Featured Honors Program Student Riley Drouse

Riley Drouse of Watertown is the featured Jefferson Community College (JCC) Honors Program student for the month of March 2026. He is a Natural Sciences major with a concentration in Physical Science at Jefferson. As part of Drouse’s honors program options, he penned a fictional story inspired by Yellowstone Park gray wolves. After graduating, he anticipates transferring to SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry to pursue his master’s degree in environmental biology. His career goal is to become a conservationist. 

“I was excited for the opportunity to work more closely with professors who are masters in their fields and have more guidance to offer than a lecture can provide,” says Drouse.

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.