Oswego State has a new national honorary society coming to campus in the fall of 2017.
Eta Sigma Gamma, also known as ESG, is a national health honorary society recognized by employers worldwide. This program is aimed toward students in the health field to help project the highest ideals of professionalism as well as representing high academic achievements.
“It acknowledges their growth in their discipline and encourages different activities and learning and service learning,” said Jessica Harris, the chair of the honorary society and a health promotion and wellness professor.
Harris was first inducted into ESG at the University of Maine at Farmington as an undergraduate and she showed excellence in her major. Harris was also a part of the national health society as she obtained her master’s degree in health science from the University of Arkansas.
“It’s an elite group of people,” Harris said. “You’re able to network with individuals and companies because you are now part of an organization that others who are in the field are part of.”
Students in colleges around the United States are able to publish into the health educator journal at no cost and get their first publication, Harris added.
Within this program students will support health education advocacy, promote networking activities among health educators, and meet other students and professionals with similar interests in the health field, all which assist in professional growth.
“Through Eta Sigma Gamma anyone who wants to work in the health field like health care administration or for a pharmaceutical company may have connections already because of mutual involvement in the honorary society,” said Gaellie Duplessy, president of the honorary society on campus.
Duplessy said it is beneficial for students because a lot of people don’t know about the major on campus.
“For the most part they just think of bio majors, so there isn’t a lot of recognition in the school of education for our major so it’ll help people with this major to do better and thrive to work harder towards it,” Duplessy said. “We also do a lot of community service which is beneficial to our campus.”
As this is a selective society, students must meet the criteria of having a cumulative GPA of a 2.7 with a major in wellness management or minor in health science.
Applications are currently being accepted for the fall 2017 semester, the deadline to be considered for this program is April 28. Applications can be obtained in Park Hall 105 at the administrative assistant’s desk.
