Featured Honors Program Student Caela Berry

Caela A. Berry, Watertown, is the featured Jefferson Community College (JCC) Honors Program student for the month of December 2025. Berry is an early childhood major at Jefferson. For one of her Honors Program options, she created Breathing Buddies, a curriculum designed to help first graders connect breathing exercises with their emotions in a fun, engaging way. 

Berry says, “I chose to participate in JCC’s Honors Program because I wanted to challenge myself academically and explore topics in greater depth than in standard courses. The program offers opportunities for more critical thinking, independent projects, and enriched learning experiences, which I believe will help me grow as a student and prepare me for future academic and career goals.”

The Jefferson Community College Honors Program offers students with exceptional academic skills the opportunity to receive enriched instruction within their current program of study. For the Honors Program, students select three courses within their curriculum, and enhance them as Honors Options. The option is based on a project agreed to by the student and a faculty member willing to work closely with the student to provide a unique and rewarding experience. Students also take the Honors Seminar, a unique inter-disciplinary course open only to program participants. The seminar examines a single theme each semester and features guest speakers from a variety of disciplines and often includes some sort of field experience.

Successful program participants earn a prestigious Honors Graduate designation on their academic transcript for each Honors Option course. Students demonstrating excellent academic achievement in high school or who have completed 12 credit hours of college coursework are invited to apply for admission to the Honors Program. 

For more information, contact Honors Program coordinator, Dr. Joshua Canale, at jcanale@sunyjefferson.edu.