The Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society has announced that Yavapai College students Megan Daubert and Taylor Haynes have been named 2014 Coca-Cola Community College Academic Team Scholars.
Daubert, a biology major with a 4.0 GPA, was named a Gold Scholar and will receive a $1,500 scholarship and a special medallion. Haynes, a comparative cultural studies major, was named a Silver Scholar and will receive a $1,250 scholarship and a special medallion. They were chosen based on scores they earned in the All-USA Community College Academic Team competition, which received more than 1,700 applications this year.
The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation sponsors the Coca-Cola Community College Academic Team program by recognizing 50 Gold, 50 Silver and 50 Bronze Scholars, and providing nearly $200,000 in scholarships annually.
“This is fantastic news about our scholars,” Dr. Penny Wills, Yavapai College president, said. “We’re very proud of these individuals as well as the academic structure and support that helps our students achieve such lofty goals.”
Daubert, a Prescott resident, is involved in undergraduate research and is a member of the College Honors Program and Phi Theta Kappa. Her career goal is to become a research biologist in the field of terrestrial mammalian biology.
Born and raised in Prescott, Haynes is in the College Honors Program at Yavapai College. She plans to transfer to Northern Arizona University (NAU) when she graduates in May and wants to teach or work for a non-profit organization thereafter.
“One of the great benefits of Phi Theta Kappa is that it can provide scholarships for students to help them achieve their educational goals,” said Laura Cline, English department faculty member and chapter advisor for Phi Theta Kappa-Beta Gamma Pi. “I am incredibly proud to have Megan and Taylor representing our chapter and our college as recipients of this generous scholarship. Both of these students are shining examples of the four hallmarks of Phi Theta Kappa: scholarship, leadership, fellowship and service. They will continue to be wonderful assets to whatever universities, workplaces and communities they choose as they continue on their journeys.”
The two students are among five Yavapai College students who were previously honored with All-Arizona scholarships, providing them with full tuition to continue their studies at any Arizona state university. The other All-Arizona honorees are Dorothy “Madison” Maher and Rebecca McCullough from the Verde Valley campus and Jayne Travers from the Prescott Valley campus.
Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society administers the Coca-Cola Community College Academic Team Program and recognizes Coca-Cola Academic Team scholars during All-State Community College Academic Team Recognition ceremonies held in 38 states.
Community colleges may submit two nominations per campus for this award. An independent panel of judges considers outstanding academic rigor, grade point average, academic and leadership awards, and engagement in college and community service in the selection process.
“The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation has a long history of providing financial assistance to outstanding students at community colleges,” said J. Mark Davis, president of the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation. “We are proud to partner with Phi Theta Kappa and make it possible for deserving students to achieve their educational goals.”
Yavapai College, which opened in 1969, provides quality higher learning, cultural resources and economic development support for the diverse populations of Yavapai County. The College offers a wide range of academic programs to students at the College’s centers in Prescott (main campus), Clarkdale (the Verde Valley Campus), Prescott Valley, Chino Valley, Sedona, and the Career and Technical Education Center (CTEC) near the Prescott Airport.
Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, headquartered in Jackson, Miss., is the largest honor society in American higher education with more than 1,285 chapters on two-year and community college campuses in all 50 of the United States, Canada, Germany, Peru, the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the British Virgin Islands, the United Arab Emirates and U.S. territorial possessions. More than 2.5 million students have been inducted since its founding in 1918, with approximately 135,000 students inducted annually.
Photographed (above: Megan Daubert, below: Taylor Haynes
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