Two students at GateWay Community College were recently named All-Arizona Academics for their outstanding academic achievements and community involvement.
Dorka Nsagane and Nannan Zhang, received acknowledgment for their achievement during the All-Arizona Academic Luncheon on Feb. 18. At the luncheon they received tuition waivers, which will cover in-state tuition at any of the three public Arizona universities.
Nsagane plans to use her tuition wavier at either Arizona State University or Northern Arizona University to earn a bachelor degree in Nursing.
She chose to pursue a career in nursing because of a long desire to care for others.
“I decided to pursue a degree in nursing because it is a rewarding career,” said Nsagane. “As a little child growing up in Nigeria, I have always had the need to care for my relatives and people around me.”
After moving to the United States, Nsagane discovered that nursing was the career path she wanted to take.
“I gained an insight into the nursing field and realized that nursing was truly the right profession for me after taking The Fundamentals of Healthcare delivery program course through Gateway Community College dual enrollment program,” Nsagane shared.
After her experience in the dual enrollment program at GateWay, Nsagane chose to study at GateWay to pursue her associate’s degree.
“I liked the services provided by Gateway’s instructors and staff members as well as the facilities that GateWay offers,” said Nsagane. “Words can’t truly express my experience at Gateway Community College, it has been incredible.”
While at GateWay, Nsagane has been involved in a variety of activities on campus, including the Prosper and Honors programs as well as in Phi Theta Kappa. She also has a job on campus in the Children’s Learning Center.
“It’s truly an amazing feeling for me to be selected as an All-Arizona Academic; I feel delighted,” Nsagane said.
"This is quite an honor for the chosen student, only two students are picked out of a large pool to represent GateWay,” Theresa Frimel, Honors Faculty Director, said. “These recipients are committed to academic excellence and community service."
Zhang feels as though being selected as an All-Arizona Academic has given her further inspiration to continue giving back to the people and places that have supported her in her educational goals.
“Getting a scholarship is crucial in my education path since it not only makes me recognize the fact that hard work truly pays off, but more importantly, it encourages me to step towards my future higher education and reach my academic goals,” Zhang shared. “This is also further inspiration to continue giving back to the people and places that supported me in my pursuits.”
Zhang has been a business student at GateWay and has transferred to ASU to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy at W.P. Carey School of Business then continue on to a master degree program.
“I always had an American education dream since I was a little girl,” Zhang said who moved to Arizona in 2012 from China.
As an international student, Zhang found GateWay to be a good entry point to pursue higher education.
“Gateway Community College offers variety of level of English Language classes which have been crucial for increasing my language skills to prepare me for my associate degree and future bachelors degree study,” she said. Zhang is from Inner Mongolia, China and she speaks Mandarin, Mongolian and English.
GateWay also provided smaller classes, which Zhang found important so she could have more time and attention with instructors, benefit from discussions with classmates, as well as grow as a student.
“The intimate learning environment offered me more chances to practice my public speaking ability by presenting personal speeches,” said Zhang.
While at GateWay, Zhang has served as Phi Theta Kappa’s President, been a member of the World Explorers Club and has been working as a tutor in the Learning Center on campus.
The minimum qualifications for All-Arizona Academic is a 3.5 GPA and be set to have 48 credit hours by the end of student’s second year. The scholarship is open to any student.