PVCC Puma Press: April 2006

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	Photo by Janice Semmel
	Ali Odeh plans to use his scholarship award to pursue a major in pharmacy. After being accepted at the University of Arizona, Katie Gault prepares to major in media arts.
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Katie Gault and Ali Odeh represent PVCC as 2007 All-Arizona Academic Team award winners. Both Gault and Odeh were honored and received their awards along with 67 other 2007 All-Arizona Academic Team members from around the state at a luncheon hosted by Mesa Community College on Feb. 8.

Sherry Adams, Honors Program Coordinator, described the award application process as long and arduous. Students received applications last Oct., filled them out, wrote essays and submitted references by the Nov. deadline.

The PVCC honors faculty committee read and screened all applications, chose the top applicants, interviewed them and selected two students to represent PVCC. The national committee received the two applications and ranked them on the state level. Finally, USA Today received the applications and will conduct the national selection process and publish the results. For the second year in a row, a PVCC student moves to the national level.

Adams says, “The All-USA Academic Team award is specifically geared to community colleges. Its four hallmarks are scholarship, fellowship, leadership and service.”

Gault says, “My dream job would be head writer of ‘Saturday Night Live.’” Taking steps toward that dream, she completed and submitted a 10-page application for the All-Arizona Academic Team.

From the 10 participants at PVCC, Gault was chosen for the First Team of the All-Arizona Academic Team, and her application was also submitted to the national competition for All-USA Academic Team. Gault has been awarded a cash scholarship and a two-year tuition waiver to any Arizona university. She has been accepted at the University of Arizona and plans to major in media arts and focus on film and TV writing.

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	For the second year in a row, a PVCC student moves to the national level
	—Sherry Adams, Honors Program Coordinator
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Gault serves on the PVCC Student Leadership Council as public relations chairperson, on the Student Honors Advisory Board and works part-time on campus.

Odeh plans to major in pharmacy after obtaining his associates degree in Science from PVCC. He juggles a full schedule taking 24 hours of classes this semester, working part-time as a certified pharmacy technician at Walgreens and participating in honors and leadership programs on campus.

After filling out and submitting his application, Odeh was chosen for the Third Team on the All-Arizona Academic Team. He received a cash scholarship and a two-year tuition waiver to any Arizona university. He recommends that other students work for good grades and do community service in order to apply for this award.

Odeh says, “I have no regrets at PVCC. It has been, honestly, a life changing experience for the better that I will never forget, and I will take from it skills to pave a new path for the future generations.”