Garrett Stefan Andersen, Elisa Dephilippis, Christian Gonzalez Ruiz, and Karla Tirado.

Garrett Stefan Andersen, Elisa Dephilippis, Christian Gonzalez Ruiz, and Karla Tirado.

5 SDCCD students named to Phi Theta Kappa All-California Academic Team

April 8, 2021 | San Diego Community College District

Five students at San Diego City, Mesa, and Miramar colleges have been named to the Phi Theta Kappa All-California Academic Team. Phi Theta Kappa is an international honor society for two-year colleges, and students are nominated based on their GPA, awards and honors received, leadership abilities, and community service. 

Among the award winners: 

City College student Elisa Dephilippis, who left Italy at age 21 to pursue a career in nursing in the United States, will be graduating from City College in May with an associate degree in biology and transferring to San Diego State University. Named to the City College Dean’s Honor List, Dephilippis has experience in the allied health care field while living in Rome and wants to continue her passion of caring for people.

City College student Christian Gonzalez Ruiz has dreams of working for NASA as a lead engineer. Originally from Oaxaca, Mexico, Ruiz came to the United States at age 19 and enrolled at City College. Ruiz is active in the City College Math, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) program, is a member of the Chemistry Club, and is on the Dean’s Honor List. Ruiz is scheduled to graduate from City College in May of 2022 and plans to attend UC Berkeley or UCLA. 

Mesa College student Joelle Schumacher is an Associated Students senator and secretary of the Mesa College Environmental Sustainability Committee, where she helped launch a Green Revolving Fund that invests in sustainable, on-campus initiatives. Schumacher also serves as secretary of Terra Mesa, the student environmental club on campus, and recently completed an internship with the San Diego Audubon Society. 

Mesa College student Karla Tirado is an international student from Mexico who serves as Associated Students vice president, president of Mesa College’s Phi Theta Kappa chapter, director of service for the campus Honors Club, and is a delegate for the Student Senate for California Community Colleges. In addition, Tirado recently was appointed as an External Affairs Intern at the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom and as a Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarship semifinalist. 

Miramar College student Garrett Stefan Andersen is a history major and Honors Program student who recently presented his research on the Vikings, their motivations, and their impact in Eastern Europe and Islamic Spain at the annual Miramar College Honors Symposium. Andersen is on track to graduate with an associate degree this spring and plans to transfer to a university in the fall to pursue his bachelor’s degree. Andersen, a regular presence at many local museums, aspires to become a history teacher.

Schumacher is a First Team member of the All-Academic Team. Andersen, Dephilippis, Ruiz, and Tirado were named to the Second Team.

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