Note: Updated on March 18, 2024 to include All-Arizona Academic Team rankings in the photo captions.

MESA, Arizona – Feb. 26, 2024 – Four academically exceptional Mesa Community College students, Charlotte Fornasiero, Matthew Skabelund, Jakobe Stevens and Isabel Rei Zann Wee, will be recognized for their outstanding accomplishments and brilliant leadership at the 2024 All-Arizona Academic Team Recognition Ceremony from noon-1:45 p.m. Feb. 28 at the Doubletree Hilton in Tempe.

“MCC is extremely proud to honor these four remarkably talented students,” said MCC Interim President Dr. Kimberly Britt. “They are each distinguished in their fields of study and poised to attain great success in their chosen careers and also impact their communities in powerful ways.”

The event, honoring 77 students from 19 community colleges across Arizona, will also be livestreamed on mesacc.edu/live. Event emcee is Ian Schwartz, morning meteorologist and reporter for KPHO-TV CBS 5 and KTVK-TV 3/AZFamily.com. Keynote speaker is Cordero Holmes, who spent more than 10 years in prison prior to becoming a 2022 All-Arizona Academic Team honoree and a recipient of a Coca-Cola Academic Team scholarship as a student at Rio Salado College. He is a 2023 recipient of the Martin Luther King, Jr. L

Living the Dream award presented by the City of Phoenix and is currently enrolled at Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University where he will graduate this year.

All-Arizona honorees demonstrate academic excellence and intellectual tenacity combined with leadership and service that expand their education beyond the classroom to benefit their communities and society. Each is working toward an associate’s degree, maintains a GPA of 3.5 or higher (4.0 scale) and is involved in campus and community volunteer activities.

Organizations such as Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), the international honor society of two-year colleges and academic programs, the American Association of Community Colleges, Arizona Community Colleges, the Arizona Board of Regents and Follett Higher Education Group help these extraordinary students reach their educational goals by awarding scholarships and issuing tuition waivers for Arizona’s three state universities: ASU, Northern Arizona University and University of Arizona.

Fornasiero, who is majoring in liberal arts and studies/general studies at the Southern and Dobson Campus, plans to transfer to ASU to earn a bachelor’s degree in

a biology-related field such as natural resource management/wildlife conservation followed by a master’s degree. Her career goal is to work in interpretive naturalism preferably for organizations like the National Forest Service.

Majoring in health-related professions at the Red Mountain Campus, Skabelund will transfer to ASU where he plans to major in kinesiology–in anticipation of entering a physical therapy program–for his bachelor’s degree and ultimately a clinical doctorate in physical therapy.

Stevens is majoring in biological and biomedical sciences, also at the Red Mountain Campus, and will transfer to ASU to earn a bachelor’s degree in neurobiology, physiology and behavior and a master’s degree in biological sciences. His career goal is to enter the workforce in the field of genetic counseling and later to become a naturopathic doctor in his own health and wellness center that focuses on medicine holistically and naturally.

Majoring in engineering at the Southern and Dobson Campus, Wee, an international student from Singapore, will transfer to UArizona to pursue a bachelor’s degree in engineering. She plans a career in industrial engineering.

All-Arizona Academic Teams are judged in three rounds. First-round judges consist of local businesses and civic, education and government leaders. The second and third round judging occurs in Washington, D.C. by representatives from federal agencies and national education associations. Scores from the national competition determine each state team’s rankings. First team members each receive a $1,000 scholarship, second team members are each awarded a $750 scholarship and third team members each get a $500 scholarship from their respective community college. Team rankings are anticipated later this spring.

All-Arizona Academic Team members are also eligible to be selected as one of 20 named to the All-USA Community College Academic Team, receiving an additional $5,000 scholarship, medallion, obelisk and certificate during the American Association of Community Colleges annual convention scheduled April 5-9 in Louisville, Kentucky.

To learn more about the All-Arizona program, visit azregents.edu/programs/all-arizona-academic-team.

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Media contact: Dawn Zimmer, dawn.zimmer@mesacc.edu, 480-461-7892

Mesa Community College is nationally recognized for university transfer, career and technical programs, civic engagement, service-learning and innovative approaches to education. On average MCC students provide 23,000 hours of community service annually. For more than 50 years, the college has served as a resource for education, workforce development and lifelong learning. Host to more than 25,400 students annually, MCC offers degree and certificate programs at its two campuses and additional locations through a combination of modalities. MCC is transforming how it champions student success through Guided Pathways with Integrated Support Services and a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. MCC is a Hispanic Serving Institution with nearly 50% of its students being the first in their families to attend college. MCC has the largest indigenous student population of all the Maricopa Community Colleges; its American Indian Institute serves students from the 22 federally recognized Arizona tribes as well as out-of-state tribes. The diverse student body includes hundreds of international students from around the world. Award-winning faculty are dedicated to student success, providing the education and training that empowers MCC students to attain their goals. Located in the East Valley of Phoenix, Arizona, on the traditional territories of the O'odham, Piipaash and Yavapai Peoples, MCC is one of 10 colleges in the Maricopa County Community College District. Visit mesacc.edu to learn more.

MCC is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), hlcommission.org.

The Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) is an EEO/AA institution and an equal opportunity employer of protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or national origin. A lack of English language skills will not be a barrier to admission and participation in the career and technical education programs of the District. MCCCD does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability or age in its programs or activities. For Title IX/504 concerns, call the following number to reach the appointed coordinator: (480) 731-8499. For additional information, as well as a listing of all coordinators within the Maricopa College system, visit www.maricopa.edu/non-discrimination.