Cengage, Phi Theta Kappa and American Association of Community Colleges Award $100K in Total Scholarships to Twenty of the Nation’s Top Community College Students

BOSTON and JACKSON, Miss. – April 20, 2022 – Twenty of the nation’s top college students have been named to the 2022 All-USA Academic Team and will each receive a $5,000 scholarship.

Students were selected for their intellectual rigor, academic achievement, leadership, and civic growth, and for extending their educational experiences to better themselves, their colleges, and their surrounding communities. These students were nominated by their colleges for the scholarship program.

The 2022 All-USA Academic Team is sponsored by education technology company Cengage, with additional support from Phi Theta Kappa and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). In addition to the scholarship, Team members receive a special medallion, and their college presidents receive a commemorative obelisk in recognition of their leadership. The All-USA Academic Team will be officially introduced and recognized during the American Association of Community Colleges’ convention, scheduled for Monday, May 2, 2022, in New York City.

“Community colleges play an important role in providing affordable education that helps students transition successfully to the workforce,” said Kevin Carlsten, Senior Vice President of the U.S. Higher Education Institutional Group at Cengage. “Unfortunately, community colleges felt the largest enrollment impact from the pandemic with a decline of nearly 15% in two years. We want to do all we can to support community college leaders and students with affordable access to quality education and are deeply inspired by the achievements of this year’s All-USA Academic Team, as prime examples of the power of learning.”

The All-USA program is widely recognized as the most prestigious academic honor for students seeking an associate degree or credential, and this year, more than 2,200 students were nominated for this award.

“The All-USA Academic Team represents the very best students from the nation’s two-year colleges,” said Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner, President and CEO of Phi Theta Kappa. “We are proud of their outstanding engagement both in the classroom and in their communities, and can’t wait to see the inspiring things they will do next. We thank Cengage for recognizing these student leaders and for investing in their futures.”

The members of the 2022 All-USA Academic Team are:

• Lucía Barberena, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MS)
• Jasmine Camille Brown, Georgia Highlands College (GA)
• Megan Capp, Rogue Community College (OR)
• Hannah Combs, Jefferson State Community College (AL)
• Brianna Cooley, Bossier Parish Community College (LA)
• Cheyenne Glass, Chipola College (FL)
• Carly Glassé, Orange County Community College (NY)
• Brianna Huynh, American River College (CA)
• Tanner Keck, Walters State Community College (TN)
• Frank Lee, Jefferson State Community College (AL)
• Edilawit Mehari, Cottey College (MS)
• Susana Piedrahita, Miami Dade College (FL)
• Halianna Piller, Pima Community College (AZ)
• Isaac Pope, Centralia College (WA)
• Sangeetha Punnam, Raritan Valley Community College (NJ)
• Benjamin Rawald, Lake Washington Institute of Technology (WA)
• Andrea Salazar Calderon, Pima Community College (AZ)
• Sydney Swedick, Schenectady County Community College (NY)
• Kyle Tan, Galveston College (TX)
• Anastasia Whitley, Thomas Nelson Community College (VA)