Carly Miller, left, and Grace McCullough, 2024 CCC PTK All-Arizona Academic Team winners. Courtesy photo.
FLAGSTAFF — Two Coconino Community College students, Grace McCullough and Carly Miller, have been nominated for the All-Arizona Academic Team as part of the All-USA Scholarship competition sponsored by Phi Theta Kappa.
Each year, the Arizona Board of Regents provides tuition scholarships to exceptional Arizona resident community college transfer students, based on outstanding academic performance and community service.
Students are nominated by their community college and submit their applications directly to the Phi Theta Kappa International Honorary organization. Scholarships cover resident tuition at any Arizona state university.
About the nominees
Grace McCullough, originally from California, received an Associate of General Studies from CCC, participating in both the CCC2NAU program and Phi Theta Kappa. She attributes her success to a high credit load and an ambitious goal to complete her bachelor’s degree injust three years. McCullough will be attending Northern Arizona University where she plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in math with a certificate in business economics.
McCullough is also teaching math as a global remote tutor and has already begun the research process into master’s programs in the math or data science field. “I love teaching math and getting to share my passion with my students,” she says, adding that math will give her “a diverse choice in future careers.”
McCullough would like to thank her partner, Kristzof Blumerick. “His achievements have inspired me and shown me that I can achieve more than what I think is possible. He always shows me that I can do more, pushing me to do my best even when I think I’m not capable.”
Carly Miller, originally from Mesa, Arizona, is a psychology major at CCC. “I’ve always been interested in psychology, I like reading books and watching shows that highlight the human experience,” Miller says.
Miller believes her extensive background in community service work was instrumental in helping her achieve this nomination. “I did a community work study at the Flagstaff Fourth Street Library, where I did many tasks aimed at helping the community at large.” Miller also participated in the CCC2NAU program.
“I was stoked to discover this program. Coming from the valley, I always loved coming to Flagstaff when I was younger and knew I wanted to come here for college. The CCC2NAU program was that path I needed after high school. CCC has been a great place for learning, the teachers here are phenomenal,” she adds.
While Miller plans to get her master’s in human resources with the goal of becoming a human resources manager, she can also see herself pursuing her master’s in psychology in order to become a teacher.
Miller would like to give special thanks to CCC instructors Michele Metcalf and Lisa Doskocil, whose dedication to education and their students helped fuel her passion for learning. She would also like to thank her family and friends, whose support motivates her to work hard and achieve success.
For more information about CCC, visit www.coconino.edu. For more information about PTK, visit www.ptk.org