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A desire to give something back through volunteerism has marked the lives of two West Kentucky Community & Technical College students who were recently nominated to the USA TODAY's 2009 All-USA Community College Academic Team.
Sponsored by the American Association of Community Colleges, Phi Theta Kappa, and USA TODAY, the All-USA Academic Team consists of outstanding two-year college students who are selected based on outstanding academic achievement, campus and community service, and an essay about their most significant endeavor while attending a community college. Paducah residents William Cole Hackett and Crystal Herron are following different paths as WKCTC students who expect to transfer to 4-year universities after they graduate from WKCTC.
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| William Cole Hackett |
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Hackett, 20, the oldest child of Rod and Kelly Hackett of Paducah, grew up on a family farm, specializing in raising and showing llamas. He has won several awards at shows in Virginia, North Carolina, and Kentucky. After volunteering at an orphanage in Peru, Cole recognized his opportunity to teach others about the cultures of South America through his llama farm. He hosts school groups and community members on his farm, teaching them about llamas as pack animals and a source of wool in South America.
Hackett has served as President of Phi theta Kappa since 2008, and volunteered at Martha’s Vineyard, delivering meals to elderly, for many years. He was recently selected as a 2009 Coca-Cola Silver Scholar based on scores he earned in the All-USA Academic Team competition.
A 4.0 student, Hackett, who also was named to the ALL-KCTCS Academic Team and will be a student speaker at WKCTC's 2009 graduation ceremony, said his main goal at college was to get grades, but the awards he has received are something he treasures. "It means a lot to my future," he said. "I think it's something people can look at that shows them how hard I worked and how I supported my community while in college."
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Crystal Herron |
Crystal Herron, 21, a Lone Oak High School graduate, wants to one day be an elementary school teacher - a dream she shared with her grandmother Frances Russell. "My grandmother always wanted to be a teacher, and my mother would have been a great teacher," Herron said.
Herron is pursuing both an associate in arts and an associate in science from WKCTC. She has been accepted in Murray State University’s elementary education program and will transfer there in the fall.
Herron, historian for WKCTC’s Phi Beta Lambda chapter, is very active on the campus, participating in the WKCTC Starlets Dance Team. She also has served as a coach for Upward Cheerleading.
An avid and talented equestrian, Herron, the daughter of Ron and Doris Herron of Paducah, also works at the Hendron Lone Oak Elementary Clubhouse mornings and afternoons. In an effort to develop her teaching skills, she also volunteers at the school for extra hours, reading to the children and helping teachers organize events. She was “homeroom mom” in 2008, despite not having any children of her own.
“I was floored when I got this,” Herron said of her nomination to the All-USA Academic Team. “I know it’s a huge honor.”
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