The Merced College Los Banos Campus has been honoring its students for some time by selecting a Student of the Month. Students honored receive a $50 check and the opportunity to obtain Student of the Year recognition of $100.

The September 2022 Student of the Month was awarded to Donna Pape. She was nominated by her Biology Professor, Katherine Schroeder.

Donna has taken three biology classes with Professor Schroeder — before COVID, when COVID started, and in the midst of COVID. In all three classes, Donna’s passion for learning shone through–in her well-crafted answers to written lab questions, in her beautiful drawings and in her thoughtful peer-to-peer discussions on Canvas.

Professor Schroeder was pleased to see Donna’s confidence as a learner grow as she took her time to experiment with different learning tools like outlines and flowcharts. In a world that often seems to be moving too fast, Donna’s dedication to learning, Schroeder said, is an inspiration to all. 

Students can be nominated for Student of the Month by full-time or part-time faculty. Winners are chosen by a committee comprising faculty and staff at the Los Banos Campus. This project has been extremely well supported by campus personnel..

The college counts on private donations to keep this project going every year. Anyone interested in donating should contact the Dean of Instruction at the Los Banos Campus, Jessica Moran, for ways to donate. She can be reached at jessica.moran@mccd.edu.

Merced College Staff

For information about Merced College, contact James Leonard at james.leonard2@mccd.edu or 209-381-6559.