Twenty-Six Students from Maricopa Community Colleges Named to All-Arizona Academic Teams

Phi Theta Kappa, American Association of Community Colleges, Arizona Community Colleges, Arizona Board of Regents, and USA TODAY help these exceptional students reach their educational goals by awarding scholarships and issuing tuition waivers to Arizona’s three universities: University of Arizona, Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University.

To be considered for an All-Arizona Academic Team, students must maintain a GPA of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale, be in good academic standing, be working on an associate degree, demonstrate leadership, and be involved on campus and/or volunteer in their communities.

Judging to select the recipients consisted of three rounds. In the first round, a group of local businesses, civic, education, and government leaders reviewed applications and chose the recipients of the award. Only two students are selected from each college campus. The selected recipients’ applications were then forwarded to Washington, D.C., for second and third rounds of judging and scoring by representatives from various federal agencies and national education associations. Those scores were used to rank the students for first, second, or third state teams. First Team members receive a $1,000 scholarship to one of Arizona’s state universities, Second Team members a $750 scholarship, and Third Team members a $500 scholarship.

First Team:

• Estrella Mountain Community College: Ginny Boyle, Jake Ormond
• Glendale Community College: Teresa Flores, Ashley Sneddon
• Mesa Community College: Jessica Siegel, Zachary St. Martin
• Paradise Valley Community College: Erika Leatherwood
• Phoenix College: Michael Stark
• Scottsdale Community College: Paige Thomas
• South Mountain Community College: Solomon Desu, Wina Kurniawan

Second Team:

• Chandler-Gilbert Community College: Adrian Ruiz, Yessica Avitia Santos, Rachel Torne
• GateWay Community College: Arsenija Zlaticanin
• Mesa Community College: Tyler Oakes, Kristin Shelledy
• Phoenix College: Rebecka Cabrera
• Rio Salado College: Elena Kalina

Third Team:

• Chandler-Gilbert Community College: Danielle Jones
• GateWay Community College: Brenda Perez
• Glendale Community College: Austin Alexander-Gaona, Julien Morgan
• Paradise Valley Community College: McGregor Everson
• Rio Salado College: Diana Betts
• Scottsdale Community College: Angelique Trezza

Two previous All-Arizona Academic Team members will deliver keynote addresses during the ceremony. Anthony Meza, a graduate student in the Professional Science Master’s Nanoscience program at Arizona State University, represented Northland Pioneer College during the 2013 All-Arizona ceremony. Rio Salado’s 2012 All-Arizona Academic Team member Jennifer Papworth, currently serves as the District Representative for Congressman Raul Grijalva.

Twenty students will be named to the All-USA Community College Academic Team from the state's first teams. All-USA Team members are the nation’s top community college students. They will be featured in a spring global edition of USA TODAY and each will receive a $2,500 stipend, medallion, obelisk, and certificate. These recognitions are presented to students at a ceremony at the American Association of Community Colleges’ (AACC) Annual Convention.

In addition, the Coca-Cola Foundation, along with the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, recognizes the New Century Scholars. Fifty students will be named Gold Scholars, receiving $1,500; 50 students will be named Silver Scholars, receiving $1,250; and 50 students will be named Bronze Scholars, receiving $1,000. A state may have multiple Gold, Silver, and Bronze Scholars. All scholars also receive special medallions. The top-scoring student in each of the 50 states will be named a New Century Scholar and will receive a $2,000 stipend. New Century Scholars will also be recognized at the AACC Convention.

Twenty-six high-achieving students from Maricopa Community Colleges will be celebrated for their outstanding academic achievements and distinguished leadership at the 2017 All-Arizona Academic Recognition Ceremony being held March 9 at the Hilton Phoenix/Mesa, 1011 W. Holmes Ave., Mesa.