Faculty Honored for Distinguished Service
Eleven faculty members were honored for their service and mentorship to students during
the Outstanding Faculty Awards ceremony on April 26. Organized by the Faculty Senate
and the Professional Relations Committee, the event was attended by faculty members,
administrators, staff and students. Connie Boardman, instructional dean, Science,
Engineering and Mathematics, presented this year's Most Outstanding Faculty to Carlos
Mera, physics instructor, for his strong commitment to going above and beyond to teach,
mentor, and advocate for his students. Monica Lee Copeland, chief development officer,
Cerritos College Foundation, presented Carlos with a monetary gift on behalf of the
Foundation.
Carlos has been part of the SEM division as an employee for 20 years. He was first
hired as a physics lab technician and later as an adjunct faculty member in 1998.
Prior to his employment, Carlos attended Cerritos College as a student. In 2015, he
joined the Physics Department as a full-time instructor. He also serves as an advisor
for both the Robotics and STEM clubs, and was recognized by ASCC for his outstanding
dedication to students earlier this year. Carlos works closely with his department
chair in the California Space Grant Consortium Program to provide students with education
in Arduino, an open source computer hardware.
Faculty Senate President Michelle Lewellen presented 10 instructors with Outstanding Faculty awards, and President Dr. Jose Fierro recognized faculty for their years of service:
Most Outstanding Faculty
Carlos Mera - Physics
Outstanding Faculty
Kamal Demian - Mathematics
Michael Farina - Accounting/Finance
Jason Foral - Welding
Anthony Fortner - Woodworking
April Griffin - Speech
Debra Johnson - Accounting/Finance
Steve Kroll - Accounting/Finance
Matthew Shimazu - Chemistry
Dr. Chase Tydell - Biology
Dara Worrel - Mathematics
Years of Service Awards
35 Years of Service
Mageya Sharp
30 Years of Service
Joseph van de Mortel
Sylvia Bello-Gardner
Janice Connal
Christine Sugiyama
Jim Henriques
Kirk Miller
Bonnie Helberg
Michael McPherson
Jon Bender
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