Evening of STARS event honors YC’s Best and Brightest

Verde Valley News – Yavapai College is awash with star students who bring their A-game to class. They show up, push through adversity and defy mediocrity to prove to themselves and others they can be more.

But like the stars that blanket the night sky, there are students at the YC Prescott and Verde Valley campuses who outshine even their most stellar classmates. Those extraordinary students were feted during an Evening of STARS on April  22. The awards ceremony honoring the best and brightest across academic disciplines drew 28 honorees and their biggest fans to the Jim and Lee Performing Art Center.  The ceremony was emceed with a potent mix of laugh-out-loud levity, unabashed YC marketing and high esteem for the star students by YC Spanish Professor Dr. Curtis Kleinman.

“Achievements recognized tonight required students to reach in deep, sacrifice and commit to excellence in their work… Your tremendous potential is very clearly reflected in your accomplishments. We are so fortunate that Yavapai College has been part of your journey and personal story,” said YC President Dr. Lisa Rhine, welcoming the star students and their well-wishers.

Dr. Rhine returned to the stage for the finale, the presentation of the college’s highest academic honor, the President’s Award, to business bachelor’s degree student Nicholas “Nic” Clower.

An award-winning member and vice president of the YC Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter and a valuable member of the Roughrider Ambassadors, Nic was singled out by not one, but five YC faculty and staff members for, among other things,  earning straight As, for his leadership and professionalism, for exceeding expectations “in every way,” for lifting up fellow students, and for “fostering a sense of community and connection on campus.”

Nic said later that the President’s Award means a lot to him, “especially considering that it originated from many of the amazing people who I have gotten the privilege of working with in some way since I’ve been at Yavapai College. I have never been this involved or felt this welcomed by a community before, and I am greatly going to miss it when I go on to university at the end of the year.”

After finishing his business bachelor’s degree at YC in the fall, Nic plans to pursue a master’s degree and become a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). His career goal is to own his own accounting firm.

The next highest academic honor presented at the Evening of STARS, the Provost’s Award, and delivered by YC Provost Dr. Doug Berry, went to aspiring teacher Tessa Classen-Pierce. An education student at YC, Tessa was nominated by Education Program Director Dr. Tara O’Neill and Education Professor Heather Leavitt. They said of Tessa: “We have been consistently impressed by her dedication, leadership and commitment to both her academic and extracurricular endeavors… Tessa is always willing to ask questions, collaborate with peers and take the lead on projects.”

Like Nic, Tessa is a valuable member of the Roughrider Ambassadors. She is also    president of the Future Teachers Club, secretary of the student Food Pantry, and is active in the YC chapter of Phi Theta Kappa college honor society.

Tessa said receiving the Provost’s award filled her with “immeasurable gratitude.” She credited O’Neill and Leavitt for fostering her academic success and thanked Dr. Berry for his mentorship while both were members of the Students of Leadership cohort. After graduating from YC this spring, Tessa plans to continue her education studies at Northern Arizona University. While she aims to spend part of her career in a classroom, Tessa said she is keen to one day work in higher education in a student engagement role.

In his remarks during the Evening of STARS, Dr. Berry said, “Let’s go forward tonight inspired by the remarkable achievements of or STARS, emboldened by their discipline, persistence and focus, and empowered to live with purpose and compassion in all that we do.”

Following are students deemed STARS – “Students who are thriving, achieving and deserve recognition” – and delineated by discipline and campus: