DOWAGIAC — Ten high-achieving Southwestern Michigan College graduating students were inducted April 10 into Alpha Beta Gamma, the international community college business honor society. They represent the latest group of SMC’s growing honors student population.

The Gamma Nu chapter of ABG is one of five avenues SMC students have to earn honors distinction, including Sigma Psi chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for community colleges; Psi Beta, the national community college psychology honor society; SMC’s homegrown Honors Program; and Sigma Mu Chi chapter of the American Criminal Justice Association’s Lambda Alpha Epsilon.

The ceremony in Mathews Conference Center East on the Dowagiac campus used color-coded candles to symbolize qualities of scholarship (gold), leadership (red) and cooperation (white).

President Dr. David Mathews presented honor stoles and Vice President of Instruction Dr. David Fleming awarded membership diplomas and pins as Dean of the School of Business and Advanced Technology Dr. Stacy Young introduced eligible prospects.

Initiates include: Hannah Davis, accounting, attending Ferris State University; Blake Dudley, communications, transferring to a four-year college; Chloe Greenboam, business, attending Ferris State; Jonathan Griffee, communications, attending Indiana University South Bend; Patrick Guntz, accounting, attending Ferris State; Jessica Lucero, communications, attending Western Michigan University; Sydney Meilstrup, business, attending Western; Benjamin Oakley, construction trades-green technology; Kathryn Woodward, information technology-software development, attending Ferris State; and Ivy Smith, communications.

Smith will continue her career at Bronson, where she has been employed for the past 12 years. She thanked SMC for providing non-traditional students such as herself an opportunity to succeed.

“We are so proud of these students,” Mathews said. “Students taking full advantage of the educational opportunities we have is the reason we exist. Thank you for your efforts and commitment to scholarship and thank you family members for supporting them.”

ABG, established by business professors in 1970 in Manchester, Connecticut, has more than 35,000 members from 140 colleges.

Chapter advisor Leon Letter, an attorney who teaches business, law and economics, bestowed honorary membership on Bill Rothwell, who retires this spring after teaching graphic design at SMC since 1999.