Bunker Hill Community College Student Wins Oberndorf Scholarship
Friday, October 17, 2014
Biomedical engineering student Quan Nguyen is one of only 20 students nationwide selected by the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society as a 2014 Oberndorf Lifeline to Completion Scholar. Nguyen received the $1,000 scholarship for having maintained a minimum 3.0 GPA while enrolled at the College as a Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) member in good standing.
The Oberndorf scholarship assists PTK members in overcoming unanticipated financial barriers and completing their first associate degree or certificate from a two-year college. “Quan has been one of our most active and dedicated student leaders on campus. Given all of the challenges that he has faced, it is amazing to me that he has been able to work, provide for his family, excel as a scholar, serve as a leader and volunteer in the community,” says Paul E. Moda, Coordinator of Student Activities at Bunker Hill Community College. The award was announced on September 30, 2014.
Nguyen, a first-generation college student currently working as a research assistant at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is a member of the Commonwealth Honors Program. He has served as vice president of the Student Government Association, officer of the Asian Students Association and mentor to other first-generation students at the College. Nguyen has applied for spring 2015 admission to Massachusetts Institute of Technology with the goal of becoming a cancer researcher.
The Oberndorf award follows a number of recent honors for Nguyen. On May 8, 2014, he was one of 29 graduates of Massachusetts public colleges and universities honored at the Massachusetts State House for his academic success, leadership and service to the field of health and medicine. He received the Bunker Hill Community College’s Refrigeration Service Engineers Society Scholarship in May 2014 and a Ruby Scholarship from the BHCC Foundation in June 2014.
Phi Theta Kappa's Oberndorf Lifeline to Completion Scholarship was created in 2012 through a collaborative effort between benefactors Rosemary and Lou Oberndorf, the Phi Theta Kappa Foundation and 2011-2012 International Officers Tameka Wilson, Danielle Swartz, Esteban Smith, Sarah Yates and Jeremy Mathis.
Phi Theta Kappa is the largest honor society in American higher education with more than 2.5 million members and 1,275 chapters located in all 50 of the United States, U.S. territories, British Virgin Islands (U.K.), Canada, Germany, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Palau. The average Phi Theta Kappa member is enrolled full-time with a GPA of 3.8.
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About Bunker Hill Community College
With more than 50 years of academic excellence, Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) is Massachusetts' largest community college, annually welcoming a diverse community of around 16,000 students. With campuses in Charlestown and Chelsea, BHCC extends its reach across several locations in Greater Boston. The College offers associate degrees and certificates, early college and dual enrollment, community education, corporate training, and industry-specific training programs. BHCC is celebrated for its diversity, boasting a student body where 65% identify as people of color and more than half are women. The College also embraces a global perspective, with over 600 international students representing 90 countries and conversing in more than 65 languages. Our commitment to diversity is further reflected in BHCC's designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI).