Scholastic Achievement

Ethel Waddell Githii Honors Program

A Program With Lasting Impact

Founded in 1980, the Spelman College Honors Program, named for scholar-teacher Ethel Waddell Githii, is interdisciplinary in design recognizing the diversity of our faculty expertise and student creative scholarship. The Githii Honors Program creates original programming and targeted supports for our member students, and collaborates with academic departments and programs to provide a rich array of scholarly and creative venues. These include our annual reading and lecture series, special programs and workshops for the broader campus and the Atlanta community, and cultural engagements on and beyond the campus. The program spotlights intellectual leadership as a habit of mind and a quality of the ethical citizen.

Contact Us

Michelle Hite, Ph.D., Director
404-270-5612 | mhite@spelman.edu

Cynthia Cooke, Program Coordinator
Phone: 404-270-5665 | Fax: 404-270-5666
ccooke@spelman.edu

Location: Giles Hall, Room 103
350 Spelman College, P.O Box 1395, Atlanta, Ga. 30314

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Honors Program Scholar, Ariana Benson, C'2019

After taking a biology course during her first year at Spelman, Honors Program member and class of 2019 valedictorian Ariana Benson realized she wasn’t interested in body mechanics. She wanted to do more than treat patients. She wanted to be able to tell their stories. Benson explored creative writing and went on to win the 2019 the Academy of American Poets'/Edith A. Hambie Poetry Prize and earned a Marshall Scholarship to pursue master’s degree in creative writing and screenwriting at Royal Holloway, University of London in the United Kingdom.

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