By Eric Wilson-Edge
Two students at South Puget South Community College have been named to the All-Washington Academic Team. Amanda Five-Thunders and Nathan Peters will be honored at a ceremony on Thursday, March 27 at SPSCC.
The All-Washington Academic team is part of larger program organized by Phi Theta Kappa to honor students from our nation’s community and technical colleges. There are 68 members from 34 schools around the state on this year’s team. Each member receives a $250 scholarship from Key Bank and one person from the state team will receive a $2,000 scholarship.
Five-Thunders and Peters are busy people. 24-year-old Five-Thunders lives in Tacoma, works at a restaurant in DuPont and takes online courses through SPSCC. In her limited spare time, Five-Thunders volunteers feeding the homeless at St. Leo’s in Tacoma.
Helping people is in Five-Thunder’s nature. She plans to be a social worker once she’s finished with school. “I want to feel like I’m making a difference in children’s lives,” says Five-Thunders. Specifically, Amanda wants to help Native American children.
Five-Thunders believes she’ll graduate from SPSCC with a 3.5 GPA. From there she plans on attending the University of Washington Tacoma. As for the award, Five-Thunders admits to being a little surprised. “I didn’t know it was going to happen. It caught me off guard but I am really honored.”
Nathan Peters does a little bit of everything. He’s editor of the college newspaper and serves as a tutor in the writing center. Peters also volunteers at Capital Medical Center and his church. On top of everything, he works part-time for an insurance agency.
The almost 20-year-old will graduate this year from SPSCC. Peters doesn’t know which university he will attend in the fall but he eventually wants to be a Physician’s Assistant. “I want to know how to save lives,” says Peters.
Nathan will finish school with a 3.7 GPA. “Going to SPSCC was the best decision I’ve made so far about my education,” says Peters. “My academic performance isn’t just based on myself but also on my professors. “ Like Five-Thunders, Peters believes it’s an honor and a privileged to be recognized by the school and by Phi Theta Kappa.
During the award ceremony Five-Thunders and Peters will be presented with a medallion for their work. Lt. Governor Brad Owen will be on hand to acknowledge all of this year’s recipients. The ceremony starts at noon inside the Student Union Building
.
