A paper from Elizabeth Vasquez, a Front Range Community College-Boulder County Campus graduate, has been chosen as one of the two best entries in Phi Theta Kappa’s 2012 edition of Nota Bene, the society’s honors anthology.
Elizabeth Vasquez
Phi Theta Kappa is the international honor society for community colleges.
Vasquez’s “The Rwandan Genocide: A Tragedy Born from Colonialism” won a Citation Scholarship of $1,000 after being selected as a Best Overall Entry.
A second article, “Vietnam,” also was chosen for inclusion in the anthology.
Vasquez currently lives in Longmont with her two children. After graduating in May from FRCC with her associate degree, she transferred to the University of Denver where she is majoring in international studies. After completing her bachelor’s degree, Vasquez would like to attend law school and eventually specialize in international humanitarian law.
While a FRCC student, Vasquez was an officer in the campus chapter of PTK and was part of the team that organized a silent auction to establish a scholarship for military veterans attending the Boulder County Campus. She also is a success coach for FRCC Foundation scholars.
“Elizabeth’s paper was well-researched, well-written, and well-argued,” said Dr. Feinhandler, Chair of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Feinhandler, who teaches World Regional Geography, has worked as a human rights investigator in Burma and managed development projects in Ecuador and Angola. “In this paper, Elizabeth demonstrated insightful critical thinking in her application of abstract theory to the specific events of the Rwandan genocide.”
Literary works from 13 Phi Theta Kappa members were chosen from 809 entries for publication in the 2012 edition of Nota Bene.
Nota Bene was founded in 1994 to showcase exceptional writing among community college students. Copies of Nota Bene are distributed to all community college libraries and to Phi Theta Kappa leaders.
“We congratulate our 2012 Nota Bene honorees and their colleges,” said Phi Theta Kappa Executive Director Dr. Rod A. Risley, who serves as founding editor of the honors anthology.
“At a time when excellent writing skills are critically needed, Phi Theta Kappa is proud to provide a platform to nurture creative writing and effective communication. Nota Bene, which is distributed internationally, showcases outstanding writing by community college students and emphasizes the opportunities for excellence found at community colleges,” said Risley. “Our Nota Bene competition is an outstanding example of Phi Theta Kappa’s success in effectively engaging students, which promotes retention and encourages college completion.”
About Front Range Community College
FRCC offers nearly 100 degree and certificate programs from locations in Boulder County, Larimer County, Westminster, and Brighton, and online.
FRCC is a member of the Colorado Community College System, the state’s largest system of higher education. CCCS serves more than 162,000 students annually. The system oversees career and academic programs in the 13 state community colleges and career and technical programs in more than 160 school districts and six other post-secondary institutions.
