A delegation of nearly 20 Norco College students, faculty, coordinators, and administrators will represent the college at the Honors Transfer Council of California (HTCC) Student-Led Honors Conference at the University of California, Riverside, on Saturday, April 5, 2025.

Every Norco College student who submitted a research presentation was accepted, marking a significant achievement for the college’s Honors Program. The annual conference, which highlights outstanding undergraduate research, received 273 submissions, of which 215 were selected for presentations.

Norco College students will also have opportunities to publish their research in “Building Bridges,” HTCC’s academic journal, and compete for prestigious awards such as the Outstanding Abstract Award and the Exemplary Achievement Award (HTCC Juan Lara Award).

The following students, with support and guidance from their mentors, will present research at the conference:

  • Devin Dadah, "The First Crusades: An Anthropophagic Desire to Devour the Arab World"
    • Mentor: Michael Bobo, associate professor of humanities
  • Asher Light, "A Meme is Worth a Thousand Words"
    • Mentor: C. Defossez, assistant professor of psychology
  • Maham Khan, Rameen Naz, and Rahma Munir, "Heera Mandi – The Guardians of Culture and Freedom"
    • Mentor: Michael Bobo, associate professor of humanities
  • Hania Kashif, "Beyond Sunlight: Poly-metallic Nodules and the Mystery of Dark Oxygen"
    • Mentors: Monica Gutierrez, associate professor of biology, and Jake Drainville, associate professor of anatomy and physiology
  • Zayd Qazi, "Stress, Mindfulness, and Social Media Motivations"
    • Mentors: Melissa Wilson, assistant professor of psychology, and Cameron Young, associate professor of English
  • Yousuf Khan, "The Attraction Towards Game Design"
    • Mentor: Cameron Young, associate professor of English

“We are incredibly proud of our students for their dedication to academic excellence, our incredible faculty in serving the honors program and as mentors to our students, the support of our administration in helping provide this opportunity, and my co-coordinator, Adriana Moreno, for the invaluable services she provides everyone,” said Cameron Young, Norco College Honors Program Co-Coordinator. “This opportunity allows our students to showcase their research on a larger stage, engage with peers across the state, and gain valuable experience in scholarly presentations.”