Weekly (sort of) Newsletter

Spring '26 Registration 

Yes, it's almost that time! You can see all of the Spring '26 Honors courses on the college's course schedule page. Now is the time to start planning, as we will open the registration request form on October 6th. We'll announce when the form is open; some courses fill up very quickly, so submitting the request early assures your seat in the class, as we register in the order of requests received. (Remember, only Honors Program staff can register you due to the restricted nature of these courses.) 

We had hoped--and still hope--to be able to offer sections of A&P II at both EVC (Belzer) and RRC (Hudson), but as of now these courses have not yet been approved. 

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Congrats to OUR HDFS Fellows 

Six Honors Program students have been accepted to the Opportunities for Undergraduate Research in Human Development & Family Sciences (OUR HDFS) Fellowship Program at Texas State University. During this 25-week program supported by the National Science Foundation, participants will be paired with faculty and graduate student mentors, conduct research, and learn about graduate school and careers in HDFS. All participants will receive a stipend of $5625, plus travel expenses and meals. 

Only 11 students were selected, and we are super proud of these Honors Riverbats who competed with undergraduates from local universities (Southwestern, St. Ed's, etc.) for the fellowships. Check out their individual bios on our IG. 

Ishal Dogar: General Studies

Alyx Hardin: Psychology

Thelma Jude: Health Sciences (Pre-Med)

Linda Kim: Sociology

Emmee Le (not pictured): Psychology 

Katharina Reyling: Biology

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Honors Student to Present at Largest Math Conference in the World

We're so pleased to announce that Honors Math major Charles ("Chuck") Martin III will deliver a presentation in January 2026 at the Joint Mathematics Meeting in Washington, D.C. The largest annual math conference in the world, the JMM is organized by the American Mathematical Society (AMS) in collaboration with several other mathematical organizations, including the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) and the National Association of Mathematicians (NAM). Here's a bit about Chuck--his bio and the subject of his talk--in his own words:  

I'm a math and physics major. I'll graduate with the math degree this fall and the physics one next spring. I'm an SI for two Discrete Mathematics classes and will start with a Statistics and a foundations class mid-October (they are joint 8-week classes). I also lead a study group for another Stats class. I returned to school after a few years off in 2022 as something to fill my time. I last graduated from Texas State in 2017 with a BFA in Photography. I retired from the Marines after stepping on an IED in Afghanistan, and now I mostly go to school and do volunteer work to stay active. I really enjoy learning about math and did some self-study but wanted something more structured. I hope to transfer to UT in the fall and pursue higher degrees in pure mathematics there.  

There is a strong link between math and science, and photography. When it was first being invented, photography wasn't necessarily seen as an art form at all. "Photographer" was a relatively late term; photographers were called camera operators for decades and were generally seen as lab techs. The talk at JMM will mostly be about the math and science that went into early photographic technology. Starting with the math involved with the chemistry of light-sensitive materials and optics and ending with digital cameras. I'll also talk some about the math that goes into taking a photo. A lot of people have heard about the exposure triangle (shutter speed, aperture and ISO) but depending on what kind of work you are doing, it can get very complicated. Adding to the triangle, you can get light output, light speed, and light distance if using studio lights. Then, if you are using a large-format camera, you have to worry about bellows length, and film sensitivity falloff if doing a long exposure. None of this is extremely hard math for the end user but it took a lot to get it that way.

Kudos to Chuck!

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Great Questions Community Seminar: 10/9 

Honors Government Professor Ted Hadzi-Antich is hosting another Great Questions Community Seminar on Thursday, October 9th (6-9 pm). This time the subject is on the 2400 year-old play Antigone. As with previous seminars, there will be tacos and small group discussions. Get the details about the event here, and RSVP here to receive the location of the seminar at Highland campus. 

6-6:30pm: Taco Time 

6:30pm: Community Seminar Begins! 

6:45pm - 8pm: Small Group Discussions 

8pm - 9pmish: Debrief 

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Free College Application Week: October 13-19 

ACC's Transfer Services is excited to share information about the NEW Texas Free College Application Week  initiative, which requires universities to offer FREE APPLICATIONS TO TEXAS PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES during the week of October 13-19! This means Texas residents can apply or any – or all – Texas public schools for free for upcoming semesters via the ApplyTexas applications (and the CommonApp for UT Austin). 

Important info for UT hopefuls: not all parts of the application must be completed when filling out the application. Students have until the application deadline to submit supplemental materials via the UT Admissions Portal (essay, letters of recommendation, academic resume)

The Transfer Services team will be hosting hours on campuses to help students. Events will be updated on the Transfer Events Calendar. 

Monday, October 13 

• 10 a.m. -1 p.m. • South Austin Campus • Room 1137

• 12 p.m.-2 p.m. • Hays Campus • Room 1301

• 1 p.m.- 4 p.m. • Highland Campus • Highland Campus Accelerator 

Tuesday, October 14

• 9 a.m -12 p.m. • Northridge Campus • Northridge Student Affairs Suite

• 10 a.m. - 3 p.m •  Highland Campus • Career and Transfer Center, 4.1110.0

• 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. • San Gabriel Campus • San Gabriel Accelerator

Wednesday, October 15

• 10 a.m - 1 p.m. • Riverside Campus • Room 9108

• 1 p.m - 4 p.m. • Round Rock Campus • Round Rock Campus Accelerator

Thursday, October 16

• 9 a.m -12 p.m.  • Rio Grande Campus • Rio Grande Campus Accelerator

• 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. • Highland Campus • Career and Transfer Center, 4.1110.0

• 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Cypress Creek Campus • Room 2109 (Learning Lab)

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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. 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):

• Oct 16th from 6-7pm (ET)

• Oct 27th from 5-6pm (ET)

• 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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Creative Publishing Opportunity

Scribendi, the Western Regional Honors Council’s fine art and literary magazine, is now accepting submissions from undergraduate honors students in celebration of its 40th anniversary. Categories include:

• Visual Art

• Photography

• Poetry

• Short Fiction

• Creative Nonfiction

• Foreign Language (with translation)

• Open Media (which includes film and music!)

Accepted works will be published in the anniversary issue, and top pieces in each genre are eligible for a $250 prize from WRHC.

More details and submission information here (deadline 10/10)

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AMIGOS Seeking Officers

Former AMIGOS president and Honors student Elodia Escarcega wanted to get the word out about two officer positions that are currently open:

AMIGOS is a Hispanic-serving (but not exclusive) student organization dedicated to the retention and recruitment of Latino students. Our mission encompasses celebrating culture, empowering students, and fostering a sense of belonging. AMIGOS creates volunteering opportunities for students, introduces them to networks, and facilitates building friendships and community. First-generation college students and anybody looking to make "Amigos" are encouraged to join! Expect fun events and projects as AMIGOS gets back out there with its new leaders! It’s not too late to join them; they are still looking to fill the positions for Historian and Communications Lead. Apply here! 

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New Engineering Club Seeks Members

Founded by Honors students Taha Taha, Brandon Choi, and Isaac Naranjo, the Circuits & Gears Society is a brand new Student Life Club that is seeking members:

The Circuits & Gears Society is a newborn engineering community where students come together to design and build innovative projects across multiple disciplines - including electrical, aerospace, industrial, mechanical, software, and even business.

As a young club, we’re especially excited to welcome passionate members to help shape our future and take on leadership roles. Beyond our main projects, we plan to host workshops, engineering field trips, and technical events that spark creativity and collaboration. 

Whether you dream of being an engineer or not, love tackling problems in creative ways, or even have a knack for business, you’ll fit right in at C&G Society no matter what. Come join us and help build something amazing from day one!

We will be holding our first event on October 2nd from 5:00 - 6:30 PM!

Join our Discord!

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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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Chancellor's Student Achievement Award Nominations Are Open

The CSAA is ACC’s most prestigious student honor, symbolizing academic excellence, commitment to community service, and dedication to ACC’s values. 

Recipients receive:

• $600 award check

• Letter of recommendation from the Chancellor

• Commemorative plaque

• The honor of delivering student remarks at commencement 

Eligibility:

• Minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA

• Enrolled at ACC for at least two consecutive semesters

• Graduating in Summer/Fall 2025
  (Student Life will verify eligibility; no need to check this yourself.)

• Involvement in the campus community, including but not limited to Student Life events/programs

 Anyone can nominate: faculty, staff, students, or students can nominate themselves! There’s no limit to the number of nominations you submit, so feel free to celebrate every outstanding Riverbat who comes to mind by Friday, October 10, 2025.

 Being nominated is an honor in itself and something you can highlight on your résumé, scholarship applications, or future opportunities.

 Submit your nomination here: Summer/Fall 2025 Chancellor Student Achievement Award Nomination Form