Twelve notable alumni, employees and faculty members are being inducted into the Mesa Community College (MCC) Hall of Fame in recognition of their professional and personal accomplishments, and significant contributions to the college and the community.
The traditional induction ceremony, postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic, begins with a reception at 6pm Nov. 4, on the MCC Music building patio, 1833 W. Southern Avenue, Mesa 85202. The celebration is free and open to the public but RSVP is required. Ceremony and inductee details at mesacc.edu/ alumni/hall-fame.
The following are being honored during the traditional Hall of Fame ceremony:
• Alumni Achievement: Edward Buford, Shela Levante, Jeffrey M. Mendoza, Ph.D.; and, Mark David Milliron, Ph.D.
• Excellence in Teaching: Wynn Call, Ph.D.; Mona Scott Figueroa, Ed.D; and, Elizabeth (Betsy) Hertzler, E.D., M.A., M.C. Counseling
• Outstanding MCC Athlete: Rashad Arm- strong and Hakeem Rollins
• Outstanding Coach: Steve Jacobs
• Distinguished MCC Staff: Ken Costello and Jonathan Valpey
The Alumni Achievement honorees have each achieved distinguished levels in their chosen professions and were selected based on professional accomplishments such as lead- ership and impact, innovation, mentoring, awards and honors, as well as service and vol- unteerism.
The Excellence in Teaching category recognizes residential faculty members who, over a number of years, have distinguished themselves as exceeding expectations in their contribution to the classroom, the college, the Maricopa County Community College District, the profession, and the community. The African-American honorees include:
Mona Scott Figueroa, Ed.D., an award-winning professor and educational innovator advocating for indigenous and underrepresented communities, is among the Excellence in Teaching category. Dr. Figueroa is from Birdsprings on the Navajo Nation. She is Red Running into Water born for African Americans. Her maternal grandfather is of the Salt clan and her paternal grandfather is African American. Dr. Scott Figueroa’s maternal grandparents are Louise Curley and the late Harris Curley and her mother is Rene Scott.
This year’s Outstanding MCC Athlete honorees were chosen based on their contributions to sports while at MCC, including earning All-American honors as well as All-Conference and All-Region; helping teams to national honors and earning NJCAA All-Academic recognition; and for athletic accomplishments post MCC.
Rashad Armstrong is the 2001 NJCAA football Offensive Player of the Year who placed third in the nation in rushing yardage and earned athletic honors at Baylor University. Hakeem Rollins is the 2003 lead Arizona Community College Athletic Conference scorer, First Team all conference with the Washington Huskies and an international basketball player.