Wesleyan’s Ed Equity Lab Scholars Inducted into Honor Society

More than 100 high school students who took classes at Wesleyan in partnership with National Ed Equity Lab were inducted into the Lab’s National Honor Society on March 12 during a virtual ceremony. These students performed in the top 20 percent nationwide this fall.

Wesleyan is a partner of Ed Equity Lab, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding higher education access to students at low-income Title I and Title I-eligible high schools. These high schools receive federal funding to support students from low-income families.

The courses are co-led by Wesleyan faculty members, who provide instruction virtually, in partnership with teachers in high school classrooms across the country. Wes graduate students also help offer mentoring, live discussions, and support to the students.

By taking these courses, the high school students gain exposure to the college experience, transferable college credit, an official transcript, as well as the skills and the confidence to pursue rigorous college classes. The courses are of no cost to students.

The Honor Society scholars at Wesleyan took either the “Live Like a Philosopher” course taught by Professor of Education Studies and Philosophy Tushar Irani, or the “Introduction to Programming” course taught by Associate Professor of the Practice of Integrative Sciences Kelly M. Thayer at Wesleyan in Fall 2025.

The students hailed from states like New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Texas, and Kansas. Maxwell Luttrell, a sophomore at Topeka High School in Topeka, Kansas took the philosophy course, and performed in the top 15 percent of students nationwide. “I thought that it was a very interesting and unique experience,” he said.

Luttrell not only plans to go to college but to continue to pursue philosophy. “I would really recommend the philosophy course because the study of philosophy can be very helpful to someone’s growth and development and finding of their own values and considering what life they want to live,” he said.

Irani, who has been teaching Ed Equity courses for two years, agreed. “Philosophy isn’t usually offered at the high school level,” he said, “but engaging with philosophy early can deeply benefit students’ thinking skills—challenging them to reason carefully, debate complex ideas, and approach discussions generously.”

Each scholar received an honor badge, letter of achievement, and a certificate acknowledging their hard work. Ed Equity Lab encouraged Honor Society members to use this recognition in multiple ways, including it on college applications, scholarship applications, and resumes.

The Honor Society recognition is significant. “I hope the course gave students a real boost of confidence and a sense of their own potential,” Irani said, who offered remarks during the ceremony. “Partnerships like these can be experiences that move the needle in helping students envision themselves pursuing higher education, perhaps at a place like Wesleyan.”

Additional Ed Equity college partners include Stanford University, Howard University, Spelman College, Georgetown University, Brown University, Cornell University,  The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, University of Pennsylvania, Barnard College, Morehouse College, Arizona State University, University of California, and Vanderbilt University.

The ceremony, which featured two students taking Wesleyan courses, can be viewed on Ed Equity Lab’s YouTube channel.