Katie Fitzgerald of Duncanville, Texas, graduates with fifth cohort of Olivet's Honors Program

2015 Jun 1

Katie Fitzgerald of Duncanville, Texas, graduated with the fifth cohort of Honors Program graduates as part of Olivet Nazarene University's Class of 2015 during the 102nd Commencement Convocation on Saturday, May 9, 2015. She is the daughter of James and Elizabeth Fitzgerald.

As their time at Olivet came to a close, Honors students presented their required research projects during Scholar Week 2015, April 13 to 18. “Tracking faith: A Statistical Analysis of the Spiritual Profiles of Chicago and Dallas-Ft. Worth over the last 15 years” was Fitzgerald's project.

She is moving to Washington D.C. to begin serving as a learning and analysis intern with World Vision. She plans to pursue a graduate degree in applied economics or mathematics in fall 2016.

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, geoscience 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.