LCC’s Castanos and Christopherson honored among 37 top-performing students
On March 8, 37 top-performing and service-oriented students from across the state were inducted into the community college All-Colorado Academic Team. The annual induction, in its 19th year, was presented by the Foundation for Colorado Community Colleges and the Credit Union of Colorado.
To qualify for the All-Colorado Academic Team, inductees must belong to their college’s chapter(s) of the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) honor society. They are selected as being the “best of the best” from their respective institutions for their academic achievements and community service.
Marissa Castanos and V.J. Christopherson were selected to the All-Colorado Academic Team to represent Lamar Community College.
Castanos is from Wiley, Colorado, and the current President of the LCC chapter of Phi Theta Kappa. While she is in her first year at LCC, she will graduate this spring with an Associate of Arts after taking advantage of concurrent enrollment courses while in high school. Upon graduation, Castanos plans to transfer to the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs to pursue a Bachelor’s in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice.
Christopherson came to LCC by way of Plainview, Colorado, and he is proud of his rural heritage. He recently completed his Associate of General Studies degree, which he plans to use as the foundation for a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering. During his time at LCC, Christopherson was heavily involved in Phi Theta Kappa.
Castanos and Christopherson were recognized at the annual luncheon accompanied by family and friends.
Event invitees include all members of the Colorado General Assembly, the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education, the Foundation for Colorado Community Colleges, top community college philanthropists alongside the honorees and their guests.
“While some higher education institutions seek excellence by selecting who they let in, our community colleges achieve distinction through open access,” remarked Colorado Community College System President Dr. Nancy J. McCallin. “Many of these 37 high-performing inductees have transcended adversity to turn their community college experiences into a springboard to becoming the community and workforce leaders our state will depend upon.”
Recognizing the academic achievement of two-year college students, PTK is the largest honor society in American higher education. To be eligible to belong to the PTK honor society, students must complete at least 12 hours of associate degree coursework and earn a minimum 3.5 grade point average. Colorado’s first PTK chapter was chartered in 1932 and today there are nearly two dozen active chapters in the state. More than 60,000 Colorado Community College students have been inducted over the last 85 years.
About the Colorado Community College System
The Colorado Community College System (CCCS) is the state’s largest system of higher education, serving more than 138,000 students annually at 13 colleges and 39 locations across Colorado. Our open access mission ensures all Coloradans who aspire to enrich their lives have access to quality higher education opportunities. CCCS students save time and money with affordable tuition and fees, concurrent enrollment, and guaranteed transfer to any public university in Colorado. Online courses are available via Colorado Community Colleges Online. CCCS also oversees career and technical programs in our 13 colleges, more than 160 school districts, and six other post-secondary institutions. By partnering with business and industry, CCCS helps employers meet workforce needs and prepares students for direct entry to their chosen career pathway. The vast majority of our students are Colorado residents and, after graduation, 97% of our students stay in state, becoming the workforce that powers the Colorado economy and the heart of our neighborhoods, businesses, and communities.
About the Foundation for Colorado Community Colleges
The Foundation for Colorado Community Colleges seeks to advance the mission, vision, goals, and objectives of the Colorado Community College System. Specifically, the Foundation actively seeks contributions from public and private sources to make scholarships available statewide, advance key programmatic initiatives, provide training and support for CCCS college foundations, and develop partnerships with community stakeholders to implement state of the art programs that meet the workforce needs of the 21st century.