April 18, 2019
TRINIDAD, Colo – Each year Trinidad State honors two students believed to be on the path to great success in the future. These Rising Stars for 2018-19 are Megan Nunez on the Trinidad Campus and Joelle Valdez from the Alamosa Campus.
Nunez came to Trinidad State as a softball player. She’s a pitcher and outfielder. “I just fell in love with Trinidad when I saw it. It was an easy choice,” said Nunez. “I think it’s really beautiful here. I love Fisher’s Peak and the campus itself is small, and cute and pretty. And I like the fact that the class sizes are small. You can really get to know your teachers on a personal level and they get to know you as well, which makes it easy being an athlete and student because they really work with you and your schedule.”
Nunez is an advisor in the Residence Halls, is a member of the Student Government Association and Phi Theta Kappa and she introduced Safe Zone Training to fellow students. She enjoys spending time outdoors, painting, reading and cooking.
She went to high school in Colorado Springs and plans to continue her education at Metro State in Denver and eventually become an insurance broker.
Joelle Valdez is a nursing student at Trinidad State’s Valley Campus in Alamosa. She’s originally from Biloxi, MS and has lived in Alamosa for five years with her husband Mario (also a Trinidad State graduate) and two boys ages 12 and 14. Valdez has been a work-study student, a tutor and a teacher’s assistant in the Biology Department. She is President of the Phi Theta Kappa chapter in Alamosa and is active in the nursing club. Valdez volunteers at many organizations including La Puente in Alamosa.
She is known for her positive and infectious attitude and great sense of humor. She will graduate in May and plans to continue her nursing education while working to become a “dang good nurse.”
A total of 27 Colorado Community College Students were honored as Rising Stars in Denver on April 9. “This is a special event that I look forward to each year,” said Colorado Community College Chancellor, Joe Garcia. “We are incredibly proud of our students and in awe of their commitment outside of the classroom, on and off-campus, to champion what they believe in. They will no doubt continue to make us proud as they take on their next academic chapter and career endeavors.”
###
Greg Boyce
Director of Communications
Trinidad State Junior College
Trinidad Campus
Office 719 846-5530
Cell 719 821-6397
