The Community College President's Award is designed for transfer students who have leadership potential, are community-service oriented and have an excellent GPA.
Students are nominated by their community college’s president and receive a renewable full resident tuition award. (This award cannot combine with other waiver programs over the cost of tuition and fees.)
We accept nominations every year from:
- Centralia College
- Clark College
- Lower Columbia College
Contact your community college President’s Office for nomination information.
2021/22 recipients
Moses Korir
Clark College
Moses Kimeli Korir was born in Mount Elgon at the border of Kenya and Uganda. At age 10, he saw a piano for the first time and was inspired to teach himself how to play—an experience that led him to the teaching profession. He earned a diploma in early childhood education in Kenya before moving to the United States in December 2018. He received an associate’s degree in early childhood education at Clark College and is pursuing a bachelor’s in human development at WSU Vancouver. He hopes to go on for a master’s degree in education and work as a college or university instructor.
Kathleen Neuhalfen
Lower Columbia College
Kathleen Neuhalfen, known as Katie, grew up on an island in Southeast Alaska. She has wanted to work in medicine for as long as she can remember, but her plans for nursing school were derailed when she became a single mom. Years later, when two of her three children experienced complex health issues, she became immersed in the medical world and felt the calling to healthcare again. She enrolled in Lower Columbia College when her youngest son was 6 months old and graduated from the nursing program with highest honors in June 2021. Neuhalfen plans to go on for a Doctorate of Nursing Practice and become an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner with a focus on integrative and lifestyle medicine.
Friedrich Ross
Centralia College
When he found himself homeless in California, Friedrich Ross’s future looked bleak. He enrolled at Centralia College to take a beginning algebra class and get his GED so that he could join an apprenticeship program. Centralia was welcoming and helped him dream bigger. At Centralia, he dedicated himself to helping fellow students succeed academically. For example, he worked as a statistics tutor, started and served as president of the Data Science and Mathematics Club, founded a literary journal and joined the honor society. He earned several scholarships and the Outstanding Student Award for the 2020/21 academic year. Ross transferred to WSU Vancouver this year, where he is majoring in applied mathematics. He hopes to go on for a master’s degree in mathematics and work as a researcher on climate change and other environmental issues.
Prior award recipients
Recipient | College | Year |
---|---|---|
Evans Kaame | Clark College | 2020/21 |
Matt Rounsley | Centralia College | 2020/21 |
Tia Verhasselt | Lower Columbia College | 2020/21 |
Esmeralda “Vita” Blanco | Clark College | 2019/20 |
Josiah Cowin | Centralia College | 2019/20 |
Ashley Smith | Lower Columbia College | 2019/20 |
Heather Beaird | Centralia College | 2018/19 |
Clinton Howard | Lower Columbia College | 2018/19 |
Grace Moe | Clark College | 2018/19 |
Josiah J. Corwin | Centralia College | 2017/18 |
Nicholas Freese | Clark College | 2017/18 |
Andrew Jaspers | Lower Columbia College | 2017/18 |
Tanner Byman | Lower Columbia College | 2016/17 |
Elsa Gomez | Portland Community College | 2016/17 |
Bailey Peters | Centralia College | 2016/17 |
Nuvia Ramirez-Romero | Mt. Hood Community College | 2016/17 |
Holly Varner | Clark College | 2016/17 |
Cheyenne DeFrates | Lower Columbia College | 2015/16 |
Alseny Diallo | Portland Community College | 2015/16 |
Kathy Fockler | Clark College | 2015/16 |
Joscha Oswald | Centralia College | 2015/16 |
Skye Troy | Mt. Hood Community College | 2015/16 |
Yesenia Herrera | Portland Community College | 2014/15 |
Natasha Hambrook | Clark College | 2014/15 |
Beija Robbins | Mt. Hood Community College | 2014/15 |
Rashida Ullah | Centralia College | 2014/15 |
Anna Davis | Lower Columbia College | 2014/15 |
Momodou Musa Bah | Portland Community College | 2013/14 |
Ramona Vercher | Clark College | 2013/14 |
Brett Merritt | Lower Columbia College | 2013/14 |
Antonio Guerrero | Mt. Hood Community College | 2013/14 |
Travis Kinney | Centralia College | 2013/14 |
Hoa Le | Lower Columbia College | 2012/13 |
John Hoffman | Centralia College | 2012/13 |
Britany Martin | Portland Community College | 2012/13 |
Tami Eldridge | Clark College | 2012/13 |
Beatriz Madriz-Rodriguez | Mt. Hood Community College | 2012/13 |
Inva Begolli | Clark College | 2011/12 |
Nicole Buckner | Portland Community College | 2011/12 |
Margaret Debevec | Centralia College | 2011/12 |
Tia Glover | Mt. Hood Community College | 2011/12 |
Brian Jurvakainen | Lower Columbia College | 2011/12 |
Sheila Rae Henrickson | Clark College | 2010/11 |
Melissa Knudson | Lower Columbia College | 2010/11 |
George W. Lewis III | Mt. Hood Community College | 2010/11 |
Hanna Mekonen | Portland Community College | 2010/11 |
Daniel Morrison | Centralia College | 2010/11 |
Dora Hernandez | Clark College | 2009/10 |
Janine Johnston | Mt. Hood Community College | 2009/10 |
Golnaz Koloushani | Centralia College | 2009/10 |
Jeffrey Northington | Lower Columbia College | 2009/10 |
Henry Ortega | Portland Community College | 2009/10 |
Cynthia Bergman | Centralia College | 2008/09 |
Angela Dahlke | Lower Columbia College | 2008/09 |
Marneet Lewis | Portland Community College | 2008/09 |
Kenneth Nyholm | Clark College | 2008/09 |
Nicole Chittock | Lower Columbia College | 2007/08 |
Carol Lopez-Gustin | Clark College | 2007/08 |
Victor McBrooks | Portland Community College | 2007/08 |
Stanley Noga | Centralia College | 2007/08 |
Vanessa Brockman | Centralia College | 2006/07 |
Asalie Groff | Lower Columbia College | 2006/07 |
Pamela Sullivan | Clark College | 2006/07 |
Maria Cook | Centralia College | 2005/06 |
Sherry Murphy | Clark College | 2005/06 |
Steven Gresswell | Clark College | 2005/06 |
Jennifer McLean | Lower Columbia College | 2005/06 |
Veronica Ross | Portland Community College | 2005/06 |