Sera Tucker Contributing Writer
Pierce College staff and students gathered April 17 to honor the Distinguished Alumni Award winners of 2014 and to raise funds for school programs.
During the 18th annual celebration of Pierce College’s Distinguished Alumni, former students Dr. Kate Starbird, Natalie Mayer, Sheley Secrest, J.D., and Greg Brazell were honored. All with different backgrounds and career interests, they still shared similar stories of how Pierce College had helped them achieve their goals.
Each year, Pierce College selects former students that they believe will exemplify the skills that Pierce teaches its students, and that’s how they come to receive the award.
Greg Brazell, who is the Dean of the Early Childhood Education Department, said it was Pierce College that inspired him to teach others how to teach children efficiently.
Dr. Kate Starbird, who studies human behavior and computer science, recognized community college as an important step in transitioning from high school to college. She attended Pierce to prepare her for transferring to Stanford.
Former student Sheley Secrest said, “Pierce College gave me the opportunity to achieve my dreams.” It was attending Pierce that helped her decide to pursue law and channel her passion for defeating injustice into a career. She is now an advocate for the Alliance for Just Society and her children plan to attend Pierce College as well.
Natalie Mayer, who originally attended Pierce to work in the mental health field before switching to real estate, said that Pierce College helped her discover a new career path. “I always felt like they cared whether I was ‘getting it or not’,” Mayer said.
Former and current teachers were able to donate to allow Pierce to continue to enrich the lives of its students and help them achieve their life goals and dreams.
