DOWAGIAC — Southwestern Michigan College, which in April 2019 became the first Michigan community college with an American Criminal Justice Association Lambda Alpha Epsilon chapter, inducted five more members on Monday, Feb. 10.

Sigma Mu Chi joined Michigan State University and Ferris State University with chapters of the organization founded in 1937 and headquartered in Sacramento, California.

Program Director Don Ricker installed candidates Lindsey Laden, an Edwardsburg High School graduate who lives in Cassopolis, Racquel Zendejas, of Elkhart, Raymond Vickery, of Delton, Anthony Antao, of Edwardsburg, and Zachary Sackrider, a Vicksburg High School graduate from Mendon.

The induction ceremony took place at the Foster W. Daugherty Building on SMC’s Dowagiac campus.

Ricker’s criminal justice students last October brought back seven trophies from their first Region 6 conference at Inver Hills Community College in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota. Region 6 encompasses Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Iowa.

SMC won the overall “Best Spirit Award” for having the best attitude and good sportsmanship of all teams.

Zendejas aspires to work for the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit. Vickery and Sackrider hope to become police officers. Vickery is additionally interested in training dogs for canine units. Antao wants to start in police work and transition into law. Laden is interested in investigating crime scenes as a forensic scientist.

Sigma Mu Chi is the college’s fifth honor avenue. The chapter joined Alpha Beta Gamma, the international community college business honor society; Sigma Psi chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for community colleges; Psi Beta, the national community college psychology honor society; and SMC’s homegrown honors program.