Awards and Scholarships

The HTCC presents many scholarships and other awards at the UCR Community College Honors Research Conference. If you a member of an HTCC honors program, you may apply for these awards. Please click on the links below for complete descriptions.

Research Awards

Poster Awards

Awards for first, second, and third place winners in two divisions: the Arts/Humanities/Social Sciences, and STEM. These will be awarded at the UCR Community Colleges Honors Research Conference.

Oral Presentation Awards

Research shared in oral presentations is judged based upon a 400-word abstract submitted after the presentation is approved for the conference. Check with your coordinator/director for your college's process and its deadline for submission.

Outstanding Abstract Awards
Up to five Outstanding Abstract Awards are selected by the Scholarship Committee. These awards are announced at the conference. Outstanding Abstract Award submissions are guaranteed publication in the conference journal, Building Bridges. Outstanding Abstract submissions may not be based on poster presentations.

Director's Award
Each year, a dual honor is given out. The Director’s Award is earned by the first-place winner among the Outstanding Abstract Awards and is presented by a former honors program leader the HTCC recognizes for their contributions to community college honors education.

Honored leaders:

2024: Brian Waddington, Citrus College

2023: Joseph Holliday, El Camino College

2022: Kay Ferguson Ryals, Irvine Valley College

2021: Joseph Holliday, El Camino College

2020: Award postponed due to conference cancellation

2019: Linda Diaz, Mt. San Antonio College

2018: Susanne Spangler, East Los Angeles College

2017: John Oakes, Grossmont College

2016: Alison Primoza, San Diego Mesa College

2015: Carolyn Kuykendall, Mt. San Antonio College & Saddleback College

2014: Kathleen Sell, Riverside City College

2013: Ned Lozaro, Rio Hondo College

2012: Robert McLeod, El Camino College

2011: Dorothy Sherling, Irvine Valley College

2010: Charles Whitchurch, Golden West College

2009: Dave Magill & Don Magill, MiraCosta College

2008: Jean Shankweiler, El Camino College

2007: Herald Kane, San Diego City College

2006: John Madden, Cerritos College & Peggy Madden, Chaffey College

Exemplary Achievement Awards

These awards are not related to research and are open to all immediately transferring students within an honors/scholars program. They are designed to recognize students who have demonstrated outstanding growth and academic success brought about by involvement in a community college honors program. Let your Honors Program director know that you’d like to be considered for nomination for the HTCC Exemplary Achievement Scholarship. The HTCC Juan Lara Scholarship winner is selected from these applications.

1. If your program director or coordinator decides to nominate you, you’ll need to write a 500-word personal essay addressing the three areas listed below. The document should be in doc, docx or rtf format. Be sure to include your NAME and the NAME OF YOUR COLLEGE at the top.

Excellence or extraordinary improvement in your academic performance, especially if related to performance in your honors/scholars program.
Your progress toward your personal goals or objectives, especially your commitment or perseverance in overcoming obstacles to success in college and/or your honors/scholars program.
Extracurricular service to your college or community, or exemplary involvement in athletic or cultural activities, especially in leadership roles.

2. E-mail your essay to your honors director or coordinator. S/he will then forward it to the HTCC Scholarship Committee along with her/his approval of your nomination.

Again, ask your Honors coordinator/director for his, her, or their deadline for this application.

Students may not apply directly to HTCC for this award. Nominations must come from an Honors coordinator/director.

Publication of Abstracts

Publication Submissions
In addition to the above monetary awards, presenting your work at the UCR conference also makes you eligible to submit your work for publication in the anthology Building Bridges, published through the University of California, Irvine. The deadline to submit abstracts for publication is generally about 2-3 weeks after the conference.

Publication Purchasing

You are welcome to purchase a printed hard copy of the 2018 Building Bridges Selected Abstracts publication on Amazon. Proceeds from these sales directly support HTCC community college student scholarships.