Students looking to challenge themselves academically while giving back to the community have a distinct opportunity on campus they can take advantage of. 

The Schoolcraft Scholars Honors Program is currently accepting applications for the Winter 2024 semester until Dec. 28, offering students who get accepted up to a $2,400 scholarship. 

To be considered for this program, students must have a minimum GPA of 3.3, submit one letter of recommendation and complete the application on ScholarshipUniverse. There are one and two-year options to complete the program, which is chosen on an individual basis. 

Once admitted, the program requires 50 service hours and 15 hours of enrichment to be completed throughout the program; as well as a total of six courses over either a one or two-year period. 

An additional positive, students in both the Honors program and Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society are now able to use service hours towards both programs. 

Why become a scholar? 

Students interested in furthering their education by joining the Honors program have the opportunity to gain volunteer experience within their community, and engage in enrichment activities related to their own interests. Students also have the opportunity to transfer into an honors program at a four-year institution after Schoolcraft. 

Not only does the program provide enriching educational opportunities, but also creates a network of other scholars who all have similar interests. The program offers several benefits both academically and socially, and can be completed in a variety of ways and majors.

To help those students who might be interested, several students and staff have shared their experiences with the program and encourage others to apply. 

Current member of the Scholars Honors program and Engineering student Jonah Efrusy, explained the benefits of the program from the student perspective. 

“The Scholars Honors Program is a great opportunity and a great way to get into the community and serve. Everyone who has a good standing GPA should apply for it,” said Efrusy. Recounting his enjoyable experience throughout the program, he encourages other students to utilize this opportunity.

Being in the program for these past three semesters, Efrusy plans to transfer to a four-year university and believes the program will have positive effects on his transfer process. 

Pre-Nursing student Amanda Lees, who has been in the program for two semesters highlights the benefits she has experienced as being an honors student. 

“It is getting me to focus more in the class,” said Lee as she explained the benefits of the program go beyond the classroom and help her get involved with the community. 

“My favorite part has been volunteering and enrichment,” said Lees, adding that without these events she may not have been as active outside of her coursework. The Honors program has helped Lees in and out of the classroom by giving her a wider network of like-minded people to socialize and interact with. 

However, due to the required credits needed to participate in this program, Lees urges other students to “communicate with professors and try to get a sense of the class early on so you can plan ahead.” Lees uses emailing as a tool to stay on top of her schoolwork and better understand the topics she is studying. 

Program Coordinator Professor Errin Stegich-Moloney elaborates on the different aspects of the volunteer portion of the program. She explains that it is community based and while there are optional events every month for students to fulfill service hour requirements, they are also encouraged to find other organizations to volunteer with. 

Stegich-Moloney highlights the two classes students are required to take once admitted to the program; Humanities 190 and a Capstone Project (Soc 290). Students then choose four other courses within their major to designate as honors courses and complete a project specific to the materials taught in the course. The program also has a strong focus on helping students advance in areas they find enjoyable while tying their work to the community.

“[The extracurriculars chosen to satisfy the Honors programs requirements should be] something students find intellectually stimulating, whether that be walking around the Detroit Institute of Art, or going to the STEAMZ conference in spring,” said Stegich-Moloney. 

Don’t delay in applying as applications for Winter 2024 are only open until Dec. 28. To participate in the Honors Scholars program, students are encouraged to fill out the application and reach out to the program coordinator Errin Stegich-Moloney by emailing [email protected] to schedule an appointment to meet with her and discuss options.