Tuition waivers valued at over $36,600 will be awarded to students from Northland Pioneer College’s Snowflake, Holbrook and Winslow campuses along with students from NPC’s Show Low, St. Johns and Springerville locations, to complete their bachelor’s degrees at one of Arizona’s three public universities. The Arizona Board of Regents awards the waivers, for up to 60 credits, to encourage the state’s top scholars to finish their educations. NPC can nominate two students from each campus and center location to the All-USA team, which automatically places the nominees on the All-Arizona Team. To be eligible, a student must have a cumulative 3.5 or higher grade point average, be working toward an associate degree and demonstrate college or community volunteerism and leadership. Local students receiving tuition waivers this year will be NPC students Jeffery Hamilton and Thomas Parada of Holbrook, Kaylen Benito and Paige Murray of Winslow, and Samuel Rosales and Tabitha Adams of Snowflake. Team members will also receive scholarships from NPC. For Kaylen Benito, growing up as a Native American in the foster care system spurred perseverance and a desire to help children who like herself, are forced to deal with difficult emotional and social situations. A first-generation college student, Benito credits her childhood social worker with giving her hope. “She made me realize that my happiness was up to me and to me alone; that only I could make a true difference in my life. I needed to prove I was better than my circumstances and I needed to believe in me and prove it to myself first,” she said. Benito plans to eventually earn her doctorate and will be pursuing a career as a clinical social worker. She will be enrolling in Northern Arizona University next fall. Like Benito, Tabitha Adams has also seen struggle lead to steadfast determination. Raised by a single mother of three, Adams’ motivation originates from having witnessed her own mother battle the odds trying to complete a college education and improve things for her family. “I have seen the hardships she has gone through and I want to change that for myself and my family in the future. Working to get a good education in order to help others do their very best, is what is most important to me.” Adams’ desire to help others also stems from having played softball as a youth. There was a point in her childhood where, feeling discouraged and emotionally defeated, she nearly gave up the sport. However, with the encouragement of her coaches, she not only persevered but excelled, eventually making most valuable player three out of four years in high school. She is currently a volunteer coach for a junior high softball team. “I have had the opportunity not only to advance their playing skills, but also to teach them lessons for life including initiative, responsibility, self-confidence and commitment,” explains Adams. “I have made it my goal to show every player their worth and to push them to their full potential.” Adams will be transferring to Northern Arizona University this fall to study behavioral health. When it comes to passion, Paige Murray certainly has it. As the young owner of and talented instructor at Passion Dance Company in Holbrook. Murray’s heart and passion stay guided toward giving back to the community and the children within it. For Murray, who plans to attend Northern Arizona University to pursue a degree in elementary education, support was key. “My life has been filled with exceptional educators. Whether it be my parents, school teachers, coaches or college professors, these outstanding individuals have played a critical role in my development and the discovery of who I am and things about which I am passionate. They filled my mind with knowledge and my heart with experiences that have caused me to look outward. These educators instilled in me the very best parts of themselves.” Murray’s goal is to teach in the classroom as well as on the dance floor. When asked about herself, Murray states, “Who am I? I am a dancer, I am a leader and I am continuing to grow as an educator. Just as those before me, I want to instill in others the very best parts of myself. Whether through education or dance, my heart belongs to future generations. They are my motivation. They are the reason I want to further my education and share my love for knowledge and dance.” For fellow team member Samuel Rosales, service equals success. He faithfully believes in the mantra “when we lift others’ burdens, our own become light.” Having already formed his own land leasing LLC in Snowflake and successfully closing two deals thus far, Rosales is well on his way. “For me, a career is just a means to be able to do one’s life’s work unobstructed. I have determined that my destination in this life is to live a life full of service. My life’s vision is to do as much good for others as possible.” Having volunteered as a laundry worker at the temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Rosales has seen how service and success go hand in hand. “My original hesitations in thinking that service would inhibit my ability to find success has been dispelled,” he says. Rosales will attend Arizona State University to pursue a degree in business management with the aspiration of forming a self-sustaining business in property management, land leasing or real estate development. “My desire is to be able to oversee business operations from afar by the time I am 35 and devote all my time to church responsibilities, serving on missions with my future spouse and helping the less fortunate.” His fellow teammate Jeffrey Hamilton also plans to get down to business–and numbers. He plans to graduate with his associate’s degree in both accounting and business from NPC and continue his studies at Northern Arizona University where he will major in accounting with a minor in business. “I’ve always had an interest in math and numbers. Accounting combines both of those,” Hamilton explains. For Hamilton, working at NPC’s library in Holbrook, drove him to realize that furthering his education was crucial to becoming a leader and achieving his goals. “The knowledge and intellect that I developed while working in the college library has been one of the most fulfilling endeavors that I have had the opportunity to partake in,” Hamilton explains. It was a “learning curve,” Hamilton admits, “I had to know of all the systems and databases that the library offers in order to assist students doing their research for course work. From this I developed the most important leadership skill I have: to always be self-improving. A leader should never want to be just as good as they are, they should always strive to be better than they were yesterday,” he adds. “The leadership skills that I have developed as a member of the college library staff are something I will carry with me for the rest of my life.” Similarly, working at a library was a pivotal step for fellow All-AZ team member, Thomas Parada, who is an avid history enthusiast. His love for history, books and systematic problem solving came in handy when first volunteering and now being employed at Show Low’s public library. Reflecting on his decision to begin volunteering at the public library vs. pursuing a paid position elsewhere, Parada says the deal was sealed when “I realized I’d be around books and helping the library by being a resource for the community in their pursuit of knowledge.” When asked about his inspiration to study history, Parada explains, “Who I am as a person, deeply passionate about history, is indebted to a history professor I knew when I was young. He gave me a book on famous naval battles for my 11th birthday. I read the book, and continued to read it over and over, and became very invested in the subject. I have even built up a miniature library dedicated to naval history,” he continues. “In a way my interest in naval history motivates me to succeed, as I take to heart that history repeats itself. When I am faced with an assignment or job that seems insurmountable, I think back to historic examples of men who have overcome the odds and achieved victory by the righteousness of their cause or by knowing who they were and believing in themselves.” Parada will continue his studies at Northern Arizona University. “I view my education as my voyage,” he says. Due to his love of the sea, his goal is to one day work in a naval or maritime history museum in England, New Zealand or here in the United States. These local awardees, along with their NPC teammates from Show Low, St. Johns and Springerville, as well as scholars from other top Arizona community colleges, will be honored at a luncheon on Thursday, Feb. 27, in the Phoenix area. For the past 25 years, Arizona has separately recognized the state’s top two-year college students as a part of the All-USA Academic Team program, co-sponsored by the American Association of Community Colleges, Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society (PTK), Follet Higher Education Group, the Coca Cola Scholars Foundation and USA Today. A complete list of past NPC recipients of the All-Arizona Academic Team honor can be viewed online at https://www.npc.edu/scholarships/all-arizona-academic-team.
