Winona Post: MSC SE students named to All-MN Academic Team
Published May 25, 2022 at winonapost.com
In April, two Minnesota State College Southeast students, Samantha Smith and Jacob Montoya, were recognized for their academic success at the Phi Theta Kappa All-Minnesota Academic Team Awards ceremony, held at the University of Minnesota.
Red Wing campus student Samantha Smith was named to both the All-Minnesota Academic Team and Coca-Cola's 2022 Academic Team as a Silver Scholar. She will receive a $1,250 scholarship. She has served as president of Red Wing Student Senate, is a member of Phi Theta Kappa, and been involved with a myriad of service projects on the Red Wing campus. Samantha will graduate at the end of Fall semester 2022 with three associate degrees: Pre-Social Work Transfer Pathway AS, Psychology Transfer Pathway AA, and Sociology Transfer Pathway AA. She is registering at Winona State University to work on a bachelor's degree and is becoming a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC).
Winona campus student Jacob Montoya was named to the All-Minnesota Academic Team and received a 2022 New Century Workforce Pathway Scholarship. He will receive a $1,250 scholarship, sponsored by the Coca-Cola Foundation with additional support provided by Phi Theta Kappa. Only 52 of these national scholarships are awarded each year. His selection was based on the score he earned in the All-USA Academic Team competition, for which more than 2,000 applications were received. Jacob was the top scoring student from Minnesota. He will graduate this spring with high honors, earning both a diploma in Electromechanical Technology and an Associate of Applied science degree in Mechatronics Technology.
"We are very proud of these students for their commitment to academic success and service to the community," said Dr. Marsha Danielson, President of Minnesota State College Southeast. "Not only do these scholarships provide financial support, they also validate the excellent work Samantha and Jacob have done at MSC Southeast."
"Previous All-Minnesota Academic Team nominees have gone on to do great things after their Southeast experience. Our PTK students have been awarded partial and full ride scholarships, A NASA internship at Cape Canaveral, and acceptance to Colombia University," said history instructor Chris Stout, who serves as the college's PTK advisor. "We expect great things in the future for Samantha and Jacob!"
The All-State Academic Team was introduced in 1994 to honor and recognize two-year college students for their leadership, academic achievement, and community and college service. These awards provide scholarships and scholastic recognition to Phi Theta Kappa members while promoting excellence at two-year colleges. The program is sponsored by Cengage with additional support provided by the American Association of Community Colleges and Phi Theta Kappa.
Minnesota's public community and technical colleges are proud to be part of a tradition that showcases the high achievements of students who are committed to success in the classroom and service to their communities. By recognizing these students, Minnesota demonstrates a commitment to scholarship and community service as essential objectives in the state's public community and technical colleges.
Phi Theta Kappa is the international honor society for two-year colleges. Its mission is to recognize and encourage the academic achievement of two-year college students. The organization provides opportunities for individual growth and development through participation in honors, leadership, service, and fellowship programming.