Features

Catherine Ripley: The Newest Member on PCC’s Board of Governors
Features, Politics

Catherine Ripley: The Newest Member on PCC’s Board of Governors

Pima Community College Governing Board member Catherine Ripley By Kyler Van Vliet Catherine Ripley has spent her life traversing the world working as a U.S. diplomat, counter-terrorism strategist, professor and – for a few months – as a bassist. This January, Ripley started her new career as a member of the Pima Community College Board of Governors, representing District 1 in Arizona.  She won the general election last November in 2020 against Ethan Orr with a campaign focused on increasing enrollment through formal partnerships with local High Schools, the JTED Program and the Earn to Learn Programs.   Like most universities and colleges, Pima’s enrollment rate is down. According to The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, college enrollment declined ...
La Vida Real Detrás de Tus Mentores
Features

La Vida Real Detrás de Tus Mentores

By Mara Durán Poco sabemos sobre la vida de los maestros de Pima Community College (PCC). No nos detenemos a pensar en quienes son, ni cómo han logrado llegar a donde están, lo que sí es un hecho es que todas las personas son el resultado de un bagaje cultural que podemos conocer para enriquecernos a través de sus experiencias, llenas de lucha, crecimiento e inspiración.  Les presento a Guadalupe Annette Cruikshank, su familia y amigos la conocen como Lupita, pero en su trabajo todos le dicen Guadalupe. Es una mujer profesionista, dinámica, amable, agradecida con la vida, maestra de español y traducción en PCC desde el año de 1998.  Un dato muy significativo es que egresó de Pima. Guadalupe recuerda haber tenido experiencias que enriquecieron su aprendizaje, menciona que sus maestros y c...
Successful Pima Coach Rebekah Quiroz “Hit the Dirt” and “Never Looked Back”
Features, Sports

Successful Pima Coach Rebekah Quiroz “Hit the Dirt” and “Never Looked Back”

Originally posted to allsportstucson.com By Kevin Murphy Pima Community College head softball coach Rebekah Quiroz is in her third season at the helm and is poised to write the next chapter in an already illustrious softball career. During legendary softball runs in high school, college, and in the professional ranks, Rebekah has been blessed to play for three legendary coaches: her father Armando Quiroz, Stacy Iveson and Mike Candrea. She also played on teams with the likes of softball greats Nancy Evans and Jenny Finch. In 2018, after storybook playing and coaching career, Rebekah was hired as Pima’s head softball coach, replacing her father Armando after he retired. At the outset of the 2021 season, Quiroz reflects on the softball experiences that got her to where she is and her expe...
Pandemic Playbook: Santa Cruz River Park Disc Golf Course
Features, Stomping Grounds

Pandemic Playbook: Santa Cruz River Park Disc Golf Course

By Kevin Murphy The clean and crisp desert air, the jingle of the chains, the audible yelling and laughter in the distance: this is what playing a round of disc golf at the Santa Cruz River Park Disc Golf Course is like. For those not in the know: disc golf - or frisbee golf - is like the game of golf, except instead of golf balls being shot with a club towards holes in the ground, frisbees are thrown from a concrete tee pad toward above ground baskets installed on the course.  Like regular golf, each basket is still called a hole. It is a game of skill, played solo, in pairs, or in groups, where the true opponents are yourself and the elements. Nestled within Santa Cruz River Park in the El Rio Acres neighborhood near Speedway and I-10, this hidden treasure, established in 1978, is freq...
Career Café: Cover Letters and Coffee
Features, News

Career Café: Cover Letters and Coffee

By Kevin Murphy Career Café is a free event available to all Pima Community College students that offers career resources and career advice.  The event started in 2013, and this year is being held virtually due to Covid-19 safety protocols. It will cover subjects like resume review, professional interviewing, cover letter tips, and career resources. Though the event is virtual this year, prizes will still be awarded, and the coffee will be sent to students in the mail. First Year Experience program developer Renee Forsyth oversees the event. “The purpose of Career Café is to teach the students job skills and career navigation,” Forsyth said. “So what we found was that the college was hosting these different career fairs and mock interviews, and the students weren't even ready with that...
Teaching Seven Year Olds Over the Internet: How Hard Could It Be?
Features

Teaching Seven Year Olds Over the Internet: How Hard Could It Be?

By Kyler Van Vliet Remote learning has proven to be a real learning curve for both the college student and professor, but perhaps the true struggle lies with the job of trying to manage the education of 22 six and seven year-olds.   Jana Schubert of Blenman Elementary School is a first-grade teacher who has been adapting to remote learning since the fourth quarter of the 2019-20 school year.  Schubert, 58, spent the bulk of her 21-year career teaching at White Elementary before moving to Blenman two years ago.  For the past year, her and her peers have been on the frontlines of educating elementary students through remote learning, guiding curriculum from home. Schubert stressed how difficult the year has been for not only herself and the staff, but also for the students. She said that ...
Ed Doran: Student Success Guru
Features

Ed Doran: Student Success Guru

By Kevin Murphy If you are looking for ideas on what it takes to be successful in college and beyond, Ed Doran holds the keys. Doran recently retired from his full time duties after 20 years at PCC.  He spent the last 10 years of his career as an educational support counselor at the Downtown campus, and remains an adjunct instructor for the STU 210 University Transfer Strategies course, which helps students make the transition from PCC to a university.  Amy Davis, who works at the department for student success courses at Pima Community College, has nothing but good things to say about Doran. “Ed is a wonderful Student Success faculty member who cares deeply about his students' success in his courses and in their lives,” says Davis. “ He recognizes that Student Success courses are about ...
What Disneyland Means to Me (And Why I Miss It)
Features, Opinion

What Disneyland Means to Me (And Why I Miss It)

By Alexandria Austin Disneyland has closed only three times since it first opened its gates July 17, 1955. The first was on November 24, 1963, the day after the assassination of JFK. The second was on September 11, 2001, when tragedy struck NYC. On both occasions the park was closed for one day. Currently, Disneyland has now been closed for just over eleven months.  In my world, Disneyland is not an amusement park with too long lines and inflated ticket prices. It is a place woven into the very story of my life. It has been a part of my life story from the time I can remember, From the time I was just little, Disneyland was an event! It was birthdays with my big brother and family, ticketbook in hand, anticipating what E ticket attraction to ride first. My childhood is filled with the m...
Q&A with Los Angeles Charges wide receiver and Pima alum Jeff Cotton
Features, Sports

Q&A with Los Angeles Charges wide receiver and Pima alum Jeff Cotton

Photo by Andy Morales (All Sports Tucson) By Troy Hutchison Millions of kids grow up dreaming of playing in the NFL and becoming stars like their favorite players that they see on television. However, chances of achieving this are slim, as according to the NCAA, only 3.8 percent of college football players make it to the next level. Former Mountain View and Pima Community College (PCC) player Jeff Cotton is closer to making that dream a reality as a practice squad player for the Los Angeles Chargers. While at PCC he was coached by current Athletic Director (AD) Jim Monaco from 2015 to 2017 before the football program got shut down in 2018. Cotton then moved on to Idaho for his final two years of college football, where he established himself as a top target racking in 1,141 yards on 137 ...
Food Review: Tacos y Hot Dogs El Giro
Features, Stomping Grounds

Food Review: Tacos y Hot Dogs El Giro

By Lanissa Patterson It is not always easy to find cuisine cooked with passion and knowledge at an affordable price, but in Tucson there is Tacos y Hot Dogs El Giro. Tacos y Hot Dogs El Giro is a food truck located on the corner of Golf Links and Harrison, right in front of Walgreens. According to cashier Daisy Palacios, it originates from the local restaurant chain Taco Giro, which serves the Tucson and Sierra Vista area. The food truck is open from 7am-8pm Tuesday through Sunday, and closes early at 4pm on Monday. Working in a food truck is not easy work according to Palacios. “It’s very different from other jobs,” she said. “On special days [when we serve specific items] it is very stressful”. Tacos y Hot Dogs el Giro offers Taco Tuesdays, when you can get tacos for only 99 cents ea...