Estrella Mountain Community College (EMCC) alumna Monica Gomez-Lopez always believed that good health was more important than money, but money became the obstacle in pursuing her dream of becoming a doctor.
Her educational pathway as an undocumented immigrant presented many challenges,...
Teaching and learning is at the heart of all that Assistant Police Chief Cuauhtémoc “Memo” Espinoza has a passion for. From starting as a young student at Estrella Mountain Community College in 1993, to joining the Marine Corps and ultimately becoming Lieutenant at the Avondale Police Department...
Lorenzo Cabrera is the Principal at Franklin Police and Fire High School – part of the Phoenix Union High School District. The school is one of a handful of Arizona schools to hold a National Blue Ribbon School award, given by former U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan.
Cabrera, who...
EMCC alumnus Justin Decknick is currently the vice president of Sales and Branding at Truly360, the largest Google Trusted Agency worldwide. It was the 2008 recession that helped him come to the decision to pursue a new educational opportunity. “I found myself needed an extra set of skills to be...
Jose Garcia believes that everything happens for a reason. After he graduated from high school in Gila Bend, Arizona, he planned to attend Arizona State University (ASU) and enroll in their architecture program. As he went to submit his application, there was a blackout that took place,...
EMCC student Jake Ormond is a 2017 recipient of the All-Arizona Academic Team scholarship. As a hard-working scholar, he has long been following a path to success while also striking balance between school, work and life. In addition to his studies, Ormond works on campus as the administrative...
Harold Branch attributes EMCC as his initial source of inspiration for getting into the communications field. Graduating nearly 20 years ago, Branch went through hard times as a young man. He grew up facing some challenging family situations and became a high school dropout. He came to EMCC...
Virginia Boyle, known as Ginny, is a current Estrella Mountain Community College student and the 2017 recipient of the All-USA Academic Team scholarship for the college. Her hard work earned her that prestigious award, as well as many other honors, like being a Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society...
EMCC alumna Cheryl Todd believes that building a strong and dynamic business community helps to strengthen residential communities, and vice-versa. Her perspective comes from years of hands-on experience. For more than three decades, Todd and her husband of 32 years, Danny, have owned multiple “...
Charlotte Hackman was one of the 14 students who celebrated completion of their studies from Estrella Mountain Community College’s (EMCC) Medical Billing and Coding program in August of 2016. For Hackman, the celebratory event was even more exciting because, in addition to finishing this...
Al Cutright, age 82, graduated from Estrella Mountain Community College in May 2018 – a goal finally realized. You might recognize his name. Al is a living history of the country’s early struggles for civil rights.
Along with 12 younger siblings, Al Cutright moved to Arizona for a “better...