CCC — The Comet — CCC receives grant to foster Native American student success and more news

The land of Coconino County is rich in geological stories and steeped in a sacred importance to all of us who live here. Coconino Community College is located in the middle of the land’s magnificence. More than 20 percent of our students at the college are Native American, and because CCC is dedicated to creating a welcoming and inclusive learning environment, the perspective of our Native American students is vitally important to our identity. To that end, when students from the college’s Indigenous Student Association developed a Land Acknowledgement Statement, the college community acted universally to make it a part of CCC’s culture.

It states: “On behalf of Coconino Community College, we would like to express our gratitude and appreciation to the sacred land on which this educational institution resides. Sacred sites located within Coconino County include the San Francisco Peaks, Oak Creek Canyon, Sedona Red Rocks, the Colorado River, the Little Colorado River, the Colorado River Confluence, the Grand Canyon and many more sites. This land has been inhabited by the Sinagua and Ancestral Pueblo for thousands of years. Currently, the Zuni, Apache, Yavapai, Hualapai, Havasupai, Paiute, Diné, Hopi and many other Arizona tribal nations recognize this land as a significant spiritual place. This sacred land is enriched with indigenous history and culture that lives on to this day. We, as a community with our CCC family and friends, are very fortunate to live, work, and share this unique location. Thank you.”

The educational success of CCC’s Native American students is also vitally important. Recently, staff at the college applied for and received a $2.1 million, five-year Native American-Serving Non-Tribal Institutions (NASNTI) grant from the U.S. Department of Education (see story below). The grant is specifically devoted to helping increase the course success and program completion rates of our Native American students.

CCC is here to serve all our communities and to help all who come to us with dreams satisfy their educational goals.

Onward! Náás! Adelante!

Colleen Smith, PhD

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Imagine looking for work and not being able to feel comfortable crafting a cover letter, or even filling out the application.

Imagine the difficulty finding a job to support your family because you didn’t finish high school. Imagine not being able to speak, read and write English well enough to get a job in your field of study or to fit into your community well.

According to the National Coalition on Adult Basic Education, there are more than 51 million people in the United States with low literacy skills. Additionally, it has been proved time and time again that as literacy skills increase, quality of life for individuals and their families increases.

In order to bring more awareness to the issue of adult education and literacy, Coconino Community College teamed up with Pima Community College to request the city of Flagstaff formally recognize Sept. 19-25 as “Adult Education and Literacy Week.” Mayor Paul Deasy issued a proclamation during the most recent Flagstaff City Council meeting, with the support of the City Council.

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Hailing from Leupp, Niki McCabe runs to relieve stress and to immerse herself in nature.

Of being on CCC’s first athletic team in the history of the college, she said, “I think it’s really cool. Watching it take off, being a part of the first team, that’s pretty unique.”

Niki ran cross country in high school, and she’s happy she gets to continue her running career as a member of CCC’s Cross Country Comets. She got a jump start on her college career by taking Dual Enrollment courses at her high school. After she completes her studies at CCC, Niki plans to transfer to NAU as a CCC2NAU student to continue working toward a bachelor’s degree. She’s got her sights set on becoming an athletic trainer.

“I’ve always done sports, and I want to do something active where I can be around sports,” she said, smiling.

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – The annual Students First Celebration at CCC has been postponed until spring.

“After much deliberation and thoughtful consideration, the CCC Foundation has opted to postpone this year’s Students First Celebration,” said Dianna Sanchez, Chief Development Officer for the CCC Foundation. “As excited as we are to celebrate our amazing students and their achievements, current COVID-19 numbers prohibit a safe in-person gathering.”

Sanchez added that an announcement will be made after Winter Break as to a rescheduled date for the celebration this spring.

“We are looking forward to the time when we can all safely celebrate together,” Sanchez said.

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Bonnie Stevens, a career journalist and CCC supporter, has teamed with her mentor, famed TV news anchorwoman, Mary Jo West, to create the Mary Jo West Excellence in Communication Scholarship at CCC.

The scholarship will begin being offered in Fall 2022, and preference will be given to a Native American female.

“Someone once said, ‘The meaning of life is to find your gift; the purpose of life is to give it away,'” West said. “How grateful I am that my former colleague and journalist, Bonnie Stevens, has honored me with this opportunity to help ‘give it away’ with this scholarship. Not only will this gift to a special student provide financial assistance, but we will have the opportunity to personally meet and mentor whoever is chosen. The Native American community has been underserved in the communication profession and hopefully the recipient of this scholarship can then pass on that knowledge to others.”

Stevens said, “To say that I am ecstatic about this opportunity to partner with Mary Jo West to help develop and sustain communication excellence into the future would be the understatement of the year. This scholarship is about promoting integrity, quality, responsibility and women in communication, which are deeply held values for me as a professional journalist . . . . “

CCC President Colleen A. Smith, Ph.D., said, “Scholarships like the Mary Jo West Excellence in Communication Scholarship, which offers a young Native American Woman an opportunity to develop a powerful voice for community change, are a vital part of the mission at CCC. The college is dedicated to empowering individuals to inspire our communities and help shape the future of our beautiful county.”

Annual Page/Lake Powell Hot Air Balloon

Regatta and Street Fair

It’s time once again to let your CCC school spirit soar during the Annual Page/Lake Powell Hot Air Balloon Regatta, Nov. 4 – 7. CCC is a proud sponsor of the event and will help crew a hot air balloon as well as participate in the Vendor Street Fair.

Drop by and see us!