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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (April 29, 2020)
EDUCATION Wednesday, april 29, 2020 HerMisTOnHerald.COM • A7 BMCC student named extraordinary community college student HerMisTOn Herald A Blue Mountain Com- munity College sophomore has been named one of Ore- gon’s four most extraordi- nary community college Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) students for 2020. Esgar Garcia Avila, a business student from Herm- iston, was selected for the honor out of more than 50 nominations of PTK students from all 17 of Oregon’s com- munity colleges. PTK is an international honor society for two-year colleges. The Oregon Commu- nity College Associa- tion bestows the honor among just four stu- dents from Garcia Avila across the state each year. The criteria used for selecting the top four stu- dents is based on academic excellence, leadership and community service while pursuing an associate’s degree. A committee of local college board members, col- lege presidents and associ- ation reviews nominations and makes the selections. “It was a difficult selec- tion as all of the students nominated for this recog- nition had impressive aca- demic credentials, leadership qualities and community service,” said OCCA Execu- tive Director Dr. Cam Preus in a congratulatory letter to the four students. “However, you all stood out as the most accomplished.” Besides being an honor student with a cumula- tive 3.8 GPA, Avila played the past two seasons as a defender on the men’s soccer team. Avila has served the past two years as a BMCC student ambassador, leading tours of prospective students and other visitors around campus, promoting the col- lege in the community, and visiting local high schools to talk about the benefits of being a student at BMCC. He also served as BMCC’s student representative on the OCCA Board. In addi- tion, Avila has held a work study job in the BMCC Col- lege Relations & Advance- ment Office, assisting with marketing and social media. “I am honored to receive such a high, prestigious award and to be representing BMCC,” he said. “I would like to thank my parents, fam- ily, and friends for believing in me so I can always keep pushing forward.” The OCCA has tradition- ally held a luncheon each spring in Salem to honor its outstanding students and allow students to speak about their educational journeys. However, with COVID-19 and social distancing mea- sures in place, the OCCA canceled the event, but still plans to celebrate later. Avila will graduate from BMCC in June with an asso- ciates degree in business, and plans to transfer to a four-year university in the fall. “The faculty and staff of Blue Mountain are very proud of Esgar and his extraordi- nary achievements,” said BMCC President Dennis Bailey-Fougnier. “He is not only smart, talented, and well-accomplished, but he is also one of the kindest indi- viduals I have met at BMCC. He is always the first in line to help with an activity or event, and he always has a smile on his face. This is a well-deserved honor.” CHAMBER MEMBERS: KEEP IT LOCAL If you would like to advertise on this Hermiston Chamber page - please contact: Jeanne Jewett at jjewett@hermistonherald.com or 541-564-4531
