Barbara Budach of Woodridge, Illinois, graduates with sixth cohort of Olivet's Honors Program

2016 May 12

Barbara Budach of Woodridge, Illinois, graduated with the sixth cohort of Honors Program graduates as part of Olivet Nazarene University's Class of 2016 during the 103rd Commencement Convocation on Saturday, May 7, 2015.

As their time at Olivet came to a close, Honors students presented their required research projects during Scholar Week 2016, April 18 to 23. "Hunger and Life: A Nutritional Needs Assessment of Children in the Dominican Republic" was Budach's project.

She was the 2016 recipient of the Nursing Excellence Award from the Kappa Sigma chapter of Sigma Theta Tau, the nursing honor society.

The mission of Olivet's Honors Program is to encourage and nurture academically gifted students, helping them to believe in their possibilities, preparing them to become the Christian scholars and servant leaders they were meant to be. Dr. Charles Carrigan, professor in Olivet's Department of Chemistry and Geosciences, is the program's director.

To enter the program, a student must have a composite ACT score of at least 30 or a Math and Critical Reading combined SAT score of at least 1330, and be interviewed by the program committee.

In addition to fulfilling the requirements for their respective majors, Honors Program students take four interdisciplinary, team-taught classes covering an intriguing topic. Then, they complete a substantial, faculty-mentored research project during their last two years, doing one-on-one mentored research with a professor of their choice with funding provided. They may also choose to study abroad during junior year.