MESA, Arizona – Mesa Community College students Gisell Stephenson, Eduarda Dornbusch Pereira, Aurora Sparer and Kati Reyburn are the recipients of national Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise scholarships from Phi Theta Kappa.
The Leaders of Promise scholarship program provides new members of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society with financial resources to help defray educational expenses while enrolled at a two-year college. Up to 200 scholarships of $1,000 each are awarded annually based on applications submitted by members.
Of those, 25 scholarships are earmarked for current members of the military or military veterans. Stephenson, of Phoenix, is MCC’s military scholarship recipient. She is majoring in social work with the goal to open her own non-profit organization assisting children in need.
Stephenson said, “Being a full‐time parent, wife and student, I am only able to work part time which adds much stress to my family’s financial stability. With the assistance received from this scholarship, I am able to worry less about finances and focus more on my studies.”
Pereira, of Scottsdale, is MCC’s global recipient. She is majoring in electrical engineering with an emphasis on nanotechnologies for the human brain.
Sparer, a pre-med major, and Reyburn, a dental hygiene major, both from Mesa, said the scholarship will be very helpful financially.
“If it weren't for this scholarship, I would not be able to attend school this semester,” Sparer said. “It also helps me on my college application when I try to get in to my desired school. It makes such a difference in my life, and I am eternally grateful.”
“This scholarship is just one of the many benefits of joining PTK,” said Duane Oakes, Phi Theta Kappa Advisor and Faculty Director of MCC’s Center for Community & Civic Engagement. “We have had a number of students receive this and other scholarships that provide funding to pursue educational goals.”
Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society is the official honor society for two-year colleges and the largest honor society in America. To be eligible for membership, students must have completed at least 12 hours of coursework that may be applied to an associate degree program and have a GPA of at least 3.5.
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Media Contact
Dawn Zimmer, 480-461-7892, dawn.zimmer@mesacc.edu
About Mesa Community College
Mesa Community College provides outstanding transfer and career and technical programs, workforce development, and life-long learning opportunities to residents of the East Valley area of Phoenix, Arizona. MCC excels in teaching, learning and empowering its more than 40,000 students who attend annually to succeed in a local and global community. Mesa Community College is one of ten colleges that comprise the Maricopa County Community College District. For additional information please visit mesacc.edu.
Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, headquartered in Jackson, 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.
The Maricopa County Community College District is an EEO/AA institution and an equal opportunity employer of protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.