Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Scholars love to volunteer

Photos and story by James Hill

Hard work and academic success have paid off for a select group of PCC students. Six students are being recognized as Oregon Outstanding Community College Student Scholars for academic and personal accomplishment. This is the 14th year of the event, which is sponsored by the Oregon Community College Association.

At the Cascade Campus, Shanta Anderson is a 30-year-old student in the Alcohol and Drug Counseling program and has earned a 3.8 grade-point average. Anderson has also been selected as a New Century Scholar, the first ever at PCC. The New Century Scholars program is an extension of the ALL-USA Academic Team, which selects one student to represent the state at the American Association of Community Colleges annual convention.

She is heavily involved at the Cascade Campus and Southeast Center, working on the student advisory board for the Women’s Resource Center. Anderson, who is also on the President’s List, founded the Women’s Resource Center at the Southeast Center and is a campus alert network organizer for the National Organization for Women (NOW).

“I am the first in my family to attend college,” said Anderson. “I grew up with separated parents who were both addicts and alcoholics. I have refused to follow their footsteps. I have been honored with people throughout each stage of my life to positively guide and mentor me. I am setting an example not only for my children, but inspiring those who have known me and those whom I meet along the way.”

Anderson is also involved in the community. She is a volunteer at the Yamhill County Prevention Program, Cook Elementary School in McMinnville and is an intern at Lifeworks NW as a youth addictions counselor. She plans to go on and get her four-year degree at Concordia University.

Also at Cascade, Chris Churchill is a 26-year-old student in the engineering program and sports a 3.92 GPA. A member of Phi Theta Kappa and a regular on the President’s List, Churchill is a single-parent who balances work with school as well as volunteer work at Llewellyn Elementary School. He plans to move on and study civil engineering at Portland State University.

“It wasn’t until I started at PCC that I learned more about what my strengths are and set my goals in the field of engineering,” Churchill said. “College is a place for me to discover who I am and how I can contribute to the place where I was born and raised. After finishing my schooling, I want to take part in the progress of the city of Portland.”

At the Sylvania Campus, Nelli Teyse is a 22 year-old student from Germany who is a political science major with a 3.76 GPA. The Phi Theta Kappa member regularly volunteers at Russian Oregon Social Services and has made the President’s and Dean’s lists. She is a PCC Foundation and Lou Gandy Humanities scholarship recipient. Born in Kazakhstan, Teyse plans to go on and attend either Portland State or Lewis and Clark College. “My plan for the future is to be a lawyer,” Teyse said.

Related Pages:

Oregon Community College Association