ECC veterans to be inducted into SALUTE Veterans National Honor Society
Eleven Elgin Community College student-veterans will be inducted into the SALUTE Veterans National Honor Society on Thursday, May 4. The ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. in Building B, Room B166 at the college, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin.
SALUTE, which stands for service, academics, leadership, unity, tribute and excellence, is the only national honor society dedicated to recognizing and honoring military and veteran students for their service and outstanding academic performance.
The following students will be the first SALUTE inductees from ECC: Lucas Trestka of Bartlett; Ashle Scurry of Carpentersville; Ann Ayers, Victor Gonzalez, Daniel McGinley, Oliver Dela Rosa, Michael Sanders and Jose Torres, all of Elgin; Rachel Cepeda of Huntley; Zachary Hartley of St. Charles; and Haniel Castro of Streamwood.
The students inducted into SALUTE represent every slice of the American military and veterans at two- and four-year higher education institutions. The honor society includes a four-tier system designed to encourage student-veterans to improve their grade-point average.
Membership in SALUTE signifies service, academic excellence and a commitment to high principles and superior lifetime achievements. Students selected for membership either can become part of a locally organized chapter or part of the national chapter, which is based out of Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo.
Local chapters, while connected to the SALUTE national organization, may be organized in the manner preferred by their institution. Students may participate in service to their community, serve as leaders at their institution, and participate in activism and other activities reflecting the core values of SALUTE. Each institution determines how to use SALUTE to best meet the needs of their student-veterans and their local community. This approach allows hundreds of military and veteran students to positively engage and be honored each year across the country at diverse institutions.
Students selected for recognition through SALUTE will receive a certificate and a military-style challenge coin commemorating the individual's membership and their specific level of academic achievement. Inductees also will receive opportunities to network and to give or receive assistance to fellow members or veterans. SALUTE provides accredited institutions a way to recognize and honor their student veterans, as well as, help provide for their success on- and off-campus.
ECC is an officially registered SALUTE chapter. The college is a leader in working with veterans, current military students, and their families in offering several programs to assist them in advancing their educational careers.
SALUTE is made possible by a generous grant from the American Council on Education/Wal-Mart Foundation.
For more information, contact Anitra King, ECC's veteran and student success specialist and SALUTE coordinator, at (847) 241-7531.