CCCCD student Bizu Ejigu was selected as one of two recipients of the highly competitive Association of College Unions International (ACUI) Region 12 Student Scholarship. Ejigu will receive a $400 scholarship and will attend the regional conference.

Shelley Meggersee, a student in the Applied Graphic Design Technology program, was accepted to the prestigious Kent College of Art and Design in England.

The Student Leadership Academy kicked off its second year this fall with 25 students from throughout Collin County.

The SLA is a rigorous leadership experience unique to Collin County Community College. It is the only such academy among community colleges in Texas. The academy is modeled after the Leadership Plano, Leadership Frisco, Leadership Allen and Citizenship McKinney prototypes. It is facilitated by Dr. Debra St. John, a CCCCD political science professor, and Diana Sage, speech professor.

The college salutes the Student Leadership Academy class of 2004: Przemek Cala of Allen; Michelle Petersen of Dallas; Joanna Haddad of Farmersville; Michael Kunen of Fairview; Jeffrey Speight of Frisco; Sydney Portilla-Diggs and Phillipus Strydom of Garland; Shaun Henry of Pilot Point; Sherlyn Baker, Nicole Barbour, Natalie Davis, Michelle Deja, Juan Gallera, Shadan Kishi, Matthew Rodgers, Elizabeth Sansom, Gregory Sherp, Gary Skoblionok, and Heather Sorensen of Plano; John Huber, James Ogden, Brad Ratliff and Evelin Rincon of McKinney; Rickey Lummus of Van Alstyne; and Teri Kisamore of Wylie.

The Student Leadership Academy awarded $500 scholarships in the names of Harvey Fishero, CEO of Medical Center of Plano and Mark Wallace, Fire Chief of the city of McKinney for their leadership and service to the community. Texas State Senator Florence Shapiro, one of the first SLA honorees who helped launch the inaugural academy, presented two scholarships she sponsored. This year, the academy added a new scholarship honoring Dr. Debra St. John, who was instrumental in the success of the inaugural academy.

Student scholarship recipients include: Juan Gallera, who received the Mark Wallace Leadership Scholarship; James Ogden, who received the Dr. Debra St. John Student Leadership Academy scholarship; Phillipus Strydom, who received the Harvey Fishero Leadership Scholarship; and Sydney Portilla-Diggs and Matthew Rodgers, both of whom received the Senator Florence Shapiro Leadership Scholarship.