Clatsop Community College
1653 Jerome, Astoria OR 97103
For immediate release
Contact: Liz Hylton (503) 338-2507 or Debbie Kaspar (503) 338-2312
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Clatsop Community College Announces 2007 Outstanding Student Scholars

Clatsop Community College is proud to announce the Outstanding Student Scholars for 2007, Pat Haggard of Seaside and Jody Stephens of Astoria. Faculty and staff nominate students whom they believe are most outstanding in terms of excellence in the classroom, general intellectual curiosity, service to the college and their community and the ability to share their talents with others.

The two finalists will be honored with a trip to Salem in April, joining students selected by other state community colleges to have lunch with Governor Kulongoski. The governor will meet each scholar individually and present them with a plaque noting their academic accomplishments. They also receive $1,000 Oregon transfer scholarships and a chance for national recognition by becoming a member of the “All-USA Academic Team.”
Pat Haggard will finish his Associate of Arts, Oregon Transfer Degree requirements at Clatsop Community College next quarter and is currently admitted to Eastern Oregon University for a distance education Liberal Arts program. He is on the Dean’s List, a member of Phi Theta Kappa and has been nominated as a USA Today Scholar and an OCCA (Oregon Community College Association) Scholar.

Pat, who is a great grandfather, works full time as the network administrator for Clatsop Community College. In his spare time he enjoys being a ham radio operator and is a member of the Sunset Empire Amateur Radio Club.

“My ultimate goal is to earn a Master’s degree and teach. For me, a degree from Clatsop Community College is a waypoint on the path to my ultimate goal. I am not able to go away to a university because I’m work-bound, but having a community college here provided me the opportunity to prove to myself that I can succeed in college and progress toward my goal.”

Jody Stephens will graduate with an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice in June of 2007. She is the founder and current president of the Clatsop Community College Criminal Justice Club and a member of the Student Leadership Council. She has been on both the Honor Roll and Dean’s list, the National Dean’s List, an Academic All American, Oregon Sheriff’s Scholarship Recipient and Nation Scholarship Laureate Program participant. She is also a competitive ice hockey player and is traveling to South Africa to participate in the National Scholarship Laureate Program’s Delegation on Diplomacy.

Jody is the mother of an eight-year-old son named Liam and is married to a First Class Petty Officer in the US Coast Guard.

“I plan to continue my education. I hope to receive a bachelor’s degree in either Criminal Justice or Psychology. I will graduate with my Associate’s Degree in June, 2007 and transfer to a university in Fall, 2007. I do not know what school I will attend since my husband is being transferred again in July, 2007.”

The advisors of CCC’s Phi Theta Kappa student honor society, Liz Hylton and Debbie Kaspar, coordinate the Outstanding Student Scholar competition, which is sponsored by the Oregon Community College Association.

Clatsop Community College’s 2007 Outstanding Student Scholars are Jody Stephens of Astoria and Pat Haggard of Seaside.