Westlake, Bay students receive Tri-C honors fellowships

The students in Tri-C's inaugural honors program fellowship class sign letters of intent at the Westshore campus in Westlake.

Mariam Ghanem from Westlake and Connor Hazeldine from Bay Village have received Honors Program Fellowships from Cuyahoga Community College. The fellowship offers high-achieving students scholarships to cover tuition, fees and books as they work toward an associate degree.

The inaugural fellowship class features Ghanem, Hazeldine and 11 other area students who graduated high school with at least a 3.5 grade point average and stellar ACT/SAT test scores. By entering the scholarship program, they commit to being full-time students and earning a degree from Tri-C within two years.

“These are high-achieving students who decided to begin their future at Tri-C,” said Herbert Mausser, assistant dean of Honors and Experiential Learning Programs.

The students signed commitment letters with the College during an Aug. 11 ceremony at Westshore Campus in Westlake. Each scholarship – funded by the Cuyahoga Community College Foundation – is valued at up to $4,250 per academic year.

The Foundation secured funding for the program from numerous community partners who wanted to invest in students committed to securing a degree at Tri-C. The goal is to expand the program to up to 60 students in the future.

The honors fellowship places special emphasis on academic planning, mentoring and portfolio building to reflect student work. Smaller honors class sizes also ensure specialized attention for students.

The program is designed to support eventual transfer to a four-year institution to pursue a bachelor’s and other advanced degrees.