Cengage, Phi Theta Kappa and American Association of Community Colleges Award $100K in Total Scholarships to Twenty of the Nation's Top Community College Students

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Apr 20, 2022, 13:35 ET

Students Named to the All-USA Academic Team for Making a Difference in Their Communities

BOSTON and JACKSON, Miss., April 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Twenty of the nation's top college students have been named to the 2022 All-USA Academic Team and will each receive a $5,000 scholarship.

Students were selected for their intellectual rigor, academic achievement, leadership, and civic growth, and for extending their educational experiences to better themselves, their colleges, and their surrounding communities. These students were nominated by their colleges for the scholarship program.

Cengage, Phi Theta Kappa and the American Association of Community Colleges Honor Twenty of the Nation's Top Community College Students with Scholarships

The 2022 All-USA Academic Team is sponsored by education technology company Cengage, with additional support from Phi Theta Kappa and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). In addition to the scholarship, Team members receive a special medallion, and their college presidents receive a commemorative obelisk in recognition of their leadership. The All-USA Academic Team will be officially introduced and recognized during the American Association of Community Colleges' convention, scheduled for Monday, May 2, 2022, in New York City.

"Community colleges play an important role in providing affordable education that helps students transition successfully to the workforce," said Kevin Carlsten, Senior Vice President of the U.S. Higher Education Institutional Group at Cengage. "Unfortunately, community colleges felt the largest enrollment impact from the pandemic with a decline of nearly 15% in two years. We want to do all we can to support community college leaders and students with affordable access to quality education and are deeply inspired by the achievements of this year's All-USA Academic Team, as prime examples of the power of learning."

The All-USA program is widely recognized as the most prestigious academic honor for students seeking an associate degree or credential, and this year, more than 2,200 students were nominated for this award.

"The All-USA Academic Team represents the very best students from the nation's two-year colleges," said Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner, President and CEO of Phi Theta Kappa. "We are proud of their outstanding engagement both in the classroom and in their communities, and can't wait to see the inspiring things they will do next. We thank Cengage for recognizing these student leaders and for investing in their futures."

The members of the 2022 All-USA Academic Team are:

• Lucía Barberena, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MS)	• Edilawit Mehari, Cottey College (MS)
• Jasmine Camille Brown, Georgia Highlands College (GA)	• Susana Piedrahita, Miami Dade College (FL)
• Megan Capp, Rogue Community College (OR)	• Halianna Piller, Pima Community College (AZ)
• Hannah Combs, Jefferson State Community College (AL)	• Isaac Pope, Centralia College (WA)
• Brianna Cooley, Bossier Parish Community College (LA)	• Sangeetha Punnam, Raritan Valley Community College (NJ)
• Cheyenne Glass, Chipola College (FL)	• Benjamin Rawald, Lake Washington Institute of Technology (WA)
• Carly Glassé, Orange County Community College (NY)	• Andrea Salazar Calderon, Pima Community College (AZ)
• Brianna Huynh, American River College (CA)	• Sydney Swedick, Schenectady County Community College (NY)
• Tanner Keck, Walters State Community College (TN)	• Kyle Tan, Galveston College (TX)
• Frank Lee, Jefferson State Community College (AL)	• Anastasia Whitley, Thomas Nelson Community College (VA)

To learn more about each student and their accomplishments, click here.

To learn more about the All-USA Academic Scholarship, click here.

About Cengage

Cengage, the U.S. Higher Education business of global education technology company Cengage Group, serves millions of instructors, learners, and institutions. Cengage delivers affordable, high-quality digital products and personalized support to power learning individually and at scale. Cengage's customer-centered approach enables innovation, including Cengage Unlimited, the first and only all-access digital subscription for textbooks and course materials. Cengage's textbooks, homework tools, and flagship online learning platforms, MindTap and WebAssign, help educators and students achieve their goals. Visit Cengage at www.cengage.com/institutions or on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter.

About the American Association of Community Colleges

The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) is the primary advocacy organization for the nation's community colleges. The association represents more than 1,100 two-year, associate degree-granting institutions and more than 12 million students.

About Phi Theta Kappa

Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of students at associate degree-granting colleges and helping them to grow as scholars and leaders. The Society is made up of more than 3.8 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in 10 countries, with approximately 240,000 active members in the nation's colleges. Learn more at ptk.org.

CONTACT:
Kristina Massari
[email protected]

SOURCE Cengage Group