2021 Honors Program Graduates

It was a joy having Bryce in my Music Appreciation Honors class. Bryce is clearly a natural born leader, which explains why he's currently the VP of SGCC. His positive attitude and good nature are contagious, and this made the class more enjoyable for both his fellow students as well as myself. As a math major, Bryce immediately latched onto the connection between math and music, and this led to his brilliant research paper, “Exploring Math's Influence on Music Theory.” In his paper, Bryce explored the use of Pythagorean ratios as the basis for the western tonal system, but then went on to demonstrate how the Fibonacci sequence (Fn = Fn−1 + Fn−2 (n ≥ 3) and F1 = F2 = 1) can also be applied to music. Bryce clearly has a very bright future ahead of him, and I have no doubt that he will be successful at whatever he pursues in life. —Thomas Foggia, Professor of Music

I fondly remember Bryce as an energetic elementary school student, a bouncy ginger kid in karate classes. As an adult, Bryce still has all that energy, but it manifests itself as enthusiasm and intellectual curiosity. Whether in the classroom or in student government, he is fully present and engaged, and he genuinely seems to have fun learning. His presence makes every class better, and I thoroughly enjoyed our honors contract together. Whether we stayed on topic or chased tangents, conversations were always interesting. He is one of the most personable and likeable students, and he somehow makes his academic success look easy. It takes a combination of intelligence and hard work to seem so smooth. —Christine Swiridoff, Professor of English

Christine was a thoughtful and hardworking student. She was committed to her studies and shared valuable insights with me and her peers. I have no doubt that she will succeed in her future endeavors. —Nicole Bojko, Professor of French

Christine is so polite to the point of being shy but that belies her very capable and hardworking nature. She is highly motivated and determined, delivers high quality work, and always rise to expectations. She is persistent in her goals and never waivers in achieving them. I wish her all the well-earned success in her future endeavors. —Guck Ooi, Professor of Biology

Naomi has been successful in her education, taking on new challenges both in and beyond the classroom. She served as a Phi Theta Kappa vice president and chapter president. She visited Tehachapi prison to collaborate with our Phi Theta Kappa students there. Her first year as an officer, she helped create and produce the college's student-led podcast, Tumbleweed Talks. The next year she helped create the college's Garden Club. I have enjoyed seeing her grow as a leader and, even more, have enjoyed working with her. Naomi is a delightful, hardworking student. She took five classes with me and impressed me in every one. I was so confident in her abilities that I agreed to have an embedded tutor only if I could have her in that role. She has been encouraging, knowledgeable, and helpful. I can tell that she will make a fantastic English professor. —Christine Swiridoff, Professor of English

I've had the great pleasure of teaching Cameron Reese in a number of English classes over the years—I no longer remember how many—and he has always impressed me with very sharp, sometimes even mordant, analyses of literary texts in discussions and in his papers. Combining a powerful intellect with surprising humility and grace, Cameron is a truly unique student and a great young man, one bound for success in any future endeavor. From what I have heard and observed, he has also done great work with honors and Phi Theta Kappa. I'll honestly miss his sly grin and incisive comments in my literature classes. Congratulations, Cameron! — Cliff Davis, Professor of English

Cameron is a soft-spoken and thoughtful student who continually works hard to become what he is today - a talented, witty and responsible student who excels in both academics and extracurricular activities. He asked insightful questions and is retrospective in his deliberations. He works extraordinarily hard and can be seen in campus at all odd hours working on the medley of projects that require sheer perseverance and dedication to accomplish. —Guck Ooi, Professor of Biology

It has been so long since I have had a semester without Coby taking at least one of my classes that I might go through withdrawal symptoms now that he is transferring. He has been such a stable, competent, and serving presence at the college and in so many classes that I suspect the institution will run slightly less effectively for this next academic year as a result of losing him. He is a dedicated student, a humble learner, and a reliable who, once more interpersonal confidence develops, is on a path to confidently modeling the concept of servant-leadership. He will be missed by many people...but not me, I don't care that he is leaving...sniffle — Matt Jones, Professor of History and Political Science

Unfortunately, I only had Emily as a student for one class, which is somewhat maddening. However, she is such a bright and energetic mind and personality that I am quite thankful I at least received one semester of her as a student. Her thinking, and talking, seems to move so fast that she can charmingly confuse even herself, but in the midst of that speed is a thoughtful creative process that is trying to work through complex and nuanced variables in order to understand complex and nuanced phenomenon. This combined with her positive energetic personality makes her a wonderful student who I regret only took one of my classes. —Matt Jones, Professor of History and Political Science

Sarath is a quiet and very capable student who reads and comprehends complex molecular biology papers well. I remembered when students in his honors biology class were asked to pick a topic of personal interest for their presentation, and Sarath chose a dense and complex manuscript which is difficult to comprehend even for an experienced scientist. Nevertheless, his project on CRISPR gene-editing (‘The Essential Puzzle Piece of Accurate Genetic Editing: Reduction of Off-Target Effects') was accepted for oral presentation at the 2021 UCI-HTCC Student Research Conference. He clearly excels in Biology, and I wish him all the best in becoming a talented scientist. —Guck Ooi, Professor of Biology

Sarath Suresh currently operates at the level of graduate student. He is prepared and seeks to understand at a level beyond what the textbook offers. His work is impeccable. Sarath's ability and drive guarantee his success in pursuing a graduate degree in synthetic biology. —Claudia Sellers, Professor of Biology