should be. Not only does this Student Life organization host service and leadership opportunities, but they also throw the occasional party...like on Thursday!

Fron HSO Prez Parker Garcia:

We’re thrilled to cordially invite you to our 5th Annual Ghostly Gala We’d love for you to save the date and get ready for a night full of spooky fun! RSVP here. 

Date & Time: October 30th @ 7:00 PM
Location: HLC Campus – Building 1000, Room 2202

Come enjoy food, drinks, and ghostly games, plus a round of spooky trivia to test your Halloween knowledge! Costumes aren’t required but are highly encouraged, especially if you want a chance to take home the Ghostly Gala Trophy!  

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Please Be Patient with Us: Spring '26 Registration

Sorry, y'all--we're dealing with an unusually high volume of calls/emails since we opened the registration request form on the 6th. We're working diligently to answer your queries, but it may take us a bit more time than usual. 

We have added BIOL 2402 (Anatomy & Physiology II) at EVC to the registration request form. The title is "Human Physiology: Hacking Health and the Future of the Human Body," and the instructor is Matt Belzer.

Questions? Contact honors@austincc.edu

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UT YCS Fellows Application Open

You all would have received a very long email yesterday about this annual opportunity, so here is the short version: 

We are thrilled to announce the sixth year of our partnership with UT Austin's Youth and Community Studies. One of the major goals of the ACC Honors Program is to offer our students civic leadership training that will enhance both their transfer opportunities and their résumés. Thus we have partnered with UT’s College of Education, whose faculty and staff have designed two academic and experiential learning opportunities for a maximum of 40 ACC Honors students. All Honors students who have taken/are taking a minimum of one Honors course (or are registered for Honors courses in Spring 2026) are eligible. All majors are welcome to apply. 

we can take a maximum of 40 applicants, so apply to become a YCS Fellow today. The deadline for applications is November 9th (11:59 pm). Honors Program staff will verify your eligibility. Students will receive notification of acceptance by November 17th. 

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Civic Deliberation Simulation: Center for Government and Civic Service + UT Austin: 11/8

The folks over at the ACC Center for Government and Civic Service have a new civic leadership opportunity for you! Participation in three of these simulations will satisfy the Honors Scholar leadership requirement. See details from the organizers:

This event will be on Saturday, November 8th and will be a Civic Deliberation Simulation focused on the July 4th flash flood in Central Texas. Students will learn about the flash flood’s response and recovery efforts, collaborate with others to discuss social and technical challenges in crisis response, and contribute design ideas that could grow into future capstone projects, volunteer initiatives, or entrepreneurial efforts. 

Students will also have the opportunity to get training with UT Social Informatics Professor Brian McInnis on facilitation and conversation design. Students can register for participation in the following link: 

https://utexas.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_38xQEHhpg7ZP0Uu 

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Swarthmore College Info Session: HLC, 11/13

Remember I was telling you to consider schools like "Little Ivies," since they often provide a lot of financial aid? Check out the upcoming transfer info session with Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. Ranked #4 Liberal Arts College in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, it's one of the nation's most diverse colleges, and the administration is committed to meeting 100% of determined financial need. In a rare opportunity, the Vice President and Dean of Admissions Jim Bock--who happens to be an Austin McCallum HS grad--will be meeting ACC Honors Program students in person at 4:00 pm on Thursday, November 13th at HLC. The room location is TBD (we're trying to reserve a Hylfex room so folks can join virtually), but register here and we'll send it to you. Bring your questions about transfer and financial aid. 

Details about Swarthmore from Jim: Swarthmore is a residential liberal arts and engineering college of about 1,700 students located 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia. We offer more than 40 majors and minors in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences—plus pre-med, pre-vet, and pre-law advising. To make Swarthmore affordable for all students regardless of their socioeconomic background, we meet 100% of determined financial need through loan-free financial aid awards. In addition, Swarthmore is a cash-free campus, which means there are no extra fees for things like laundry, printing, concerts, and movie nights. We also provide free SEPTA train passes for all students to access the Philadelphia area, directly from the train on campus. For more on our community and admissions process, please view our website at https://www.swarthmore.edu/ or visit our transfer admissions page at https://www.swarthmore.edu/admissions-aid/apply-a-transfer-student. 

Again, register here and we'll send you the room location when we've reserved it. 

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Bat Chats x Honors Program: HLC, 11/13

As you may know, Student Life asked us to partner with them to host an Honors-themed Bat Chat (sort of like a TED Talk, but with snacks). The coordinators reviewed a number of applications by Honors Program students and ultimately selected Brandon Choi, who will be presenting "Yeoyu: Finding Happiness Through Space in the Mind,” a discussion of the Korean idea called yeoyu—which means “spare space”—changed the way he thinks about happiness.

Designed with ACC Honors students in mind—and grounded in a uniquely Korean cultural perspective—this talk will offer practical tools for avoiding burnout and sustaining a healthy, balanced sense of ambition. (Also, if you're interested in presenting your own "Bat Chat X Honors Program" in order to satisfy the leadership requirement for the Honors Scholar tier, it'll be helpful to see one of these in action. Full disclosure: the Student Life coordinators select the candidates, not me or any Honors faculty or staff.) 

Come see us at the Make It Center on November 13th, or plan to join via Zoom! Register here. 

November 13th | 2:00-4:00pm | Highland Campus - Make it Center (Building 2000, Room 2429) 

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Honors Study Abroad: Painting II in Italy

We're really happy to announce our new Study Abroad course: Painting II (ARTS 2317), which is a five-week course (May 20-June 20), taught by our own Professor Shawn Camp in Florence, Italy! For more information, please visit Study Abroad. 

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Join a College Committee: Leadership Opportunity 

Looking for an opportunity to fulfill the leadership requirement for the Honors Scholar tier? The Student Government Association (SGA) is looking for student leaders to join college committees. This is your chance to represent the student voice and work directly with college leadership to influence policies, programs, and resources. Help us put the student first to foster purpose and belonging at Austin Community College. We need your perspective! Fill out this form to get involved. 

*You DO NOT have to be an officer of the Student Government to fill these positions. You are already members of the organization and will not have to commit to any additional responsibilities other than serving as a chair on these committees.*

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Richard Macksey National Undergraduate Symposium at Johns Hopkins

Last year, Honors student Eva Ritchie's paper, “Good Grief! Confucius and Cicero’s Expressions of Bereavement,” was accepted for inclusion in the 2025 Richard Macksey National Undergraduate Humanities Research Symposium, which showcases student work across all fields of the humanities. Eva, a Government major who wrote the essay for Dr. Wendy Elle’s Honors World Literature I class, traveled to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore to present it. The 2026 conference will take place on March 19-21, and the deadline for submission is December 1st. 

JHU instructions: Application instructions can be found on the Apply page of the symposium website. Notifications of acceptance to the conference will be made at the end of December. Early bird registration (by January 15) will be $150. Regular registration (by January 31) will be $185. 

A small number of fee waivers and travel scholarships will be available; instructions for applying for this funding will be sent along with conference acceptances in late December. More information about the conference schedule and logistics can be found on the

Attendance Information page of our website.  

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Smith College Virtual Transfer Info Sessions

Did you know that ACC Honors Program students transfer to Ivy League School, "little Ivies," and top 10 public schools? In the last couple of years, we've had students transfer to Yale, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, and a wide variety of competitive public universities across the country, UT among them. So when I send out opportunities that seem to be beyond your reach, please don't immediately discount them. I'd like to see you really examine the opportunities--especially if funding is offered. This week we're featuring Smith College, a women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts that is quite generous with financial aid (and has pledged to provide free tuition beginning in Fall 2026 for those who have annual family incomes of $150,000 or less). Here are a few highlights:

• Transfers can apply with 16 - 64 credits: we consider carefully each transfer's academic record on a case-by-case basis and provide a full credit evaluation at the time of admission.

• We also have a program for non-traditional transfers: Ada Comstock Scholars are 24 or older and can apply with 48 to 64 credits.

• All transfers are eligible for generous financial aid: We meet 100% of each student's demonstrated financial need without loans. 

• Unique housing system: Our 41 self-governed student houses are age-diverse and foster an immediate sense of belonging.  

• Five College Consortium: Our partnership in the Five College Consortium provides access to over 7,000 courses on our partner campuses plus additional clubs, libraries and special collections.  

Smith will be hosting virtual transfer info sessions in October and November. Go here, scroll to "Virtual Transfer Q&A" and then click the calendar to find the links for these dates (note that the times listed are Eastern Standard Time):

• Nov 7th from 3-4pm (ET)

• Nov 13th from 6-7pm (ET)

You are also encouraged to fill out Smith's Information Request Form. 

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ACC Astronomy Club Updates and Dark Energy Conference

From Honors student Angel Sanchez, Astronomy Club President: 

Just a little over a week ago, on Thursday, October 16th, our organization was crowned the Champion of the Battle of the Orgs, achieving the highest engagement and recruitment through Student Life in this college-wide competition.

Then, the very next day, our top members embarked on an all-expenses-paid, three-day trip to the McDonald Observatory — the most important observatory in the State. We camped in Fort Davis, where we could see the Milky Way with the naked eye, and Honors Astronomy Professor Dr. Michael Endl graciously gave us a tour of Texas’s largest telescopes. During one of our catwalks, we could even see the mountain peaks of Mexico in the distance. It was a truly unforgettable experience!

See below: Members in front of the 10-meter (33-foot) aperture Hobby-Eberly Telescope.

But we’re not stopping there! Next week, on Tuesday, November 4th, we’ll be hosting our biggest event yet:

DARK ENERGY: GENERAL CONFERENCE
When: Tuesday, November 4 | 5:30–8:00 PM
Where: Highland Campus, Building 2000, 1st Floor, Room 1550 (Presentation Hall)

What’s Happening:
- Keynote talk on dark energy, the most mysterious force in the universe
- Presentation from our Club President on the club’s first year at ACC
- Social hour with dinner and live music to close the evening

This event will bring together science, leadership, and music — featuring Professor Heath, ACC Leadership, and our own club officers — for a night of ideas, celebration, and community.

Join our Discord server to learn more: https://discord.gg/Z7Fws69Grr

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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. (We should have that transfer agreement finalized by the end of the fall semester.) 

Honors Scholars receive recognition on their transcripts, a digital badge, and honor stoles for graduation ceremonies. Students who are on track to fulfill the requirements are eligible to apply for the Honors Program scholarship--it is not necessary to have completed all of them to apply. See details below. (If you are applying for the scholarship, please first register your intention to become an Honors Scholar at honors@austincc.edu.) For an explanation of the kinds of leadership and service activities required, visit the Honors Scholar page. 

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Honors Program Scholarship Is Open: Deadline 11/1

The ACC Honors Program Scholarship is open, and applications are due by November 1st. This scholarship is awarded in the spring only, and we will award at least 5 scholarships of $1000 each. 

In order to be eligible for the scholarship, you must 1) have taken or be currently taking at least one Honors course, 2) declared your intention to become an Honors Scholar with honors@austincc.edu (just email us and say you'd like to become one), and 3) have at least a 3.5 GPA. That does not mean that you must have fulfilled all of the Honors Scholar requirements at the time of application; you just need to be heading in that direction. (The idea is that the scholarship money can help you to complete your remaining requirements by paying for additional courses.) Students who have already received a $2500 ACC Foundation Open Scholarship for 2025-2026 are not eligible to apply, unfortunately.

What is the purpose of the Honors Scholar tier? We wanted to provide students with an "Honors portfolio," of sorts, which will make them even more competitive transfer/job applicants. Right now, everyone who takes an Honors course has that course designated as Honors on their transcript, but if you become an Honors Scholar, you'll receive what is known as an endorsement on your transcript (basically a fancy stamp that signifies completion of a special initiative/program of study). You will also receive a digital badge that you can use for LinkedIn, transfer applications, etc. The endorsement demonstrates a level of rigor and involvement that university admissions committees tend to find very attractive--especially when paired with an application essay that highlights your leadership and service activities as an Honors Scholar. Also, admissions offices are familiar with this kind of tier; Honors Scholars are common at many community colleges and universities.

Here is where you'll go to fill out the general application--make sure you check the box that asks if you are in the Honors Program--and here is the scholarship itself. You will not be competing with the entire ACC population; you'll be competing with Honors students who have registered their intention to become Honors Scholars only. (That's a relatively small pool! Seriously, we only had 18 eligible applicants last year!) The applications will be reviewed by a committee composed of Honors faculty and the HSO advisor. To register your intention to become an Honors Scholar, please contact honors@austincc.edu. You'll receive instructions about how to proceed.

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