MESA, Arizona -- Sept. 29, 2020 -- Mesa Community College student Alex Dodt earns a national League for Innovation Student Literary Award. Alex Dodt

Each year, winners of the Maricopa County Community College District Artists of Promise Creative Writing contest are entered into the League for Innovation Student Literary Awards to compete nationally with other community college students. League award recipients receive a Certificate of National Merit, a $500 award from the League for Innovation and will be published in the League's Student Literary Competition publication.

This year, Dodt received second place in the short story category. In 2019, he received the League’s first place award in 2019 in the poetry category.

“Writing is sometimes lonely and always challenging and an award like this is a kind of affirmation to keep going,” Dodt said. “I appreciate it very much.”

Dodt’s short story will be published in an anthology along with the works of other student League literary award recipients. His short story can be read in the 2019-2020 edition of Passages, an annual publication that features the work of Maricopa Community College District students.

“Writing stories and poems has always been the way I make sense of being in the world, and I hope that my writing may help someone else make their own sense of it,” Dodt said. “The story I wrote for this contest is special to me because it’s the first story that I’ve had a feeling of completion with.”

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Media Contact: Dawn Zimmer, dawn.zimmer@mesacc.edu, 480-461-7892

The League for Innovation in the Community College is an international nonprofit organization with a mission to cultivate innovation in the community college environment. Learn more at League.org.

Mesa Community College is nationally recognized as an Aspen Prize Top 150 U.S. Community College and is known for service learning, career and technical programs, civic engagement and innovative approaches to education. The college serves as a resource for career readiness, transfer education, workforce development and lifelong learning. Host to more than 30,000 students annually, MCC offers degree and certificate programs online, at its two campuses, the Mesa Downtown Center and additional locations. Through the implementation of Guided Pathways with Integrated Support Services, MCC is transforming ways it champions student success; college completion, university transfer and career attainment for all students. MCC is a Hispanic Serving Institution. The diverse student body includes more than 400 international students representing over 60 countries. Award-winning faculty are dedicated to student success, providing the education and training to empower MCC students to compete locally and globally. Located in the East Valley of Phoenix, Arizona, MCC is one of the 10 colleges in the Maricopa County Community College District. Learn more at mesacc.edu.

Mesa Community College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).

The Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) is an EEO/AA institution and an equal opportunity employer of protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or national origin. A lack of English language skills will not be a barrier to admission and participation in the career and technical education programs of the District. MCCCD does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability or age in its programs or activities. For Title IX/504 concerns, call the following number to reach the appointed coordinator: (480) 731-8499. For additional information, as well as a listing of all coordinators within the Maricopa College system, visit www.maricopa.edu/non-discrimination.