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When Dawn (Nava) Woodlock and Andrea (Carnero) Lewis were in their first semester at �������ý��Ƶ (�������ý��Ƶ) in Fall 2001, they both felt lost. Dawn was a shy and insecure first-generation college student. Andrea wasn’t prepared, mentally or emotionally, for a big university and she didn’t drive, so her dad drove her to �������ý��Ƶ’s campus. They saw each other for the first time in kickboxing class and then again in a drama class, and something clicked. “It was love at first sight,“ Andrea said. “I knew I wanted to be her friend.”

�������ý��Ƶ student Javyn Booth reflects on his journey to �������ý��Ƶ, his role as newly elected President of the Black Student Union (BSU), and how he’d like people to honor Black History Month.

Half Mexican and half Native American – with connections to the Ohkay Owingeh (Tewa), Hopi, and Navajo tribes – �������ý��Ƶ (�������ý��Ƶ) Instructional Services Coordinator Stephanie Madison admits to the difficulty of fitting in with both sides of her identity.  “I never truly feel like I belong,” she said.

For many of us, resolutions often focus on our health and well-being. According to Forbes Health, "When it comes to New Year's resolutions for 2024, a Forbes Health/OnePoll survey of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted in October 2023 found that nearly 48% of respondents noted that improving fitness was their top priority (Forbes.com). But even if resolutions aren't your thing, �������ý��Ƶ (�������ý��Ƶ) Fitness Center offers a new health and physical fitness program in Spring 2024 with a custom workout plan, weekly assignments that bring awareness to your exercise and diet habits, and weekly accountability check-ins with a coach.

One-on-one interactions with company executives, engineers and recruiters, as well as small group interdisciplinary projects occupied �������ý��Ƶ (�������ý��Ƶ) Mathematics, Engineering, and Science Achievement (MESA) students–Maya Lee, Evelyn Rivera Elias, Marcel Lopez, and Jeffrey Wilhelms–at the invite-only STEM conference in San Diego from October 20-22 at the Marriott Mission Valley.

�������ý��Ƶ Veteran Services staff Michael Wainscott and Felicia Kinard provide veterans with support including accessing their military educational benefits, enrolling in classes, applying for scholarships, finding a job, transferring to university, or proving a space for conversation with other veterans about the challenges of transitioning from military to civilian life.

Before Victor Salinas started his nursing degree program at �������ý��Ƶ (�������ý��Ƶ) this fall, he spent the spring looking for scholarships. "I couldn't find anything, and then I came across the Equality Maricopa Prism Scholarship Fund. I applied and, thankfully, was awarded the scholarship."

How often are we really able to slow down these days? How often do we give ourselves permission to take a few deep breaths and just sit and observe what is happening around us? These are some of the questions Art faculty Jay Hardin asked when he began his sabbatical in Fall 2021. What he discovered after a six-week online mindfulness class with Holly Cluff, a Koru-certified instructor from Tucson, is that mindfulness does wonders for the creative mind.

Jacquelina Reyes worked in corrections for 16 years, but her heart has always been to serve the Hispanic population in the medical field. With support from Arizona Career Pathways, Jacquelina is a �������ý��Ƶ (�������ý��Ƶ) Nursing Program student. “I know if I finish my nursing degree, I can help improve the lives of Hispanic people by communicating it’s good to go to a doctor,” she said. “In Hispanic culture, sometimes we don’t want to speak up because we’re embarrassed to ask questions, so I want to encourage this population to go from fearful to proactive because we’re all in it together to grow.”

Donna Gammage and Bryan Heckler are the fairy godparents many of us wished for as teenagers. Except they don't have a magic wand or indulge in fantasy. Their work as Job Developer and Lead Teacher in the Transitioning Learners to College (TLC) at �������ý��Ƶ (�������ý��Ƶ) is rooted in reality. Donna and Bryan provide special education students the needed life skills to become adults and the wrap-around support service for the college experience.

Staff and faculty displayed excellence in the hours and days following convocation as they learned from each other in a new campus initiative, The Learning Sessions.