By JENNIFER LANE
Pima Post
Just as professional athletes can sign a letter of intent to commit to a team, students can do the same for academic programs at Pima Community College.
On April 20, more than 500 students have registered to sign a letter of intent to complete a degree or certificate program at PCC.
If you go…
What: NC3 National Letter of Intent Signing Day
Where: Downtown Campus, Advanced Manufacturing Building, 1255 N. Stone Ave.
When: April 20
Check-in for students starts at 8:30 a.m.
Signing Day begins at 9:30 a.m.
Focus on Your Future begins at 10:30 a.m.
After students sign, they will don baseball caps and celebrate the intention of completing an academic goal with other students.
The event will be held in the Advanced Manufacturing Building at the Downtown Campus.
Gayle Bell, executive assistant to the chief of staff at PCC, is the lead organizer of the event.
She said the event “provides incoming students the opportunity to be a part of the Pima family and show them we want them here and that we are here for them.”
The signing students will share a room with representatives from many of PCC academic programs and over 100 local businesses. Representatives can answer questions about their academic programs and employers from local businesses can discuss career choices.
Signing Day has been combined with Focus on your Future, which helps students plan for a fulfilling career.
“Some employers will be offering internships, apprenticeship opportunities and even possibly recruiting for open positions at their business,” Bell said.
Jamie Carpenter, Learning and Development Specialist at Tucson Electric Power, oversees the TEP apprenticeship program.
“The event is a great opportunity to promote highly skilled trades and technical careers at TEP,” Carpenter said. “As an industry partner, we value our relationship with Pima Community College and the support they have provided.”
Signing up for what you want to study at PCC, possibly meeting a future employer, getting a cool baseball cap and a free lunch are just some of the things that will be offered at the event.
The Pima Foundation is providing 14 opportunities for students to win $500. These winnings may be used on the students’ greatest needs, whether it be a utility bill, rent or food.
3M, an American multinational conglomerate, has also provided $1,000 scholarships, of which 21 of PCC’s students have been chosen. PCC staff and faculty submitted the qualifying criteria with a supporting paragraph on why their student deserved to be chosen. PCC received almost half of these available scholarships.
Students will also get a “hands-on” feel for what some of the programs offer. Participants can see a semi-truck, an ambulance, a police vehicle, the laparoscopic simulator and instruments, a 3D printer and a Cyber Security hands-on student lab.
Every year since 2015, PCC has been hosting NC3 National Letter of Intent Signing Day. Over 2,000 students have committed to completing programs at Pima.
The Advanced Manufacturing (AM) Building is West of the Downtown Campus, off North Queen Avenue. If you are heading West on Speedway, turn North onto North Queen Avenue, pass the stop sign, and the AM Building will be on your right-hand side. You can also park in the Downtown Campus parking lot off Stone Avenue and walk back to the AM building.