Fort Scott Community College announces that the 2012 Outstanding Alumna and Young Alumnus have been chosen to speak at graduation ceremonies. Myrtle Anne Colum was chosen as the 2012 Outstanding Alumna and will speak at the graduation ceremony on Friday, May 18 at 9:00 a.m. in the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center on the FSCC campus. Micheal W. Hill, II, the 2012 Outstanding Young Alumnus, will address graduates at the 12:00 p.m. ceremony on May 18, also in the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center. This year’s recipients will be honored at a special reception on graduation day to be held on the FSCC campus at 2:00 p.m. in the Meeting Rooms in the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center. Friends, family and fellow alumni are invited to attend.

Micheal W. Hill, II came to Fort Scott Community College (FSCC) on a football scholarship after graduating from Wyandotte High School in 1989. At FSCC, he was a member of the Greyhound Marching Band, the President’s Ambassadors, and also lettered on the basketball and track teams. As a member of the track team, Hill was a four-time national qualifier to the NJCAA National Track and Field meet for both indoor and outdoor track finishing with an overall national ranking of ninth in the triple jump. He was a recipient of numerous All-Jayhawk Conference honors and was twice named Most Outstanding Athlete for the track team.

After graduating from FSCC with an Associates of Science degree in 1991, Hill transferred to the Wichita State University (WSU) where he earned a Bachelors degree in Administration of Justice. During his time in Wichita, Hill volunteered regularly with the Sedgwick County Big Brothers and Big Sisters program, serving as a mentor to local youth. He also competed for the Shocker track team and currently ranks in the top 10 all-time at WSU in multiple events.

Shortly after graduating from WSU in 1994, Hill joined the United States Navy becoming the fourth generation in his family to serve in the military. He was attached to F-18 Strike Fighter Squadron 147 which deployed to the Persian Gulf onboard the U.S.S. Nimitz in support of “Operation Southern Watch.” His Squadron returned for a second deployment onboard the U.S.S. John C. Stennis patrolling the southern section of Iraq.

Upon honorable discharge from the U.S. Navy, Hill began working for the Social Security Administration (SSA) in 2001 and is still employed by the Agency today. In 2004, he earned a Masters of Science degree in Management from Friends University and was later selected for a Regional Management program with SSA. Since graduating from the program, he has held increasingly responsible positions with the Agency and currently serves on the management team in the Kansas City North field office.

He is active in the community and has served as a member for the local Celebrate Recovery Leadership Board and as the local coordinator for the United Way Day of Caring. Hill currently serves on the KC Regional Federal Executive Board Veterans Affairs Committee and is a member of the American Legion Post 19 in Gardner, KS. He is a member of New Life Community Church where he also serves on the Deacon Board and Finance team.

He is married to Dayna Hill and has two daughters, Chasity Graves and Mikayla Hill.

Micheal will speak at the 12:00 p.m. graduation on Friday, May 18 in the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center on the FSCC campus.

Myrtle Anne (Lewis) Colum attended Fort Scott Community College where she studied Liberal Arts in 1952. Later, Anne furthered her education with specialized classes from San Diego State University in business. She also took management courses from University of Central Berkeley.

Anne and her late husband, Dr. Elbert A Colum, moved to San Diego, CA in 1964 to start her work in the insurance field. In 1974 they moved to San Francisco, CA where she continued her career in insurance resource management. Anne has had a long decorated career in resource management through the insurance industry. With experience from property clerk to Vice President Director of Human Resources, Anne’s ability to work with people has given her many opportunities and success. She was the recipient of the Marsh & McLennan – San Francisco Profit Center Employee of the year award in 1988 by the Corporate Human Resources Advisory Board.

After retiring, Anne and her husband returned to Fort Scott. Anne now serves as Vice Chairperson of the Fort Scott Community College Board of Trustees. She is also a board member of the Gordon Parks Foundation and a steering committee member of the Gordon Parks Celebration.

Anne has a great amount of passion for Fort Scott and Fort Scott Community College. She can often be seen lending a helping hand in many functions in the community, her church, and at Fort Scott Community College.

Anne has one son, Steven K. Colum.

Anne will speak at the 9:00 a.m. graduation on Friday, May 18 in the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center on the FSCC campus.

The Annual Commencement Ceremonies for Fort Scott Community College will be held Friday, May 18 at 9:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., and 4:00 p.m.

The 9:00 a.m. ceremony will include those receiving Certificates and Associate of Applied Science degrees. There are approximately close to 69 students who are eligible to partake in the 9:00 a.m. ceremony.

The 12:00 p.m. ceremony will include approximately 58 students receiving Associate of General Studies, Associate of Applied Science in Nursing, and Associate of Arts degrees.

The Associate of Science degrees will be awarded during the 4:00 p.m. ceremony. Around 57 students will receive their Associate of Science degrees. This year’s Outstanding Sophomore, Joshua Budd will speak at the 4:00 p.m. ceremony.

In addition, there will be a special nurses pinning ceremony at 6:00 p.m. on May 17 and a GED graduation ceremony at 6:00 p.m. on May 16. All ceremonies will be held in the theatre of the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center on the FSCC campus.

Joshua J. Budd was selected as Fort Scott Community College’s 2012 Outstanding Sophomore.

To be considered for the award, applicants had to meet certain eligibility criteria. These included being a sophomore with a GPA of 3.5 or higher, eligible to walk at graduation and be degree-seeking. Four finalists were chosen from 16 students that submitted applications for the award. The finalist’s information was submitted to the faculty and staff at the college who made the final selection.

Budd was selected for being an outstanding student and leader at FSCC. He did more than meet the general eligibility criteria; he has excelled in many areas at the college and has been involved in many clubs and organizations. He has been a work-study student, a member of Christians on Campus, FSCC TV, President’s Ambassadors as President and Phi Theta Kappa as President. Budd was named to the 2012 All-Kansas Academic Team and received an award for the “Most Tours Given” from the President’s Ambassadors organization. He was involved in many community service projects including the Red Cross Bloodmobile, Relay for Life (Team FSCC), and Joplin Tornado Relief.

“My most outstanding accomplishment has been having the opportunity to become a leader at FSCC,” said Budd. “Having the opportunity to work with students, faculty, and staff, I’ve experienced a variety of opportunities to both lead as an officer of Phi Theta Kappa and President’s Ambassadors and also witness exemplary leadership through other students, faculty, and staff. I learned that it is not a title or a position that makes one a leader but an attitude of respect and integrity. FSCC has given me so much and it has been my privilege to have been given the opportunity to serve.”

The Fort Scott Community College Rodeo Team has a lot to celebrate. By finishing at the top of the Central Plains Region the men’s team has automatically qualified for the College National Finals Rodeo. Going to the CNFR is a huge accomplishment involving an incredible amount of hard work and determination. The CNFR will run from June 10-16 in Casper, Wyoming. FSCC will take a six man team to the Finals. Representing Fort Scott at the CNFR this year includes three bareback riders: Yance Day, Blaine Kaufman, Tyler Pasour; two bull riders: Chelse Day, David King; and a saddle bronc rider: Jade Blackwell.

The Central Plains region consists of 20 different college rodeo teams, including two and four-year colleges. This was only the third time that the Central Plains Region was won by a two-year school and both previous times were also won by FSCC. Even looking at that impressive history, this has been a banner year for the FSCC Rodeo team. For the first time in FSCC history, the Greyhounds won the region by more than 1,000 points. Other accomplishments made by the team this year include: for the first time ever, FSCC finished the season with all three top competitors in one event, bareback riding; actually, FSCC won the bareback riding competition at every one of the ten rodeos. In addition, this year marked the best improvement from one year to another for the women’s team.

Most participants in the Finals are college juniors and seniors, so for sophomores and freshmen to even qualify is remarkable. Approximately 45 contestants will compete in each event and 45 teams will be competing for the national team title. The finalists are the elite from the nation. In the tough Central Plains Region, getting qualified is a huge accomplishment. All participants will compete in three rounds and the top 10 contestants after three rounds will compete again in a short round.

Coach Cross is thrilled with how well his team has performed this year. Cross said, “I am so proud of what a great team we have. Obviously they are blessed with athletic ability but more importantly they are an outstanding group of genuine people.” The finalists give a lot of credit to the FSCC rodeo program, especially the FSCC coaches who are willing to help out anytime of the day and provide a good atmosphere.

For more information on the FSCC rodeo program, contact Cross at 620-223-2700, ext. 7020. For more information on the Finals, visit the College National Finals Rodeo website at cnfr.com.