CCC students Andrea Clayton left, Frank Stucjus right, received the prestigious All-Arizona Academic Scholarship .Courtesy photo.
FLAGSTAFF — Two Coconino Community College students have been recognized for the esteemed 2022 All-Arizona Academic Team Scholarship.
The scholarship provides free tuition for 60 credit hours at the recipient’s choice of one of the three state universities – Arizona State University, University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University.
This year, Frank Stucjus and Andrea Clayton received the news from CCC that they were selected for the All-Arizona Academic Team.
“It means I don’t have to worry about the tuition coming out of the money we use to pay bills,” Stucjus said. “There is no question now that I’m going to stick it out to the end.”
While constantly trying to find a way to make more money, Stucjus realized what he really wanted to do. He plans to continue his education at NAU and aims to get a bachelor’s degree in Public Health and a minor in Psychology. He’s focused on doing something more for his community by helping others and he is grateful for being awarded the scholarship.
Of her win, Clayton said, “I will be 46 when I graduate. It means I won’t have to worry about taking on a heavy load of debt at this point in my life, and that’s huge!”
She plans to continue her education at NAU and get a bachelor’s degree in Construction Technology Management. Her love for this field began with a desire to build her own home and has grown since then.
“There’s a certain satisfaction in building with my own hands,” Clayton said, adding that she hopes to gain some experience managing projects for a local contractor before striking out with her own business. “The scholarship award will be ever so helpful.”
Both students are members of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. Every year, each of Arizona’s community colleges nominate students to the All USA Academic Team, where students are judged based on a 3.50 GPA or higher, good academic standing while working toward an associate degree and involvement in campus and community volunteer work.
Judging consists of three rounds, with second and third rounds held in Washington, D.C. Scores from the national competition are used to rank the students for the state team.
Out of the students nominated this year, several will be named to the All-USA Community College Academic Team. Team members are the nation’s top community college students who are awarded $2,500 in stipends, a medallion, obelisk, certificate and are featured in a spring global edition of USA Today.
About Coconino Community College
CCC has served residents across 18,000 square miles of Coconino County since 1991. The College has the goal of improving the lives of our residents through workforce development and higher education.
CCC provides affordable tuition and offers certificate programs and two-year associate degrees in academic and career fields. CCC also has programs that ease student transition to any of the three state universities, including the award-winning CCC2NAU.
CCC reaches out to the more rural portions of the County and Tribal Lands. Instructional sites offer classes through online, in-person and Zoom video conferencing classes to meet the needs of students in rural and remote areas. Nearly 20 percent of CCC’s students are Native American learners.