Springfield College Honors Program Student Earns Eliott G.’74 and

Sun, 11/03/2024 - 12:00

By: Judith Kelliher

Springfield College Honors Program student Lensca Cherubin is the second recipient of the Eliott G.’74 and Deborah Baker Endowed Scholarship Fund. Cherubin was recognized as a student who is taking learning to be a leader to heart.

Cherubin, a sophomore majoring in Business Management, is bilingual and the daughter of parents who are first-generation immigrants to the U.S. from Haiti.

She was described by her Honors Program professors as a thoughtful, genuinely curious student who asks great questions and brings personal reflections and experience to each discussion.

“The scholarship committee appreciated the way Lensca has already sought out opportunities to develop herself as a leader; in her interview we particularly admired how she characterized the responsibility she feels to be a role model to her younger cousins,” said Rebecca Lartigue, Honors Program director and professor of English. “Lensca spoke with warmth and appreciation about her mentors on campus. The Baker scholarship will certainly help her achieve her professional goals and grow as a leader in service to others.”

Cherubin says receiving the scholarship means that people recognize the significance of first-generation students.

“This scholarship will help me by being a financial support in my journey of pursuing higher education as well as removing the burden of concern regarding this financial responsibility,” Cherubin said.

Cherubin is making the most of the College’s opportunities to develop as a leader. In February 2024, she attended a leadership summit after being nominated to attend.

“I feel that experience has been a great factor in my process in developing myself into a leader. It has also helped me to form a strong understanding of the kind of leader I'm meant to be instead of the one I originally assumed I should be,” she said.

A Business Ethics course she is taking this fall has highlighted the value of making choices both as a leader and a person that are ethical and morally right in any and all circumstances, despite how difficult that may be.

Cherubin is involved in the College’s Women in Business club, which provides opportunities to resources to explore and experience the business world outside of the classroom. She appreciates the “wonderful community of women” in the club.

The Eliott G. ’74 and Deborah Baker Endowed Scholarship Fund is designed to provide scholarship funds above and beyond financial need for first-year students who are first-generation. Scholarship funds will be awarded to students who meet the criteria for selection into the Springfield College Honors Program. The students’ academic portfolio is critically reviewed by the Honors Program committee and an invitation to apply is extended.

The mission of the Springfield College Honors Program is to cultivate and nourish a diverse, inclusive community of highly-motivated academic leaders who ask difficult questions, respect different approaches and points of view, and contribute to the advancement of knowledge and understanding. Through experiences both in and out of the classroom, the Honors Program prepares graduates to approach life with curiosity and an openness to inquiry, and to inspire these qualities in others.