HTP Students Win Awards, Scholarships
The 2018-19 academic year at El Camino College has concluded, and for the Honors Transfer Program (HTP) it was another outstanding year, with students breaking achievement records and earning scholarships.
ECC students at the recent 19th Annual Honors Transfer Council of California Student Research Conference brought home a record-breaking seven scholarships, including Cameron Jackson and Ryan Chase, who each received an Exemplary Achievement scholarship. Fiona Tran, Ksenia Afonicheva, Nicole Paz-Bracamonte, Michelle Rios, and Dan Usami also received awards for their research abstracts at the conference staged at the University of California, Irvine.
"I love research and I was so glad to have this opportunity," said Jackson, who presented his in-lab experiment, Superbug in Every Bite: Presence of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria in Raw Meat. "Enrolling in El Camino College was the best decision I ever made; it opened up so many opportunities for me. I had a whole group of people who wanted me to succeed, especially everyone in the HTP program."
Jackson, the student speaker for this year's commencement celebration, logged three to seven hours each week of extracurricular research outside the realm of course credit. He enrolled at ECC at the age of 16 as a full-time biochemistry major and earned 80 units in just a year and a half. Now 18, Jackson will transfer to UC Davis in the fall to continue his studies in biochemistry. He credited El Camino College and the HTP for helping him achieve his goals and for encouraging him to present at the honors transfer conference.
Overall, 35 El Camino College students attended the conference that drew approximately 500 community college students from throughout the state to present original research in humanities, sciences, arts, social sciences and pre-professional programs. A wide variety of high-quality research topics were on display at the conference, which also offered students the opportunity to network and meet new people. With the second biggest contingent of any community college in the state, ECC also had more administrators attend the conference than any other college.
"The commitment of our HTP students is impressive, matched by the dedicated faculty and staff who are there every day, guiding our students to achieve remarkable academic accomplishments," said El Camino College President Dena P. Maloney. "The El Camino College HTP stands out as a leader in student success and we look forward to seeing these students excel at their transfer institutions."
El Camino College's HTP is one of the largest and most successful in the state in preparing students for transfer to four-year colleges and universities. Rachel Williams and Joe Holliday are HTP co-directors. Students learn enhanced reading, writing and study skills; have access to priority registration and smaller class sizes; and take core courses with other HTP student members. Students can also join the active Honors Transfer Club, which offers an extracurricular outlet for socializing and networking with fellow honors students. The club plans field trips, social gatherings, and fundraising for scholarships, among other activities.
"Being a part of HTP had a huge impact on my life," said Chase, who served as Honors Transfer Club president and will transfer to California State University, Fullerton this fall to study accounting. "In the HTP, I have always been surrounded by very motivated students who all share the same goal of transferring to a university. The biggest impact that HTP has had on my life, though, was introducing me to the Honors Transfer Club, where I met so many great people."
This year, the HTP had a record number of 200 completers who are transferring. The program also had one of the best percentage transfer rates to UCLA in the state through the Transfer Alliance Program. In addition, the program will welcome a record-breaking 350 new HTP students this fall, from both area high schools and among continuing El Camino College students.
