Pictured (front row, l-r): Miriam Arnol-Martin, Laurie Corradino, Teresa Shea, Trinidad State Junior College; Pedro Cornejo, Theresa Schuller, Red Rocks Community College; and Lindsay Jones, Pikes Peak Community College. (Second row, l-r): Samantha Boatwright, Jayson Quilantan, Otero Junior College; Kailey Armagost, Northeastern Junior College; Kassandra Watson, Morgan Community College; April Sanchez, and Trudy Wheaton, Lamar Community College. (Back row, l-r): Katrina Rueschhoff, Jennifer Wanamaker, Front Range Community College; Aaron Graff, Community College of Denver; Lauren Johnson, Community College of Aurora; Patricia Beck and Christina Uhl, Arapahoe Community College.

The Colorado Community College System’s Recognition Ceremony for the Phi Theta Kappa All-Colorado Academic Team was held March 14, at the Colorado History Museum, where 21 community college students representing the best and brightest in 13 community colleges were honored.

Thirteen members of the Colorado General Assembly attended, including Senators Ken Kester and Scott Renfroe and Speaker of the House Andrew Romanoff and Representatives Sara Gagliardi, Bob Gardner, Cory Gardner, Stella Garza Hicks, Andy Kerr, Jeanne LaBuda, Frank McNulty, Joe Rice, Jerry Sonnenberg and Spencer Swalm. Also attending were members of the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education, members of the CCCS Foundation Board and community college presidents who joined with legislators to present the PTK students with gold medallions and certificates from National Phi Theta Kappa.

Sponsors included the Colorado State Employees Credit Union, who underwrote the event and Microsoft Corp. that provided software for the students. Johnson and Wales University again awarded every member of the All-Colorado Academic Team two $10,000 scholarships to attend the university for two years. Additionally, the University of Phoenix, DeVry University and Regis University all awarded scholarship. Motorola presented each student with backpacks filled with gifts donated by other sponsors and the CCCS Foundation. Additionally, DeVry University presented the CCCS Foundation with a cash donation.

Miriam Arnol-Martin, Trinidad State Junior College, was selected by the national PTK organization as a New Century Scholar and was selected as a member of the All-USA Academic Team. She received a $2,000 stipend funded by the Coca-Cola Foundation and the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation.

The 17 women and four men comprising the Phi Theta Kappa All-Colorado Team are PTK members from the 13 CCCS colleges and the two local district colleges. The national PTK organization selects members in each state based on their academic achievement and community service. PTK is the largest honor society in American higher education. In Colorado there are 22 chapters and over the 75-year history of PTK in Colorado, more than 46,000 CCCS students have been inducted.