Coconino Community College student David Cassidy is recognized for intellectual achievement, leadership, community and campus engagement during a ceremony in Denver on Monday, April 3, 2023. Courtesy photo.
FLAGSTAFF — David Cassidy, a student at Coconino Community College, is one of 20 college students named to the prestigious All-USA Academic Team and will receive a $5,000 scholarship. More than 2,400 students were nominated nationwide for the award.
“It is an honor, a profound honor, and it was very unexpected,” said Cassidy, who also is one of CCC’s two All-Arizona Academic Team scholarship awardees who were honored during a ceremony in Phoenix last month. “It means that I have the opportunity to receive an education and to pursue a career that will enable me to contribute as meaningfully as possible.”
All-USA Academic Team members were selected for their outstanding intellectual achievement, leadership, community and campus engagement, according to information from the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, which recognizes the academic achievement of students at two-year colleges like CCC.
“We’re thrilled and incredibly proud of David’s achievement as an All-USA recipient,” said Dr. Eric Heiser, president of CCC. “His dedication to being of service of helping others is a reminder to us all that ‘community’ is more than just a word, it is a steadfast focus on holding out a hand to our fellow human beings to help as best we are able.”
Cassidy was recognized during the American Association of Community Colleges’ (AACC) convention in Denver, Colo., on Monday, April 3. In addition to the scholarship funds, recipients were presented with commemorative medallions, and their college presidents received commemorative obelisks.
Cassidy is completing his last semester at CCC before heading to Northern Arizona University to complete a bachelor’s degree in Psychological Sciences. His ultimate goal is to complete a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology.
Shortly before the start of the pandemic, Cassidy began participating in counseling sessions provided by the Whale Foundation, a nonprofit devoted to offering mental health services to people in the Grand Canyon river guiding community. During these sessions, Cassidy said he began planning to attend college. During the pandemic, Cassidy said he saw a severe shortage of people in social work, counseling and similar social service careers and wanted to be a part of addressing that shortage.
As for the scholarships he has received to continue to work toward his goal, Cassidy said, “It’s the only way I would go to a four-year university. It was either get it and transfer, or not get it and not transfer.”
His emphasis is on service and commitment to community.
“I think everyone has a responsibility to do good, and this is a way that I can, hopefully, do the most good that I can,” Cassidy said. “We will all, at some time, need help, and if we don’t all, at some time, provide help, that means some of us will go without the help we need.”
During his time at CCC, Cassidy was Vice President of Service for the CCC chapter of PTK. In 2021, he helped organize a mental health awareness event on campus. In 2022, while serving as chapter President, he was very involved in starting and overseeing an outdoor club and securing grant funding for students to receive therapeutic benefits from participating in a community-based outdoor recreation club.
The All-USA Academic Team is sponsored by Cengage, with additional support by PTK and the AACC. For more information about CCC, visit www.coconino.edu. For more information about PTK, visit www.ptk.org.
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. On average, 20 percent of CCC’s students are Native American learners.