INDIANAPOLIS – Forty-three students from Ivy Tech Community College campuses across the state were named to this year’s All-Indiana Academic Team for Community and Junior Colleges.  The academic competition, which scores students on academic honors, activities including leadership and work experience, and an essay, is sponsored by Phi Theta Kappa, an international honor society for two-year colleges, USA TODAY, and the American Association of Community Colleges.

Phi Theta Kappa developed the All-State Academic Team program in 1994 as a component of the All-USA Team for Community and Junior Colleges Competition.  The All-Indiana Academic Team was first recognized in 1995.

Amy Mutz, a student at Ivy Tech’s Southwest Region, was the highest scoring applicant and was named the New Century Scholar.  She will receive a $2,000 scholarship from the Coca-Cola Foundation and is honored at the annual American Association of Community Colleges convention. The New Century Scholars Program is also sponsored by the American Association of Community Colleges and Phi Theta Kappa.  Mutz is studying Human Services with a career goal of earning a Master’s of Social Work and working in the field of Hospice Care or as a clinical therapist with adolescents and young adults.  She serves as the president of her campus’ chapter of Phi Theta Kappa.  She is also a member of the Human Services Club and a graduate of the Ivy Tech Student Leadership Academy.  She volunteers with a YWCA afterschool program and Hospice.

Each year the Coca-Cola Foundation sponsors the Coca-Cola Community College Academic Team. Nationally 50 students are named Gold Scholars, 50 are named Silver Scholars and 50 are named Bronze Scholars.  This year a student from Ivy Tech Community College, Lauren Espique, was named a Silver Scholar on the Coca-Cola Community College Academic Team.  She will receive a $1,250 scholarship. Espique is studying molecular biology at Ivy Tech’s Central Indiana region.  Her career goal is to become an interventional cardiologist.  She is a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the secretary of the Honor’s Council, a note-taker for the Disability Services Office, and a Student Ambassador for the Admissions Department.

OneAmerica also awards scholarships to the highest scoring All-USA applicants in Indiana who are not New Century Scholars. Jenna Yeakley, a student at Ivy Tech’s Logansport campus, and Albert Penny, a student at Ivy Tech’s Lawrenceburg campus, were named the 2016 OneAmerica Scholars.  Each student will receive a $750 scholarship.  Yeakley is a nursing student and plans to pursue a career as a registered nurse.  Penny is a general studies student who plans to become an advocate for those who have a mental illness and/or substance abuse issues and would like to become a professor at Ivy Tech Community College.

The following additional Ivy Tech students represented the All-Indiana Academic Team:

Valerie Anderson, Ivy Tech Community College – Gary

Lindsay Back, Ivy Tech Community College – Batesville

Brian Bell, Ivy Tech Community College – Muncie

Taversia Borrelli, Ivy Tech Community College – Bloomington

Dorinda Brito, Ivy Tech Community College – Warsaw

Eric Burkhart, Ivy Tech Community College – Richmond

Daniel Cieply, Ivy Tech Community College – Valparaiso

Donna Clifton, Ivy Tech Community College – Elkhart

Katelyn Dunham, Ivy Tech Community College – Kokomo

Lauren Espique, Ivy Tech Community College – Indianapolis

Kaylyn Fannon, Ivy Tech Community College – South Bend

Lillia Faulkner, Ivy Tech Community College – Indianapolis

Melissa Fisher, Ivy Tech Community College – Marion

Jessica Fuller, Ivy Tech Community College – Terre Haute

Carlos Garcia, Ivy Tech Community College – East Chicago

Stephen Garner, Ivy Tech Community College – Michigan City

Isabella Gramaglia, Ivy Tech Community College – Lawrenceburg

Maribel Guillen, Ivy Tech Community College – Madison

Tommy Housman, Ivy Tech Community College – Southwest

Kristian Josifoski, Ivy Tech Community College – Valparaiso

Zachary Laughlin, Ivy Tech Community College – Columbus

Ayla Lawrence, Ivy Tech Community College – Logansport

Wanying Li, Ivy Tech Community College – Indianapolis

Brenda McCool, Ivy Tech Community College – Warsaw

Moriah Mercer, Ivy Tech Community College – Kokomo

Caroline Montgomery, Ivy Tech Community College – South Bend

Laura Mullen, Ivy Tech Community College – Elkhart

Amy Mutz, Ivy Tech Community College – Southwest

Jacob Myer, Ivy Tech Community College – Columbus

Morgan Myers, Ivy Tech Community College – Fort Wayne

Naomi Myers, Ivy Tech Community College – Fort Wayne

Charlotte Ocampo, Ivy Tech Community College – Sellersburg

Martha Ortega Zepeda, Ivy Tech Community College – Indianapolis

Matthew Paul, Ivy Tech Community College – Sellersburg

Albert Penny, Ivy Tech Community College – Lawrenceburg

Skylar Shaw, Ivy Tech Community College – Lafayette

Victoria Stoller, Ivy Tech Community College – Lafayette

Rachel Vessar, Ivy Tech Community College – Richmond

Kaleb Wagers, Ivy Tech Community College – Bloomington

Lydia Ward, Ivy Tech Community College – Batesville

Turqueya Wilson, Ivy Tech Community College – East Chicago

Jenna Yeakley, Ivy Tech Community College – Logansport

Jessica Zatarski, Ivy Tech Community College – Gary

Phi Theta Kappa is the international honor society for students of two-year colleges. With more than 1.3 million members, Phi Theta Kappa is the largest honor society in American higher education.  Students must complete at least twelve hours of course work towards an associate degree and generally have at least a 3.5 grade point average to be considered.

Ivy Tech Community College is the state’s largest public postsecondary institution and the nation’s largest singly accredited statewide community college system. Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana. It serves as the state’s engine of workforce development, offering affordable degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its community along with courses and programs that transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association.