MESA, Arizona – Mesa Community College graduate Heather Smyth (Mesa), is one of ten students, out of more than 2,200 applicants, selected to receive a Phi Theta Kappa 2014 Hites Transfer Scholarship, to assist in the attainment of a baccalaureate degree.

Smyth will receive a medallion and a $7,500 scholarship to assist her pursuit of a career as an educational or counseling psychologist, continuing her studies at Arizona State University this fall. She is the second MCC Graduate to receive this honor.

“Heather is very deserving of this honor and support, said Duane Oakes, Faculty Director, MCC Center for Community & Civic Engagement. “A committed and very energetic member of the Omicron Beta chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, and the Psi Beta Psychology Honor Societies, her list of accomplishments include being a 2014 All-Arizona First Academic Team Scholar, 2014 Coca-Cola Community College Academic Team Gold Scholar and a recipient of the Chancellor’s Scholarship.”

The Hites Scholarship Program was made possible by donations and matching gifts from the Hites Family Community College Scholarship Foundation and donors to the Phi Theta Kappa Foundation. “When the Hites Foundation and Phi Theta Kappa joined together a few short years ago to take the initial steps toward establishing the endowment, none of us anticipated the severity of today’s economic challenges facing both students and colleges,” said Phi Theta Kappa’s Executive Director Dr. Rod Risley. “The Hites Transfer Scholarships are helping to meet a need that becomes more crucial every day – helping our students follow through on their commitment to complete by providing financial assistance to make earning a baccalaureate degree possible. We are grateful for our partnership, and we congratulate these 2014 Hites Transfer Scholarship recipients.”

Smyth is joined in this honor by fellow MCCCD graduate, Megan Oleno, from the Alpha Omicron Chi Chapter at Paradise Valley Community College.

The 2014 Hites Transfer Scholarship recipients are:

• Stacey Dawes, Mu Chi Chapter, Connors State College, OK
• Renee Duffy, Alpha Rho Delta Chapter, SUNY Ulster, NY
• Laura Edwards, Alpha Alpha Sigma Chapter, Howard Community College, MD
• Holly Highfill, Beta Gamma Upsilon Chapter, Santa Barbara City College, CA
• Megan Oleno, Alpha Omicron Chi Chapter, Paradise Valley Community College, AZ
• Halina Miho Rachelson, Omicron Tau Chapter, Miami Dade College, FL
• Donald Evans Rimel, Nu Zeta Chapter, State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota, FL
• Heather Smyth, Omicron Beta Chapter, Mesa Comm College, AZ
• Eric Torbellin, Omega Omega Chapter, Mountain View College, TX
• Jessie Warme, Alpha Nu Xi Chapter, College of the Canyons, CA

# # #

Contact
Dawn Zimmer (480) 461-7892, Dawn.Zimmer@mesacc.edu

About Mesa Community College
Mesa Community College provides outstanding transfer and career and technical programs, workforce development, and life-long learning opportunities to residents of the East Valley area of Phoenix, Arizona. MCC excels in teaching, learning and empowering its more than 40,000 students who attend annually to succeed in a local and global community.  Mesa Community College is one of ten colleges that comprise the Maricopa County Community College District. For additional information please visit http://www.mesacc.edu.

About Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society
Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, headquartered in Jackson, is the largest honor society in American higher education with more than 1,285 chapters on two-year and community college campuses in all 50 of the United States, Canada, Germany, Peru, the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the British Virgin Islands, the United Arab Emirates and U.S. territorial possessions. More than 2.5 million students have been inducted since its founding in 1918, with approximately 135,000 students inducted annually. Read more online at http://www.ptk.org

The Maricopa County Community College District is an EEO/AA institution and an
equal opportunity employer of protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.