Highline Community College

MEDIA RELEASE

FOR RELEASE: IMMEDIATELY
DATE: March 6, 2009

CONTACT: Lisa Skari: (206) 870-3705, lskari@highline.edu

Highline Community College students earn state academic honors

DES MOINES, Wash. — Highline Community College students Lance Frank, of Federal Way, and Tierney Kuhn, of Auburn, were named members of the 2009 All-Washington Academic Team.

Frank and Kuhn will be recognized by Gov. Chris Gregoire during the March 26 awards ceremony at South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia, Wash.

Team members receive a $250 scholarship from KeyBank of Washington and a $500 scholarship from Northwest Education Loan Association.

The All-Washington Academic Team recognizes students from the state’s technical and community college for academic achievement and community service.

Frank, 25, currently serves as Highline’s student government president. He has been active in the college’s Honors Scholar program; Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), the international honor society of two-year colleges; and HCC Student and Activities budget committee as a student representative.

“Highline has opened up opportunities for me and I have grown a lot as a leader,” Frank said. “I am discovering more of who I am and what I can do.”

Frank first came to Highline in 2002, but left college two quarters later and began working in a variety of jobs, including as a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician (EMT) for a local fire department.

He soon discovered his passion for medicine and realized the importance of a college education. He is pursuing a degree in biology at Highline and plans to attend Pacific Lutheran University in fall 2009.

Running Start student Kuhn, 17, has also found success during her time at Highline. She was recently accepted to Princeton University for fall 2009.

She’s currently pursuing two degrees – Associate of Arts and Associate of Science – at the same time, and serves as president of the Software Engineering Club and co-president of Highline’s chapter of PTK. She is also active in many activities at her high school, including Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA).

The All-Washington Academic Team program is sponsored by Washington Association of Community and Technical Colleges, Trustees Association of Community and Technical Colleges, State Board for Community and Technical Colleges and PTK.

For more information about the All-Washington Academic Team, visit www.spscc.ctc.edu/allwa.

Highline Community College was founded in 1961 as the first community college in King County. With approximately 10,000 students and 350,000 alumni, it is one of the state’s largest institutions of higher education. The college offers a wide range of academic transfer and professional-technical education programs, with day, evening, online and weekend classes.

With the most diverse population of any college in Washington state, Highline takes a multicultural approach to education for the success of all its students and the prosperity of its surrounding communities. Alumni include former Seattle Mayor Norm Rice, entrepreneur Junki Yoshida and Washington state poet laureate Sam Green.

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Attachments:     (1) Photo of Tierney Kuhn.

                              Cutline credit: Photo courtesy of Highline Community College

                              (2) Photo of Lance Frank.

                              Cutline credit: Photo courtesy of The Thunderword