HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges (PACCC) recently announced the 26th Annual All-Pennsylvania Academic Team. The honor recognizes an exceptional group of community college students who have achieved academic excellence and demonstrated a commitment to their colleges and communities. 

The 2020 awardees include three Reading Area Community College outstanding transfer scholars. Transfer students must have completed at least 36 credits at a community college and must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher to be considered for these awards. Workforce students must have a minimum of 12 college-level credit hours at a community college and a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher. 

The three Reading Area Community College scholarship winners are Ms. Valerie Mackey, Ms. Afaf Maslah (Coca-Cola New Century Workforce Pathway Scholar), and Ms. Emma Wright.

“We at Reading Area Community College applaud these outstanding student scholars on their terrific academic achievements,” says Dr. Susan D. Looney, president of Reading Area Community College. “By enrolling in high-quality educational programs, these students are building a foundation for a successful career while furthering their postsecondary study.”  

Pennsylvania’s community colleges partner with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) universities to provide scholarships to eligible All-PA Transfer Team members at PASSHE institutions, providing two years of tuition at any PASSHE school. 

Students nominated to the national All-USA Community College Academic Team are automatically named to the All-State Community College Academic Teams. The programs share common eligibility criteria, which includes enrollment at a community college, a minimum 3.5 grade point average, completion of a minimum of 36 college-level credits and being on track to receive an associate or bachelor’s degree. 

In Berks County, a grassroots effort is providing personal protective equipment (PPE) to workers who can’t stay home during the COVID19 pandemic. The Berks PPE Resource Network is a consortium of people at area organizations including hobbyists and engineers working to 3D print face shields. Reading Area Community College (RACC) is one of the organizations participating.

Working closely with the PPE Resource Network and American Polarizers, a Reading-based precision engineered optics company, the Schmidt Training and Technology Center (STTC) on the RACC campus, has been transformed into a temporary face shield manufacturing and assembly hub. Led by STTC Director Bonnie Spayed, the facility has been producing full face protective shields and 3D printed face shield brackets as quickly as they can. “We will shortly have produced close to 3,000 face shields that will immediately be used in the field by police and emergency responders. I am so proud to be a part of this group of people who have come together to get this done for our community. Our STTC staff has been very creative and resourceful in pulling all the pieces together and producing and assembling this gear for our local heroes who are working hard to keep us safe during this pandemic,” says Spayd.

According to PPE Resource Network organizer Ellen Albright, director of talent and workforce development at Greater Reading Chamber Alliance, the partners were wondering how to harness existing 3D-printing resources to produce PPE for front-line workers.

 “Instead of getting stuck in those questions — ‘How do we do that?’ or ‘What happens next?’ — we kept tapping this ad hoc committee that we had,” says Albright. “Take your piece of this and let’s run. Build the plane while you’re flying, because it’s not anything any of us had done before.”

It’s not only hospital workers who need the shields, though their PPE needs have understandably gotten the spotlight. According to Adelle Schade, a Network organizer and founder of the nonprofit Albright Science Research Institute, people like police officers, firefighters, Game Commission staffers, postal workers, grocery-store clerks, and even private-practice physicians have been going without face-shields while doing their essential jobs. The PPE Resource Network is fixing that.

Reading Area Community College student, and Phi Theta Kappa Vice President, Valerie Mackey, has been selected as a 2020 Phi Theta Kappa Guistwhite Scholar and will receive a $5,000 scholarship. Guistwhite Scholars are chosen based on academic achievement, leadership accomplishment, and engagement in Phi Theta Kappa programs. Fifteen Guistwhite recipients were selected by a panel of independent judges from more than 3,400 applicants this year.

Each Guistwhite Scholar is awarded a medallion and a $5,000 scholarship for their baccalaureate studies. Your student has received an email with details of the award. An accompanying press release is attached to be shared with your college’s public relations department. Winners were selected from among 3,400 applicants nationwide, and their selection was based on academic excellence, leadership accomplishments, and engagement in Phi Theta Kappa programs. They will also receive a commemorative medallion.

This is the second-highest scholarship offered by Phi Theta Kappa. It is named in honor of the late Margaret and Dr. Jack Guistwhite, who established the first transfer scholarship designated exclusively for Phi Theta Kappa members to Florida Atlantic University in 1975.

“What Dr. Guistwhite started 45 years ago has become a transformational force in the lives of PTK members and has resulted in more than 800 colleges and universities designating transfer scholarship for our students,” said Phi Theta Kappa’s President and CEO Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner. “It is fitting that we continue to honor our students who excel in scholarship and leadership as Guistwhite Scholars in celebration of Jack and Margaret.”

Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of students at associate degree-granting colleges and helping them to grow as scholars and leaders. The Society is made up of more than 3.5 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in 11 nations, with approximately 240,000 active members in the nation’s colleges. Learn more.

Reading, PA- Alpha Sigma Rho, Reading Area Community College’s Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Chapter, joined the PTK Middle States Regional Convention virtually on March 28. The Hallmark Awards, one of the major programs of PTK International, engages members to participate in activities which support the Society’s Hallmarks of Scholarship, Leadership, Service and Fellowship. Chapters submit reports on their work in several areas. These submissions are judged competitively and individuals, chapters and regions are recognized for their excellence in support of these hallmarks. Awards are given on both a regional and international level. The Middle States Region includes eighty chapters from Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C.

During the annual PTK Middle States Regional Convention, the chapter received several significant awards:

• Five Star Chapter
• REACH Chapter
• MSRGold Chapter
• Distinguished Chapter - #2 in the Region
• College Project - #5 in the Region
• Honors in Action - #1 in the Region
• Honors in Action - Highest in the Theme "Economies of Everything"

In addition to these chapter-based awards, the following individuals received awards:

• Distinguished Chapter Member - Emma Wright
• Hall of Honor - Carol Tapia and Aaron Valentine
• MSR Superhero - Valerie Mackey

To learn more about developing leadership potential through participation in Phi Theta Kappa programs at RACC, contact Danelle Bower.

Reading, PA - February 10, 2020 – Afaf Maslah a student at Reading Area Community College, has been named a 2020 New Century Workforce Scholar and will receive a $1,250 scholarship.

This scholarship is the first of its kind to support students at associate degree-granting institutions on a national scale as they plan to enter the workforce upon the completion of a degree or certificate. The program is sponsored by The Coca-Cola Foundation and Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.

“We believe education holds an extraordinary promise to change lives,” said Helen Smith Price, President, The Coca-Cola Foundation. “We hope that providing these college scholarships to deserving students will enable them to realize their full and unique potential.”

New Century Workforce Scholars are selected based on their academic accomplishments, leadership, activities, and how they extend their intellectual talents beyond the classroom. Over 2,200 students were nominated from more than 1,200 college campuses across the country. Only one New Century Workforce Scholar was selected from each state.

“We congratulate Afaf Maslah for receiving this prestigious scholarship, and we are honored to partner with The Coca-Cola Foundation to recognize her outstanding achievements,” said Phi Theta Kappa’s President and CEO Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner. “Scholarship programs like this are integral for creating opportunities for students to succeed as they prepare to enter the workforce and for putting college completion within reach.”

The New Century Workforce Scholars will be recognized during the Association of Community College Trustees’ (ACCT) Congress in Chicago, Illinois, in October.

About The Coca-Cola Foundation

The Coca-Cola Foundation is the global philanthropic arm of The Coca-Cola Company. Since its inception in 1984, the Foundation has awarded more than $1 billion in grants to support sustainable community initiatives around the world. For more information, please visit The Coca-Cola Foundation.

About Phi Theta Kappa

Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of students at associate degree-granting colleges and helping them to grow as scholars and leaders. The Society is made up of more than 3.5 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in 11 nations, with approximately 240,000 active members in the nation’s colleges. Learn more