Lone Star College Honors students “Take Flight” at Rice University

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- Lone Star College fosters relationships with local and national four-year universities to provide students with educational opportunities once they graduate from LSC.

LSC Honors College students recently took part in the Take Flight STEM Pathway program at Rice University. They participated in a speaker series, met with Rice students, some of whom are LSC alums, attended lectures and conducted research projects with Rice faculty and leadership teams.

The Honors College at LSC develops long-lasting partnerships with elite universities such as Johns Hopkins University and Rice University to offer students stellar programs that will enhance their opportunities in their chosen fields.

“As a first-year student at Lone Star College, the Take Flight program at Rice University was an eye-opening experience that made me feel valued and proud to represent community college STEM students,” said Jocel Reyes, LSC Honors College student. “Listening to the research conducted by Rice staff and students made me excited to participate in future events that, without this experience, I might not have known about.”

LSC Honors College students who complete the Take Flight at Rice will receive a certificate and can be nominated for a competitive edge when applying for several Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) programs offered at Rice. If accepted into one of the summer research internships, they will receive a $6,000 stipend to focus on a specific research project while working closely with the faculty and other researchers.

“Participating in the BioNetworks REU at Rice University was an amazing experience that allowed me to work in a lab and talk to graduate students and professors whose insight helped me decide to pursue a Ph.D.,” said Katherine Dullen, LSC Chancellor’s Fellow and University of Texas biology major.

The LSC Honors College developed the Take Flight STEM Pathway as a co-curricular program with San Jacinto College and Rice University to expand education access and increase the number of students who complete STEM degrees. Take Flight supports students who are not ready to graduate but are interested in pursuing STEM degrees and careers as well as high-achieving STEM students who are graduating and want to pursue a four-year degree.

“The Take Flight program gives Honors College students, who are seeking STEM-related associate degrees, insight into the transfer and enrollment processes at competitive universities such as Rice,” said Katharine Caruso, Ph.D., LSC Associate Vice Chancellor Honors and International Education. “They also get an opportunity to learn what it will take to succeed in a STEM program at a four-year university and how they can successfully enter their chosen industry.”

The LSC Honors College helps meet the needs of high-achieving students through study abroad opportunities, participation in national conferences, scholarships and internationalized classes to become more globally and culturally competent citizens of an increasingly interconnected world.

“Being part of the LSC Honors college opened the door to many educational and professional opportunities that have helped me excel in the Biomedical Engineering program at Cornell University,” said Angelica Bernal Penaloza, LSC Chancellor’s Fellow, Jack Kent Cook Scholarship recipient and Cornell University student. “As a Take Flight scholar, I participated in the American Heart Association’s Summer Cardiovascular Research Internship program, where I learned to culture and engineer mammalian cells and continue my passion for medical research.”

Learn more about the LSC Honors College at LoneStar.edu/College-Departments/Honors.