Cincinnati State students win top honors
March 17, 2009
Two students at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College have been awarded top honors in the 2009 All-USA Academic Team competition.
Mary Conner, a Fairfield resident and a second-year student at Cincinnati State, was named a Silver Scholar in the national competition. She was also one of 10 students in Ohio named to the First Team of the All-Ohio Academic Team.
Conner will receive a $1,250 prize, along with a silver medallion, during ceremonies next month.
Another Cincinnati State honors student, Meghan Coil of Northside, was named to the All-Ohio Academic Team’s Second Team.
The All-USA Academic Team competition for community college students is sponsored by USA Today, the Coca Cola Scholars Foundation and Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society. This year, 60 students were named to the All-USA Community College “Gold,’’ “Silver’’ and “Bronze’’ teams.
Conner’s awards reflect her work both inside the classroom and outside the school.
A biology major at Cincinnati state, she plans to pursue advanced degrees in physical therapy upon graduation. Given her superior grades here, and her successful part6icipation in the Cincinnati State Honors Experience, she should have a smooth transition.
But Conner’s award reflects more than academic achievement. It is also a salute to her community involvement.
As a first-year student at Cincinnati State during 2007, Conner was a midfielder for the Cincinnati State Women’s Surge soccer team. During the 2008 season, she traded in her player’s uniform for a coach’s whistle, and became head coach of a fledgling soccer team at her alma mater, Immaculate Conception Academy in Norwood. It was a tough assignment. Immaculate Conception is a tiny school, and Conner and her assistants were asked to lead a team of 7th to 12 graders that counted just five players who had ever played before on an organized team. In that light, the team’s 1-5 season in 2008 was a smashing success.
Conner’s community activities also extend to her church, as well as the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Association’s disaster preparedness seminars and an “Adopt a Family for Christmas’’ program.
Coil, the other 2009 Academic All-American from Cincinnati State, already holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Denison University and has substantial experience as a violin instructor in the region’s highly-regarded Suzuki program, which trains parents as well as students to play musical instruments. Coil was drawn to Cincinnati State by its Midwest Culinary Institute, where she is pursuing a special interest in nutrition and sustainability.
On campus she is active in Cincinnati State’s Surge Green Committee, particularly with waste management and transportation initiatives. She is also a member of the student chapter of the American Culinary Federation, and works at The Summit, the fine-dining restaurant on the Cincinnati State campus.
Away from school, Coil is a mentor for the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative.
Another of her community activities – and the focus of her essay in the All-USA Academic Team competition – revolves around a cooperative venture near her home in Northside. Known as the MoBo Bicycle Cooperative, it is a volunteer-run non-profit aimed not only at promoting two-wheeled, human-powered transportation but also training adults and children to assemble and maintain their own bicycles. To that end, MoBo offers space where members, for a nominal cost, can work on their bikes and get help (including parts and use of tools) from expert mechanics.
About Cincinnati State
Cincinnati State offers more than 100 associate’s degree programs, majors, and certificate programs in the following academic divisions: Business Technologies, Center for Innovative Technologies, Health and Public Safety, Humanities and Sciences. About 8,700 students were enrolled at the College in the winter 2009 term. Annually more than 15,000 students enroll in Cincinnati State courses, which are offered in the day, evening, and on weekends.
Cincinnati State has the largest co-op program among two-year colleges in the U.S.
