In recognition of their high academic achievements, four Pierce College students were recently named to the 2019 All-Washington Academic Team. Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year colleges, introduced the All-USA Academic Team to honor students for their scholastic achievement and community service efforts.
The students who comprise the All-Washington Academic Team reflect the diversity of the state, maintain high standards of excellence and contribute positively to the community.
Pierce College Fort Steilacoom has selected Marissa Baltadonis and Jessica Crowe. Pierce College Puyallup has selected Annika Asling and Phuong Do.
Pierce College Fort Steilacoom
Marissa Baltadonis
Marissa Baltadonis is driven to succeed now more than ever. With a family member struggling with substance abuse, Baltadonis is using this experience as motivation to pursue a degree that will allow her to help people overcome addiction. She is pursuing a degree in business and hopes to one day work in an organization that helps troubled individuals and families in their time of need. She is already making an impact on the community by turning her own hobby of bargain shopping and couponing into a chance to make sizable donations of food and toiletries to local homeless shelters.
Jessica Crowe
Jessica Crowe has spent the past 10 years focusing on her family and raising her two sons, putting her education on the back burner. Now that her children are older, she is ready to pursue a degree at Pierce College before continuing on to one day earn her doctorate and work in biology, genetics research and rehabilitation. In the little spare time she has, she also serves as an Army Reserve medic with required monthly training commitments.
Pierce College Puyallup
Annika Asling
Annika Asling always knew she wanted to make a difference in the world and spend her life helping others. It seemed like a natural fit to pursue a degree in nursing, but the program proved to be much more difficult than what she had expected. After struggling through the program during her second quarter, Asling wasn’t sure it was the right field for her. After careful consideration, she persevered and pursued her chosen career of nursing. She is now committed more than ever to succeeding, and plans to continue on to earn her bachelor’s degree in nursing.
Phuong Do
As an international student from Vietnam, Phuong Do understands how fortunate she is to have the opportunity to study in the United States. Many students in Vietnam are not as lucky as she is, and she is making it her mission to create more opportunities for students hoping to study abroad. She and a group of fellow international students created a nonprofit organization to help more students follow their dreams and study in the United States. Through this experience, she discovered her love of marketing, and plans to continue her education and earn her bachelor’s degree as a way to further promote the mission of the organization.
Reprinted, with permission, from the Pierce College website.