Coconino Community College’s Stellar Newsletter
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Shaping the future of Coconino County. Empowering Individuals. Inspiring Communities.
Education with Purpose!
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A quick word from the President
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Three feet of snowfall aside, my first few weeks as President for Coconino Community College have been marked by the gratitude I feel at the welcome I received from faculty, staff and the community. My family and I feel right at home.
My focus these first couple of months is to meet with as many of CCC’s internal and external stakeholders as possible and to take a lot of notes to get a sense of the educational needs of our students and the communities we serve. I will then compile a report of “The First 100 Days,” focusing on mid- and long-term planning, highlighting what was heard, what we’re planning to do and how the College will likely move forward. I’m excited to get busy.
Mother Nature may have delayed the start of the semester, but the students are back, and we’re all striding confidently into the future.
To success!
Eric Heiser, PhD
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A home for Native American students at CCC
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Native American Success Center opens at Lone Tree Campus in Flagstaff
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FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – “A home away from home.”
That was the phrase mentioned by multiple students when asked what the Native American Success Center (NASC) means to them.
On the evening of Nov. 15, 2022, Coconino Community College hosted the Grand Opening of the Native American Student Success Center at the Lone Tree Campus. The event was attended by more than 100 people, including students and their families, tribal leadership and education representatives, and College faculty, staff, and leadership. The NASC serves as an academic and cultural resources center for Native American and Alaskan Native students attending Coconino Community College. The NASC is a part of the Strengthening Indigenous Student Success Program (SISS), a new program at CCC that enhances the services and opportunities provided to Native American students.
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Coconino Community College student Mistyrose Jensen prepares to cut the ribbon to signal the opening of the new Native American Success Center at the Lone Tree Campus.
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Story by Cheyenne Grabiec,
Community Outreach Coordinator
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Single mothers in northern Arizona get chance at free education
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CCC partners with the Women’s Foundation to expand Pathways for Single Mom’s program
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FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Coconino Community College has been selected by the Women’s Foundation for the State of Arizona (WFSA) as the nonprofit partner to launch the Pathways for Single Moms Program in the state’s northern region.
This program is designed to eliminate barriers to higher education for single moms by giving them the necessary resources to secure livable wages and forge a career path. Taking a holistic approach, the program helps women navigate life’s challenges by supporting the successful completion of a certificate program in growing fields. The tuition-free certificate prepares these women for careers in growing industries that pay a thriving wage, thus confronting the cycle of poverty in their families.
Pathways for Single Moms was launched in 2020 in southern Arizona, and, due to its success, has expanded to cover central Arizona and now the northern region of the state. Coconino Community College has a goal of supporting 30 to 40 women in the duration of the program. There will be 11 career tracks, determined to pay living wages for mothers to choose from.
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Start Small, Go Big with CCC
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Whether you’re looking to transition to a four-year university, learn skills for a new career, or are seeking personal enrichment, Coconino Community College has the courses you need with quality instruction at affordable prices.
For more videos about CCC, visit our YouTube page.
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CCC student achieves success
against all odds
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Lena Cody overcomes multiple obstacles to receive her associate degree in Sociology
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FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Small in stature, but big in strength, grit, determination and resilience, Lena Cody stands tall and proud in her graduation cap and gown.
Motivated by the prospect of a pay increase at her job as a case manager for a social service agency at the age of 51, Lena enrolled as a part time student at Coconino Community College in the fall of 2017. At the same time, she gained guardianship of her 3-year-old grandson, Princeton. Lena said she knew she had a lot on her plate – going to school, working full-time and raising a young child as a single woman – but she was determined to make it work.
In her 2018 essay for her English 101 class, “You Can Smile in the End,” she wrote about growing up poor in an overcrowded mobile home, enduring domestic violence, rape, and raising three boys on her own as a single parent. Hardened by life, she learned to not depend on anyone.
“I felt like I was thrown to the wolves, and I needed to survive the hardships,” she said.
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Still standing, still smiling, CCC student Lena Codydefies the odds and graduates.
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Story by Jessica Laessig,
Communication and Events Coordinator
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CCC student receives job offer at Findlay Honda
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Findlay Honda of Flagstaff General Manager Jacob Lundie, left, shakes hands with CCC student and new employee Daniel Rojas.
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Story by Jessica Laessig,
Communication and Events Coordinator
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Daniel Rojas now gets paid to learn the ins and outs of fixing automobiles for Findlay Honda
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FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – The blue and white building stood tall and impressive. The signature emblem “H” hung over the glass doors. The front entrance was lined with new Honda models; shiny and ready to hit the road. General Manager Jacob Lundie and his newest hire Daniel Rojas, a towering young man with the biggest smile, stand in the grand foyer of the auto dealership on Flagstaff’s east side.
Lundie and Rojas met on September 7, 2022, at the Coconino Community College Student’s First Celebration. The event, put on by the CCC Foundation, serves as an opportunity for scholarship donors to meet and celebrate scholarship recipients. Rojas, a student speaker at the event, accepted the Distinguished Service Scholarship, given each year in honor of the Distinguished Service Award recipient, which was awarded to Robby Findlay of the Findlay Automotive Group.
Lundie said, “Daniel gave his speech and I just remember thinking how great it was to see him get out of his comfort zone and deliver a speech to all of his peers and faculty at his new school.” Lundie was so impressed he offered Rojas a job with Findlay.
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Local law enforcement partners with CCC
for police academy
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Cadets with the High Country Training Academy study accident investigation at the CCC Lone Tree Campus. The first class will graduate in April 2023.
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The first class of cadets will graduate in April 2023
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FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Beginning Oct. 3, 13 recruits embarked 21 weeks of training at the newly established High Country Training Academy at Coconino Community College.
“CCC’s goal is to partner with the local community to train people who live in Coconino County for jobs in Coconino County,” said Dr. Nate Southerland, Provost for CCC. “We are so grateful to our local law enforcement agencies for being the driving force behind this new program and providing the personnel needed to make it successful.”
Flagstaff Police Department Chief Dan Musselman said that the academy provides several advantages to law enforcement in northern Arizona.
“Having our recruits here locally is important,” Musselman said, adding that the recruits can live in their own homes, and they can keep their families and support systems in place. They are also trained by officers who serve locally and know local community needs.
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Dr. Nat White and family establish fellowship
with CCC Foundation
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The $100,000 donation is meant to help CCC faculty and staff with professional development to better serve students
and the college.
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The fully endowed fellowship is meant to help faculty and staff grow professionally
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FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – If it hadn’t been for the caring of a gifted teacher, Dr. Nat White might not have gone to graduate school and ended up an astronomer at Lowell Observatory.
He hadn’t been known for good grades during his educational journey, but his astronomy teacher, after watching White fix a telescope and love doing it, got him to be considered for a graduate program, and if he did all right in his coursework, the graduate program would consider him.
“His stepping out of the box to get this waif pointed in a direction that was useful made a difference in my life,” Dr. White said, and the rest has been his history.
To help faculty and staff at Coconino Community College continue to grow professionally, White and his family have created a $100,000 fully endowed White Family Fellowship with the CCC Foundation.
“It’s an indication of our appreciation to this college’s wonderful faculty and staff,” Dr. White said, adding that his wife Jean and his children – adults and successful in their lives – all loved the idea.
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Flagstaff Chamber Foundation supports
scholarships at CCC
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More than $13,000 in scholarships have been awarded to CCC students in the last two years
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FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Coconino Community College student Grace Abell works at a preschool in Flagstaff, and her goal is to become an elementary school teacher.
She said she remembers turning 5 years old and bringing her younger sister into the picture.
“Ever since she could sit up, I made her my student,” she said and laughed. “I’ve always had the desire to be a teacher of children.”
Abell is making that goal a reality with the help of scholarships she has received from the Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce Foundation in collaboration with the Helios Education Foundation. In the last two years, the Chamber/Helios partnership has awarded $13,500 in scholarships to CCC students.
“The Greater Flagstaff Chambers of Commerce deep commitment to education attainment is reflected in these CCC scholarships,” said Julie Pastrick, CEO of the Chamber. “In partnership with the Helios Educational Foundation, we endeavor to support and mentor students who can use financial and moral support.”
The scholarships were awarded by the CCC Foundation to five CCC students in 2021-22 academic year and to four students in the upcoming 2022-23 academic year at $1,500 each.
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CCC Nursing student Monika Freeman received two scholarships through the CCC Foundation to help her complete her studies before heading to NAU and a bachelor’s degree in Nursing.
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CCC Community/Adult Education
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CCC Adult Ed learners take free English course
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Students take advantage of free three-credit ENG 101A course at the College
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FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Ana Roman met and became best friends with Montserrat “Montse” Rodriguez when they worked together at a Flagstaff restaurant. Rodriguez needed help studying for her United States citizenship exam that she was preparing for, and Roman was happy to help.
After Rodriguez passed her citizenship test with flying colors, the two young women continued taking English Language Acquisition for Adults courses in the Adult Education program at Coconino Community College. Successful in their studies, they were awarded a grant that allowed them to take a course at the college free of charge.
They chose ENG 101A, and they both passed their first official college course, and now the two are considering continuing down the college path.
“I was so scared,” Rodriguez said. “We were with students so young, so bright, who spoke English their whole lives. This class has taken me out of my comfort zone. This is a first step.”
Roman said, “I pushed myself to that goal. I never thought I’d be able to get to this point.”
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CCC Adult Education students Montse Rodriguez(left) and Ana Roman, took a free ENG 101A course after participating in the Englis Language Acquisition for Adults courses at CCC
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Production Assistant training coming to
Page community in March
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Great noncredit classes coming to CCC in February
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Classes for GED/English language learners at CCC
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