Alumni Success

What value has SCC brought to your personal life and or career?

My experience at SCC taught me everything from time management to what it really means to be a leader. It also showed me the importance of networking and building lasting relationships. Beyond academics, the life skills I gained while attending SCC truly transformed me and paved the way for me to become the successful professional I am today!

What made SCC the right fit for you?

I began my nutrition career at SCC, taking my very first nutrition course with Robert Martin, whom I am proud to work alongside today as both a colleague and a friend. Robert and the other staff at SCC played a pivotal role in not only motivating me to pursue a career in nutrition, but also to become engaged in campus initiatives, join the Honors program, take on leadership roles, and even work past my fear of public speaking through club activities and unique presentation opportunities at events like the World Hunger Breakfast. During my final year at SCC, I became the President of the Fitness and Nutrition Club, which gave me valuable skills that served me very well after I transferred to ASU and even now, as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.

Tell us about your favorite memory of SCC.

My absolute favorite memory at SCC is definitely the time I spent as a member of the Fitness & Nutrition Club. Even before I became the club's president, it was an incredible experience that allowed me to connect with my fellow students and engage in amazing initiatives both on and off campus.

Have you visited SCC since you graduated?

Not only have I returned to the SCC campus since graduating, but I am now an instructor here! While the classes I currently teach are primarily online, I still get the same great, welcoming feeling when I step on campus today as the very first time I visited! Few campuses are as inviting and beautiful as the SCC campus!

What are you doing now and for whom?

I became inspired to succeed by my time at SCC. I had attended other community colleges out of state, but SCC was different. The staff truly cared and supported me in my goals. There were also opportunities for personal growth that I never experienced at any other college. As I already mentioned, Professor Robert Martin was key to getting me interested in nutrition, but he also motivated me to be a better version of myself and that has had a lasting, positive impact.

What would you say to convince someone to come to SCC?

To anyone considering SCC, I would say that you owe it to yourself to see the difference that an education at a smaller, but thriving and forward-thinking campus can make! The staff are wonderful and truly care about your success. The campus is beautiful and has everything you need to learn, study, be social, and even relax between classes! Plus, students are friendly and it's easy to make friends, even life-long connections! There are plenty of opportunities for personal growth and the atmosphere is one of both learning and inspiration. If I had to do my education over again, SCC would still be my top choice!

What made SCC the right fit for you?

I lived in Arizona before being stationed in New York with the Army. I had attended NAU for a couple of years and wanted to get back into the swing of school via community college.

Tell us about your favorite memory of SCC.

The extracurricular activities and opportunities offered are among my favorite memories. These provide great opportunities for on-the-job, real-world training and set you up for college and university success.

What value has SCC brought to your personal life and/or career?

The classes and extracurricular opportunities were directly applicable to my career path.

Please describe your involvement at SCC. What role did that involvement play in your overall SCC experience?

I was very involved in the Center for Native and Urban Wildlife. I also utilized the Veterans Administration (VA) lounge and VA resources. This resource enabled me to connect with other Veterans on campus and offered a quiet place to study.

Tell us about your journey after graduating from SCC. Where did you start, and where are you now?

After graduating from SCC, I completed a degree in Applied Biological Sciences and Visual Photography at ASU. I continued to help out at CNUW while attending ASU. Dr. John Weser, Professor of Biology, Life Sciences Department Chair, and Executive Director of the Center for Native & Urban Wildlife, was a reference when I applied for the position of Education Assistant with the National Audubon Office in Phoenix. My experiences at CNUW were instrumental in securing this job, as I had limited prior work experience with birds. I often returned to SCC when I was leading tours with the National Audubon Society. My next professional experience was as an Education Technician for the National Park Service. I am now an Interpretive Park Ranger at Valles Caldera National Preserve in Jemez Springs, New Mexico. I provide leadership for interpretation, education, and volunteer divisions. The goal is to connect visitors to the materials and resources we have. I enjoy speaking to groups and leading tours and field trips for K-12 and university students. I visit classrooms and talk about the National Park Service in general. The programs I coordinate focus on art, photography, and birding. I have initiated bringing music to the park through concerts. In April, we hosted the first-ever silent disco at a national park. I am the Night Sky Manager, which means I manage volunteers and oversee after-hours programs that offer stargazing, astro photography workshops, and moonlit hikes. I also lead a monthly guided hike, utilizing instant film cameras as a medium to explore the park. Participants learn the basics of photography and compositional recommendations while slowing down and appreciating the surroundings using an instant film camera, all while exploring Valles Caldera.

What advice would you give others embarking on their college journey? What would you say to convince someone to come to SCC?

SCC offers ready access to your professors and small class sizes, which make for a very engaging educational experience.

How has SCC helped influence your success?

In my position at Prisma Graphic, I often see the work of many designers and sometimes it is a great design in theory but to print and produce is either too costly for the client or the function of it will not work with the designers concept. Taking courses with SCC helps me catch these things before the entire job is set into motion. Therefore, saving our clients time and money in getting things worked out to be functional.

What made SCC the right fit for you?

I chose SCC because I was specifically looking for Graphic Design courses and heard nothing but great things about their program.

Tell us about your time at SCC.

I attended SCC for two years, loading all 4 semesters with as many classes as I could. I loved the program and learned so much from all the great teachers. Every teacher had vast experience in the subject of their course and were there to help us succeed. They did an excellent job teaching not only the skills but how to design a successfully produced product.

What value has SCC brought to your personal life and or career?

SCC helped me attain my current position with Prisma Graphic. I was part of the SCC Externship program during my final semester and through that position helped determine what career I wanted to continue with. I applied for and was offered a full time position as an Account Manager with Prisma Graphic upon graduation.

I met so many wonderful people through SCC and being an Alumni that works in the business, I continue to meet others. It is like our own little family of great creative people. I can always count on them to answer my call if I need them.

Tell us about your favorite memory of SCC.

So many great memories, but one of my favorites would be in my photography class when the instructor, Rick Burress, told us a story of taking a baby to the jungle... No, not a "real" baby and not a "real" Jungle, he was speaking of a photo and using Photoshop to do all your editing. It's a story I'll never forget and you can hear it yourself by taking his class.

Have you visited SCC since you graduated?

I have gone back several times for IDUG meetings (InDesign User Group).

What are you doing now and for whom?

I’ve been with Prisma for 4 years now. I am a team lead in the Account Management department and work with a great group of people. My team works with a wide range of clients but has a special focus on Hospitality and Healthcare. We are responsible for successfully initiating, planning, controlling, executing and monitoring many projects to be sure they are completed to meet our clients expectations. Beyond Prisma, I still do some design work on the side along with my hobby of training detection dogs for a local company that provides dogs and training to police agencies across the country.

What would you say to convince someone to come to SCC?

You will not find any greater pool of knowledge for designing in the real world than the group of instructors in the program at SCC.

What made SCC the right fit for you? 

My journey at Scottsdale Community College began in 1973. After serving in the U.S. Air Force, I was eager to continue my education, build a career, and support my young family. The GI Bill made college financially possible by helping pay for both tuition and living expenses, allowing me to invest in my future.

SCC was the perfect fit. The campus was conveniently located near our home. Because I worked the night shift in computer operations at American Express, the flexible class schedule let me balance work, family, and school. Every class brought me one step closer to advancing my career.

Tell us about your favorite memory of SCC. 

Looking back more than 50 years later, what I remember most is the pride I felt in taking that first step toward earning a college education. SCC was still a brand-new campus—just a couple of years old—and it felt like we were building something special together.

One memory stands out above all the others. During my accounting final in 1973, I received word that my wife, Sue, had gone into labor. Without hesitation, I left the exam to be with her for the birth of our child. I never finished the test and received an "F," but I've never regretted that decision. Family always comes first.

Tell us about your journey after SCC.

My career began before college when I enlisted in the U.S. Air Force immediately after graduating from high school in 1965. I trained as a Munitions Specialist at Lowry Air Force Base in Colorado before serving three years in England, where I met and married my wife, Sue. After returning to Phoenix, I entered the growing field of computer programming, first attending ECPI Trade School before accepting positions with the Arizona Department of Economic Security and later American Express.

In 1972, our growing family returned to Phoenix, where I began what would become a 23-year career with American Express. While working as a computer operator, I enrolled at SCC to study business. The knowledge I gained paid off almost immediately—in the fall of 1973, I earned a promotion to a junior programming position in telecommunications, thanks in part to the skills I developed in my SCC coursework.

When our family moved to West Phoenix, I continued my education at Glendale Community College while my career at American Express continued to grow. Over the years, I advanced from computer operations into systems programming, telecommunications, and technology leadership.

In 1979, American Express promoted me to Manager of Client Services and relocated my family to New York. Two years later, I accepted another promotion that took us back to England, where I led the implementation of a major global telecommunications networking project. Upon returning to Phoenix, I continued serving in leadership roles focused on global technology strategy, planning, and international point-of-sale systems before being named Vice President of Requirements and Strategy in the company's credit authorization technology organization.

After leaving American Express in 1995, I joined IBM as a consultant specializing in systems management and operations. In 1999, I was promoted to Executive Consultant, leading teams that advised major corporations throughout the western United States. I retired in 2009 after more than four decades in the technology industry.

Retirement has allowed my wife and me to enjoy one of our greatest passions—travel. We've explored much of the United States, Canada, England, and Scotland through golf trips, cruised the Danube and Rhine rivers, explored the canals of Ireland, France, and the Netherlands, and taken unforgettable ocean voyages. Among our favorite adventures were visiting the Galápagos Islands and cruising along Africa's east coast from Cape Town, before ending the trip with a memorable South African safari.

What advice would you give others embarking on their college journey?

Expect your career path to evolve. Most people will have several careers over their working lives, so build a strong educational foundation early. Take advantage of every opportunity to learn—whether through college, advanced degrees, or employer-offered professional development.

Most importantly, remember that success comes through hard work. Your goals won't simply be handed to you. Stay curious, keep learning, and earn every opportunity that comes your way.

What value has SCC brought to your personal life and/or career?

SCC first trained me in my career as a teacher, and has enhanced my life, mainly in music.

What made SCC the right fit for you?

SCC was a small school where the professors knew us personally.

Tell us about your time at SCC.

I played in numerous concert bands, jazz bands, and trombone choirs, even long after I graduated.

Tell us about your favorite memory of SCC.

I played in the band at football games. The football team still called themselves the "Drovers" at that time. When we yelled "Go, Go, Artichokes Go!" The football team vehemently disapproved. After the first game, we yelled "Go, Go, Scottsdale Go!" instead.

Please describe your involvement at SCC, including extracurricular and co-curricular activities such as clubs, organizations, programs, honors, and athletic teams.

I played in numerous bands at football games, concerts, plays, and graduation ceremonies.

Tell us what degrees or certificates you earned or what types of classes you completed at SCC.

I earned an Associate's Degree in Music, and later, took several Mathematics classes and music classes.

List any scholarship(s) you received while attending SCC.

During my full-time years as a student, I earned a $50 scholarship each semester to play in bands, and that is about what it cost to be a full-time student at the time.

Tell us about your journey after graduating from SCC. Where did you start, and where are you now?

I graduated from Grand Canyon University. I taught middle school Band and then high school Mathematics.

What advice would you give others embarking on their college journey? What would you say to convince someone to come to SCC?

Do the very best you can, more than what is expected.