March 28,2012
By LETICIA BODINE| Ranger Reporter
THIRTY AMARILLO college students have been nominated for the 2012 edition of Who’s Who Among Students in American Junior Colleges – a-once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for community college students to receive recognition for their accomplishments on a national level.
The AC nominees will be recognized at the April 15 Honors Convocation.
AC faculty and staff were allowed to choose up to 150 students from all campuses to be Who’s Who recipients. Out of more than 11,000 students, 90 were considered for the honor. Thirty of those 90 met all the requirements and were nominated.
“Recognition may be a catalyst for future success,” said Robert Austin, vice president of student affairs. “The faculty members have spotted something in these students that they may have not seen themselves. It’s also humbling to work with these students because it’s inspiring for us.”
Who’s Who is a process that works its way down from the top. All faculty and staff are asked in the fall by Joy Brenneman, the vice president’s executive assistant, to be on the lookout for outstanding students who meet the specified criteria.
Nominees must be in good academic standing and enrolled in an associate degree or certificate program consisting of at least 50 credit hours. After the students have been chosen, a letter with an application is sent to the student in December. The application deadline is January.
The application requires the student to submit a narrative describing future goals, service to the college and community, examples of leadership while attending AC and participation in extracurricular activities and citizenship.
The nominating committee meets on the Feb. 1, and nominees are submitted to Who’s Who by Feb. 15.
“The main thing the committee looks at when the application comes back is the student’s involvement with the col
lege and community,” Brenneman said.
“They’re being recognized as outstanding by one of their teachers or one of the staff members that they work with, they get national recognition in the Who’s Who book, it goes on their student activity transcript and it can be used on a resume.”
Mikhaela Sample, a civil engineering major, is one of AC’s 30 nominees this academic year.
“I feel honored to be honored,” she said.
Sample is a Blue Blazer and an executive on the Student Government Association board.
“Being involved makes the student’s life more than just coming to class,” Sample said.
“It makes things more exciting.”
Ben Staton, a paralegal major, also is a nominee and an ambassador for AC to the general public with the Blue Blazers.
“I was humbled with this nomination,” Staton said.
“I was shocked at first and didn’t know what to think.
“I was in awe, proud of myself for what I had done and for what the faculty had done as well.
“Hopefully this is just the start of all the things that are to come.”
According to www.whoswhoamongstudents.com, students from more than 2,842 schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia are considered for the Who’s Who Among Students awards.
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