I wanted to thank you for the $850 that paid for the outstanding balance of my tuition the Fall 2011 semester. You have given me the opportunity to stay enrolled in school in order to continue my education and actively apply to Universities for Fall 2012.
I want to assure you that I’m working hard to give back to Mesa Community College and the community. I’m currently serving as Psi-Beta president (the national honors society in psychology for community and junior colleges), a member of Phi-Theta Kappa, and the honors college. I have been an active advocate in increasing membership and student interest within all organizations.
I, as well as Psi-Beta, am actively involved in student government. We are dedicated to working together with other club groups and organizations to promote and support one another. One of our successes, from teaming up with other clubs, has been passing a bill for the homecoming dance. We see this as an opportunity for Mesa students to gather and get to know one another in a fun and safe environment. Also, we are currently working to preserve students social media rights. It’s our belief that if social media is restricted, students will spend less time on campus. This is not beneficial for students in many ways. The most important way being, it has been shown the less time students spend on campus then the less likely they are to complete their programs/degrees. Our goal is to keep students on campus and therefore active in school.
I’m also on student government’s president’s council. In council, club presidents gather to disburse information about up coming activities and receive updates on current events in senate. This has been a great liaison for informing Psi Beta club members about opportunities to get involved with student government, as well as other club groups and organizations.
Another interest that I’ve pursued is helping to create the “Honors Advisory Board”. A few honors students and I are working together with Dr. Hertzler, Dr. Learner, and Dr. Russel to create a peer mentorship program for new incoming honor students. Some of the Honors Board goals within the mentorship program are to promote self-efficacy, retention, and overall satisfaction of the community college experience. Another goal of this group has been to build a more cohesive relationship between the honors societies, especially Psi-Beta, Phi-Theta Kappa, and the Honors College.
Overall this semester has been an invaluable experience that I will take with me for all the years that follow. I feel so incredibly blessed to be surrounded, supported, and involved with so many wonderful and influential people. I thank you Maricopa Faculty Foundation for giving me the opportunity to continue my education and to build a promising future for myself.
Sincerely,
Crystal E. Pranke