May 1, 2023
Story and photo by Joe Vinduska
This is part five of a series on the importance of academic integrity at 天涯社区官网. The college will feature student stories throughout the spring semester that help showcase values of academic integrity.听These values include trust, responsibility, honesty, courage, fairness, and respect.
天涯社区官网 student and swim team member Jonathan Beers will graduate in a couple of weeks, and he can continue his journey proudly, knowing that he left a legacy as someone who exhibited academic integrity in practice as well as being the ambassador for the value of trust.
鈥淎cademic integrity is important to me because I desire to be proud of the work and foundation that I am building in an honest way,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t is important to me because it makes everything fair if everyone has integrity in their work and in life.鈥
Beers said his foundation for integrity was instilled in him by his parents.
鈥淚 am so glad to represent trust because that has been something that I have always valued in my life,鈥 he said. 鈥淔rom a very young age, my father taught me the importance of trust in my life and how people will trust you to make the right decision if you are the right person. I have developed this trait with a lot of my teachers so that when something goes wrong, they can trust me to try my hardest still.鈥
Throughout his journey, Beers has learned that acting with integrity has helped him unlock his full potential.
鈥淎cademic integrity is so important because it is what the basis of learning is,鈥 he said. 鈥淲ithout integrity, you cannot learn. It's something you have to decide within yourself to choose to become the best version of yourself.鈥
Beers is also a member of the Phi Theta Kappa national honor society. He is undecided on where he will continue his education or if he will continue to swim competitively, but he hopes to become a chiropractor.
For more information, contact Director of Innovation & Compliance Lee Miller at (620) 786-7453 or听millerle@bartonccc.edu.