Coconino Community College - News and Spotlights - Page #10

Meet CCC graduate address speaker Leah Norris

Friday, 1^st May 2015

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Leah Norris is a non-traditional student that decided to return to school after the job she held for over 10 years as an office administrator in a dental office ended. After a few months of searching for another job, she had time to think about her career. Although her employment in the dental office paid the bills and the work environment was good, there was something missing. "I had a real desire to make the world a better place, I wanted to make a difference." When Norris made [...]

Aaron Tabor: CCC part-time instructor of the year 2014-15

Thursday, 29^th January 2015

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Most people that do two jobs often call their second job “moonlighting” which implies that they are working for the paycheck, but Bio 160 Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology instructor Aaron Tabor, truly teaches just for the love of teaching. “What I love about teaching Bio 160 is that every class is so diverse,” Tabor said. “The level of knowledge ranges from little to some knowledge and with only a few often knowing quite a lot about the subject. It makes [...]

Jeff Jones: CCC full-time faculty of the year 2014-15

Wednesday, 22^nd October 2014

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Computer Information Systems (CIS) instructor, Jeff Jones is Coconino Community College’s Full-Time Faculty of the Year for 2014-2015. Jones has dedicated more than 15 years of his career to higher education and computer information technology at CCC. “The best part of teaching is sharing the ‘aha!’ moment as students have reached or been pushed far enough to stretch themselves and then are rewarded with some insight and real learning,” Jones said. In addition [...]

Kim Sonier: CCC full-time faculty of the year 2013-14

Tuesday, 6^th May 2014

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- For Coconino Community College math instructor Kim Sonier, one of her favorite things about teaching is that moment when a struggling student “just gets it.” Sonier, who was named Full-time Faculty of the Year for the 2013-2014 school year, is in her 12th year at CCC, where she teaches math, including pre-calculus and calculus. “One of the cool things about being here is to watch a student grow from struggling, to working hard, to putting the pieces together and understanding what [...]

CCC alum returns as Adult Education assistant

Tuesday, 15^th April 2014

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Stephanie Charles sees her role as an Adult Education Assistant at Coconino Community College as being a liaison to students. The CCC alum knows that many times, students without a high school diploma have a lack of certain resources. “I want to help them understand the importance of getting an education,” Charles said. While at CCC, Charles was a part of the CCC2NAU program and earned her associate degree in psychology. She went on to graduate from Northern Arizona University with a dual major [...]

Shawn Nittmann: CCC part-time faculty of the year 2013-14

Tuesday, 15^th April 2014

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- CCC Biology instructor Shawn Nittmann loves to interact with the community, especially when activities include math and science. Nittmann has dedicated more than 20 years of his career to CCC. Nittmann was named CCC’s Part-Time Faculty of the Year for the 2013-2014 school year. He volunteers annually at events ranging from the Flagstaff Festival of Science’s CCC Science Night, the Flagstaff Community STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Celebration to the Francis [...]

CCC student selected for All-Arizona Academic Team

Friday, 15^th November 2013

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Brittany Fat-Denatsosie enrolled at Coconino Community College’s Page campus and by her own account, didn’t know much about college. She was going on a hunch that she could improve her and her husband’s lives. The young couple moved away from their northern Arizona community after graduating high school. Brittany’s husband, Jonathan, was in the Marine Corps and stationed in Oceanside, Calif. But Brittany missed her family and her horses. And more importantly, she [...]

CCC alum credits Nursing program for success

Tuesday, 11^th June 2013

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Tara Swanson considers her two years of schooling at Coconino Community College to become a registered nurse one really long job interview. Throughout her nursing training, she was working at Flagstaff Medical Center, in different departments. She knew this was her time to impress her potential future employer. Swanson, her husband and two daughters moved to Flagstaff from the Phoenix-area in 2009 for a better quality of life. But Swanson, who has a master’s degree in business, and was working [...]

CCC 2013 Commencement May 10

Wednesday, 24^th April 2013

CCC student Justin Wilgus will graduate on May 20, 2013. FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Coconino Community College student Justin Wilgus knew that if he achieved first team ranking in the All-Arizona Academic Team, a tuition waiver to Northern Arizona University would be included. “I wanted it badly,” said Wilgus, who began taking classes at CCC in 2010 and is a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the College’s honor society. He will give the student address at the May 10 CCC Commencement ceremony. College officials look at scholarship, community and college [...]

CCC alum shares story

Sunday, 24^th February 2013

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Jason Casteel moved to Flagstaff from Phoenix about five years ago for a job. He didn’t realize that job would turn into a quest for a better career. After a few years of working in manufacturing at W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc., Casteel realized that he wanted to advance within the company. “The only way to move in the technical direction I wanted was to have a technical degree,” Casteel said. In Spring 2009, Casteel enrolled at Coconino Community College for an introduction to computer [...]

CCC student to use degree to benefit U.S. Air Force

Sunday, 3^rd February 2013

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Since she was a young girl, Sheila Hollow Horn knew she wanted to be an engineer. With three uncles who are engineers, Hollow Horn knew that was her path, too. “People keep saying, ‘You might change your mind,’ but the older I get, the more interested I get,” she said. In 2010, Hollow Horn enrolled at Coconino Community College, with plans to attain her associate of science degree and transition to Northern Arizona University for a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. [...]

Hard work pays off for CCC CAVIAT students

Monday, 14^th January 2013

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Daniel Stephani is like many young high school students; he plays a varsity sport, has a part-time job, and loves to pursue his hobbies in his “spare” time, but there is one thing that really sets him apart from most of his Flagstaff High School classmates. For the past two years, Stephani, 17, has been experiencing college life at Coconino Community College and earning college credit. When Stephani graduates in May, he will be well on his way to an Administration of Justice [...]

Benning Tieke: Part-time faculty of the year 2012-13

Tuesday, 18^th December 2012

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Benning Tieke, who teaches Spanish at Coconino Community College, was recently named Part-time Faculty of the Year for 2012. He enjoys working at CCC, and names the people and the opportunities his favorite part of working. “CCC is so full of life, energy, and hope,” Tieke said. “At CCC, students recognize that education is a blessing, not an inherited right. This brings a desire and vision for the future.” Tieke has taught all levels of Spanish classes at CCC, but is [...]

Providing guidance to CCC students

Sunday, 16^th December 2012

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Derik Yellowhair was recently hired as Coconino Community College’s Student Life and Passages Coordinator. As the Passages coordinator, Yellowhair works with single parents or displaced placed homemakers to provide guidance as the students work their way through classes. Yellowhair has experience working in a grant program, which is what Passages is, because before coming to CCC, Yellowhair worked for Yavapai College in Prescott, most recently in the Veterans Upward Bound Trio program. [...]

Ruth Foster: Full-time faculty of the year 2012-13

Monday, 8^th October 2012

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Ruth Foster was a journalist for more than a dozen years, when she realized she enjoyed teaching more than she enjoyed writing. Foster was getting a master's degree in English and working as a teaching assistant when she decided that she wanted to pursue teaching. Foster, who teaches developmental reading at Coconino Community College, was named full-time faculty of the year for 2012. Students nominate instructors for the honor. "I really like helping students be successful," Foster [...]

CCC alum finds success in Flagstaff

Sunday, 23^rd September 2012

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Ande Burke is Community Relations Director for Mountain Heart Cardiovascular Care Center and Sleep Facility in Flagstaff. Burke received her associate’s degree from Coconino Community College in 2008 in general studies. After CCC, she received a bachelor’s degree from Northern Arizona University in public relations and is a few credits shy from her master’s degree in public management. While at CCC, Burke served as the Northern Arizona Vice President for Phi Theta Kappa and [...]

CCC Spotlight: Joshua Dixon

Tuesday, 11^th September 2012

Joshua Dixon works for the Help Desk at the CCC Lone Tree Campus. FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Joshua Dixon works as a User Services Technician for the Help Desk on CCC's Lone Tree campus. Dixon has worked for CCC for the past two years. He loves working at CCC and interacting with the helpful and friendly employees and students. Dixon fields questions from students and staff, and is available to help with any technological problems. "From an IT standpoint, people here are very easy to work with," he said. Before working at the College, Dixon owned his own [...]

Faculty Spotlight: Michele Metcalf

Thursday, 16^th February 2012

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- It is easy to see that Department Chair of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Psychology Instructor, Michele Metcalf was selected by students and her peers as the full-time faculty of the Year for the third time (her first time was as associate faculty). When you meet Michele, her intensity and passion for her work is obvious. Michele came to Flagstaff in 1995 from Austin, Texas to work on her Master’s Degree at NAU. Michele said that she had looked at other [...]

Faculty Spotlight: Kevin Mullins

Thursday, 16^th February 2012

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- When Kevin Mullins started teaching part-time at Coconino Community College in 2001, he thought it was only a natural progression for him to go from researching science to teaching science. Mullins said, “I wanted to give back to both the Flagstaff and science communities that gave so much to me over the years, as well as doing something that helps students. I have a lot of teachers in my family and my grandmother instilled an interest for learning in me.” Mullins started [...]

Faculty Spotlight: Ruth Foster

Wednesday, 15^th February 2012

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- A teacher is an individual who has a passion to share their knowledge and experiences with others, so that they might build the foundations for generations of future success. The best teachers are those that can help their students create connections with the other areas of their lives. Developmental Reading Faculty Member, Ruth Foster is a reflection of these attributes and because of this is featured in CCC’S May faculty profile. “ [...]