Richmond — Jacob Neal, a former home-schooled student from the Batesville community in Albemarle County, has been named to the 18th annual All-USA Community College First Team sponsored by USA Today, the American Association of Community Colleges, and Phi Theta Kappa, the national honor society for two-year college students. Neal is among a group of ten students being honored Wednesday, April 16th as Virginia’s “First Virginia Team,” representing the best and the brightest of community college students.
The students will be honored at a noon luncheon at the Omni Richmond Hotel, along with 51 students who comprise the All-Virginia Academic Team. The top ten students earn special recognition as the “First Virginia Team.” That select group includes the following students:
Jacob Neal, 20, is a student at Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC). He is a chemistry major and holds a perfect 4.0 grade point average. Neal is involved in a number of college activities including the Student Government Association and the College Senate. His academic achievement has twice earned him a Coca-Cola scholarship and five semesters of recognition on the President’s List. Upon graduation, he intends to transfer to the University of Virginia. As a member of the 18th annual All-USA Community College First Team, he has earned a $2,500 cash award.
Daniel Burgess, 22, is majoring in information technology at New River Community College. The Blacksburg resident is maintaining a perfect 4.0 grade point average while participating in several campus activities including Phi Theta Kappa and Virginia21. Burgess, who intends to transfer to Radford University after graduation, is working to convince the General Assembly to expand the eligibility requirements of the Two Year College Transfer Grant program.
Samantha Cousin, 19, is a zoology major at Tidewater Community College. Originally from Germantown, MD, Cousin has maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average as she completes her final semester at TCC. Outside of the classroom, Cousin serves as a senator in the Student Government Association and as a councilmember on the planning committee for her church. An inaugural member of the Commonwealth Legacy Scholarship Program, Cousin is planning to transfer to Idaho State University next year to pursue a bachelor’s degree in zoology.
Lois Duke, 33, is a science major at Lord Fairfax Community College. The Luray student is maintaining a nearly perfect 3.97 grade point average while serving as the caregiver to a family member who has cerebral palsy. Despite her demanding schedule, Duke is involved in several activities both on and off campus, including serving as the vice president of the Phi Theta Kappa and the vice president of the Lord Fairfax Community College Scientific Survey. Duke’s academic success has twice earned her the Robert B. Drumheller Scholarship and allowed here to maintain a place on the President’s List for three straight years.
David Dutton, 21, from Bealeton, is also another Lord Fairfax Community College student. The liberal arts major is maintaining a perfect 4.0 grade point average. Profoundly deaf since birth, Dutton has created an American Sign Language Society at Lord Fairfax to share both his personal experience and raise awareness of deaf culture and American Sign Language. Dutton is serves as the vice president of the Student Government Association and as a volunteer at the Bealeton Liberty Senior Center. His academic prowess has earned him awards, scholarships and a place for the last two years on the President’s List.
Justin Miller, 20, from Tappahannock is an arts and science major at Rappahannock Community College, where he is maintaining a grade point average of 3.8. Outside the classroom Miller serves as the chapter president of Phi Theta Kappa and as a member of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Following his graduation, he intends to transfer to Radford University to study criminal justice.
Karen Skinner, 34, of Norfolk, is an accounting major at the ECPI College of Technology, where she is maintaining a 3.9 grade point average. She is also a member of her college’s PTK chapter, seeking to become an officer.
Cynthia Spencer, 42, of Leesburg, is a science major at Northern Virginia Community College. The retuning student is maintaining a perfect 4.0 grade point average while also serving as treasurer of her college’s Phi Theta Kappa chapter. Spencer says the decision to return to school wasn’t an easy one, but it has changed her life. After graduating she wants to transfer to a four-year school to continue her studies and is considering a handful of colleges and universities.
Stacy Stegall, 21, of Green Bay, is a chemistry major at Southside Virginia Community College, where she is maintaining a perfect 4.0 grade point average. When she’s not studying, Stegall is serving as a member of the college’s Phi Theta Kappa chapter and says that the opportunity to attend the PTK International Convention is an experience that she will always remember. Stegall’s academic efforts have earned her a place on the Provost’s List as well as the President’s List each of the past two years. After graduation, she intends to transfer to Lynchburg College to continue her studies.
Stephanie Umphlette, 17, is an arts and sciences major at Rappahannock Community College. The Tappahannock student is maintaining a perfect 4.0 grade point average. Outside the classroom, Umphlette is the vice president of her college’s PTK chapter and a member of the Medical Reserve Corps. After graduating from RCC, she intends to transfer to Radford University and study chemistry.
At the luncheon honoring The Phi Theta Kappa "First Virginia Team," Mark Graham, chairman of the State Board for Community Colleges will be the guest speaker. Virginia Community Colleges Chancellor Glenn DuBois and individual community college presidents will name the top 10 students.
“These men and women are the best of our best. They are leaders today and we expect them to be the leaders of tomorrow,” said Glenn DuBois, “It’s not just their academic success that’s impressive, it’s also their willingness to participate in activities outside the classroom. They care about their community and they are investing themselves in making it better.”
Each member of the All-Virginia Academic Team will receive Phi Theta Kappa medallions and certificates at the luncheon. By being a state finalist, Phi Theta Kappa provides information on the students to four-year colleges and universities for potential scholarship opportunities. The students on the "First Virginia Team" also will receive a $500 scholarship from their college foundation.
For more information about the First Virginia Team and about the All-Virginia Academic Team, go to myfuture.vccs.edu/ptk.
About Virginia’s Community Colleges: Created more than 40 years ago, the VCCS is comprised of 23 community colleges located on 40 campuses across the commonwealth. Together, Virginia’s community colleges serve more than a quarter-million credit students each year. For more information, please visit myfuture.vccs.edu.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 15, 2008
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Jeffrey Kraus
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Public Relations
(804) 819-4949
jkraus@vccs.edu