The S. Daniel Abraham Honors Program

Overview

The S. Daniel Abraham Honors Program, founded in 1999, seeks to enhance education at Stern College by offering an exceptionally broad, deep, and rigorous academic experience for our most outstanding students. Honors students commit themselves to intellectual excellence, disciplined effort, and a transformative pursuit of understanding and personal growth.

Honors courses in the humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, and Jewish studies emphasize research, intensive writing, and critical thinking skills, empowering students to engage in sophisticated study that fosters both expansive knowledge and specialized expertise. Close interactions with faculty through unique coursework, individual mentoring, and senior honors theses help students develop the confidence and capabilities needed for graduate study, lifelong learning, and leadership.

In addition to coursework, honors students participate in a wide array of extracurricular activities, including distinguished speakers, professional development opportunities, dinner events, alumni panels, and cultural outings that complement their academic work and connect them with the resources of New York City and the richness of present-day Jewish life.

Built on the premise that high-achieving scholars thrive when brought together, challenged, and encouraged to excel, the Honors Program creates an intimate community within the wider campus environment. Our students embrace the responsibility of what it means to "be a blessing" to others (Gen. 12:2), developing as thoughtful scholars, skilled researchers, and leaders prepared to make meaningful contributions to their fields, communities, and society at large.

Students completing the honors program will have the Honors distinction noted on their transcripts and their diplomas.

For more information about the S. Daniel Abraham Honors Program, contact Dr. Shaina Trapedo, Director (shaina.trapedo@yu.edu).

Program Requirements

Honors students participate in an array of extracurricular events and leadership opportunities on and off-campus that complement their academic work and cultivate personal and professional connections. A detailed list of event offerings and requirements for such activities appears in the Honors Student Handbook, including spending at least two Shabbatot on campus each semester.

Course Requirements

1. Complete a minimum of five honors courses, used toward general liberal arts or major requirements.

2. Complete the following Honors Thesis course sequence:

HONR 4905   Honors Thesis Preliminary   (1 credit)

HONR 4910   Honors Thesis Research     (1 credit)

HONR 4920   Honors Thesis Writing         (2 credits)

3. Maintain a 3.6 cumulative GPA and complete at least 84 on-campus credits.

University Catalog Program Information

The S. Daniel Abraham Honors Program Requirements

Program Director

Dr. Shaina Trapedo is the director of the S. Daniel Abraham Honors Program at Stern College and the Jay & Jeanie Schottenstein Honors Program at Yeshiva College, an Assistant Professor of English at Stern College, and a resident scholar at the Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought at Yeshiva University. After receiving her undergraduate degree in Economics and English at Barnard College, she spent two years as a risk analyst before following her calling in academia. Shaina earned her PhD in English from the University of California, Irvine, where she specialized in early modern literature and religious studies. Her current book project, From Scripture to Script: The Hebrew Bible on the Early Modern Stage, considers Shakespeare and his contemporaries' indebtedness to Judaism and its exegetical traditions. She is also the editor of the forthcoming collection of essays, The Soul’s Refuge: Meditations on the Psalms (Koren 2025), and the host of Twice Blest, a podcast on Shakespeare and the Hebrew Bible from YU's Straus Center. In her teaching and scholarship, Dr. Trapedo explores the connections between Torah, the humanities, and social engagement.

For more information about the S. Daniel Abraham Honors Program, please contact the director. Visit the program's pages on the Office of Admissions site, where you can also apply.