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Honors Program News

Honors Program Graduates 2017-2018 ACademic Year

The following students met Honors Program requirements for graduation and were recognized for their accomplishments in Honors Convocation and Graduation.

Jennifer Adkins
Nora Albibi
Zareth Arroliga-Gonzalez
Jenna Barker
Anthony Carbone
Kaylen Cullen
Wesley Dow
Raian Giawashi
Amira Haddad
Nathan Justice
Ahmed Kenawy
Chancellor Klein
Savannah Lang
James Lovett
Dina Mohamad
Osairam Mohsin
Bobbie Jo Myers
Sahra Najib
Raneem Salman
Kanita Usman

Honors Program Graduates Spring 2017

The following students met Honors Program requirements for graduation and were recognized for their accomplishments in Honors Convocation and Graduation.

  • Alleah Johnson

Congratulations! GCSC Honors Program Student Aleah Johnson makes All-Florida Academic Team

Aleah Johnson

Gulf Coast State College is pleased to announce that two students have been selected for the 2017 All-Florida Academic Team. Each year, a team is named to recognize the most outstanding students in the Florida College System. Alleah Johnson, Elementary Teacher Education major, and David Holmes, Liberal Arts major, were among the 127 students chosen based on their exceptional academic achievement, leadership and service to the community.

“Alleah Johnson is the epitome of the ideal teacher education student. The juxtaposition of her scholarship and dedication are two, of many, attributes that enable her success,” said Dr. John Phillips, Professor of Social Sciences. “She is the type of student that will make a positive impact with her future students. We’re extremely proud of Ms. Johnson and her recognition of this honor.”

Earning a spot on the team affords students additional scholarship opportunities at Florida universities. Additionally, they are considered for scholarships sponsored by the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation that can be used to continue their education anywhere in the nation. The students will be recognized at an annual awards ceremony in Tallahassee on April 7, 2017

Honors Program Graduates Spring 2016

The following students met Honors Program requirements for graduation and were recognized for their accomplishments in Honors Convocation and Graduation.

  • Johnathon Alleman
  • Michael Mathias
  • Kara Place
  • Michael Wright

Congratulations! Michael Wright receives the 2016 Outstanding Student Leader Award at Gulf Coast State College's Annual Honors Convocation

“Michael Wright exemplifies the very best of Gulf Coast State College. After retiring from the United States Air Force and embarking on his academic career, he has demonstrated high ethical values in his many campus activities and has represented the college with professionalism and integrity at numerous regional and national gatherings. During his academic career at GCSC he has distinguished himself as a constant "A" student, joining the Honors program and serving as a member of the new Honors Committee. His academic work is simply outstanding; he is curious and thorough, consistently submitting work on par with university upper division and graduate expectations. Michael has organized or assisted with numerous campus events as part of the Urban Arts Club in his role as its SGA representative. He actively participates in Tri-College, not as a formal member, but just because he wants to contribute to a dynamic campus environment. He has played a major leadership role in the deliberative democracy efforts at GCSC, completing deliberative forum moderator training and leading several public policy forums for our campus. Michael has also distinguished himself on this year's Model UN team and last year's Model Congress team (where he won an award for his outstanding leadership). As a political science major, Michael is an asset to any community as a public servant or community organizer; his intelligence, attention to people, and ethical behavior make him a truly outstanding leader.

Congratulations! GCSC Honors Program Student Elena Monat makes All-Florida Academic Team

Elena Monat

Gulf Coast State College is pleased to announce that two students have been selected for the 2016 All-Florida Academic Team. Each year, a team is named to recognize the most outstanding students in the Florida College System. Nathan Chaffee and Elena Monat were among the 128 students chosen based on their exceptional academic achievement, leadership and service to the community. “Elena jumped at the chance to join the Honors program. She remains deeply engaged in the program at the College and takes every opportunity to excel both in and out of the classroom,” said Honors Program Professor Amber Clark, Associate Professor, Language & Literature Division.

To honor these students, The Florida College System, in conjunction with the Phi Theta Kappa Florida region, hosts an annual event to recognize the All-Florida Academic Team where each student is presented a medallion. This year’s ceremony will be held in Tampa, Florida on April 21, 2016.

Congratulations! Honors Program Faculty and Student Recognized for Deliberative Democracy Work

Liz Trentanelli and Mike Wright

Over the past few years, Panama City residents and students at Gulf Coast State College have had the chance to weigh choices and deliberate together on a range of tough issues. That’s the result of the work of an amazing team headed by Honors Program student Mike Wright, a Gulf Coast State political science student and Social Sciences Professor Liz Trentanelli, Honors Program Faculty. Together, they are creating a nucleus of community engagement and deliberative democracy in Panama City

Mike moderated a forum on mass shootings at Gulf Coast State College—a vital campus issue after the 2015 mass killings at Umpqua Community College in Oregon. Pending state legislation allowing “open carry” and removing restrictions on guns on campus gave the issue even more community relevance. As Mike wrote in a recent report on the mass shooting deliberations, at the end of the forum many participants’ initial views—either strongly pro or con the pending legislation—“had morphed into a compromise that respected the rights to a comfortable education environment and the rights of lawful firearm owners.”

Gulf Coast State College does not discriminate against any person in its programs, activities, policies or procedures on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, marital status, religion, age, gender, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. All questions or inquiries regarding compliance with laws relating to non-discrimination and all complaints regarding sexual misconduct or discrimination, may be directed to Lee Wood, Executive Director, Human Resources/Title II/504/Title IX Coordinator and Employment Equity Officer, Gulf Coast State College, 5230 W. US Highway 98, Panama City, FL 32401.