Cerritos College

For Immediate Release: October 12, 2007

Media Contact: Allison Abel, Public Affairs; (562) 860-2451, ext. 7878

 

Students who want the fast track to a UC know where it’s at: Cerritos College’s Scholars’ Honors Program (SHP). Now in its 11th year, the program provides advanced students with unique opportunities for scholarships, closer interaction with professors, smaller class sizes, priority admission consideration from top California universities, and other benefits.  

At an orientation last month, a new group of students met with director Timothy Juntilla to find out all that the year has in store for them. Juntilla has high hopes for this crowd; last year’s outgoing class had a 94 percent acceptance rate at UC Irvine, and 95 percent at UCLA.

“I want students to know that there’s nothing standing in the way of them and the top schools in the state,” said Juntilla.

During the past several years, program has seen steady growth. Its increase this fall over the previous year stands at 10 percent.

Several students at the orientation were returning as sophomores to complete their second year of studies at Cerritos College before transferring. Bryan Rowe, an English major, says he hopes to attend UCLA, UC Berkeley, or perhaps Columbia University. He says he’s appreciated SHP because he gets the opportunity to take classes with like-minded students. “It’s a better learning environment,” he says. “Students in your classes are harder-working.”

Rowe is the 2007-08 president of the Scholars’ Honors Club, which provides an avenue for students to form support structures for each other. It also assists them in their transfer goals by setting aside time for community service, something that college admissions officials want to see on the records of incoming students. Club members volunteer at a senior center across the street from the college, and also participate in beach clean-up days.

Sarah Jimenez, an art major, has taken several honors courses through SHP since she entered the program in the fall of 2006. She says the program has helped her build relationships with her professors.

“A lot of students are afraid of their professors, but SHP helps you overcome that,” she says.

Students are brought into closer contact with instructors through smaller class sizes. They also work closely with professors in contract courses—non-honors courses that SHP students can count as honors classes when they complete an additional research requirement.

“One of the strengths of SHP is that it allows students to customize their own learning experience,” says Juntilla. “Aside from the many courses custom-designed for honors students, the students can make their honors experience virtually anything they want through means of contract courses.”

Rowe, who is enrolled this fall in a contract course in logic, is currently working on a research project which he describes as “the ontological status of definite descriptions”—or, in layman’s terms, the validity and existence of nouns that refer to a singular individual or object.

Upon completion of his research, he’ll have the opportunity to make presentations at student research conferences.

“Conferences are beneficial to the students not just in giving them experience in presenting research to experts in academia, but also for the fact that they can network with honors administration, faculty and students. In addition, the experience they gain gives them understanding in how to apply for research grants and internships.”

Students who present at conferences also gain the benefit of a more competitive admission application when it comes time to transfer.

Scholars’ Honors Program students are typically among the best and brightest of students seeking to transfer. Not only do they frequently gain admission to the most competitive public universities in the state, but they’re in the running for large scholarships as well. One SHP student who recently graduated from Cerritos College received a $5,000 scholarship to UCLA, and many other SHP students also receive awards.

As the semester kicks into high gear, Juntilla is eager to see the new honors students achieve and even surpass the successes of their predecessors.

“They already have the ability; now, through SHP, they have the resources as well,” he says. “I’m tremendously optimistic about their future.”

To learn more about the Scholars' Honors Program at Cerritos College, visit http://www.cerritos.edu/shp. 

 

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