The island nation of Cuba had long been an alluring destination for Patricia D. Richards, a photographer and educator whose perseverance ultimately gave way to an exhibit currently on display at Amarillo College’s Southern Light Gallery.

Richards, who spent years trying to obtain a necessary visa, finally reached Cuba in 2011 and began creating Unexpected Cuba, an ongoing photography project viewable at Southern Light Gallery through Feb. 2.

When Rocky Banda learned he had been named a 2022 Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholar and would receive a $1,000 award that goes with it, his first inclination was to look ahead – to consider how he might one day pay it forward.

Banda, 41, is a psychology major at Amarillo College who has endured drug dependency leading to homelessness and incarceration. His goal these many years since is to become a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (LCDC) and help others with similar experiences to his own get back on their feet.

Two Amarillo College machining students have been accepted into a prestigious career-building apprenticeship program and will spend the next two years honing their craft in northern New Mexico at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).

Joseph Meraz, an advanced machining major, and Emma Womack, who obtained both welding and basic machining credentials at AC, each are beneficiaries of AC’s inclusion in a distinguished Consortium, an advantageous grant, and their own wherewithal.

The spellbinding aura of optimism and exhilaration that invariably permeates Amarillo College with the dawning of each fall semester will be markedly heightened this year by the rebirth of Badger Athletics – in three sports.

AC will mark its return to competitive intercollegiate athletics with a celebratory midday Pep Rally on Aug. 24, and virtually everyone is invited to join in the festivities, meet the players and coaches, and enjoy a free ballpark-style lunch.

A pair of Amarillo College students learned a great deal more about mosquitoes this summer than they ever thought they might.

They owe it all to the City of Amarillo, AC’s amply equipped STEM Research Center and, yes, a fortuitous reduction in local bus service.

Marcus Baber-Newton and Dustan Francis took part in a special research project in which the College and the City of Amarillo’s Environmental Health Department collaborated to discern if locally captured mosquitoes carried harmful diseases.

The Kritser Diesel Technology program at Amarillo College is the recipient of a $5,000 gift from Warren Cat, one of the largest Caterpillar dealerships in North America.

Representatives of Warren CAT presented the gift on Wednesday, Aug. 3 at AC.

“We’re trying to give something back while forming relationships with the technical training centers in the communities we serve,” said Aaron Welch, regional talent development manager for Warren CAT. “Amarillo College is definitely an educational center we want to support.”

True to its promise, last year’s National Night Out presented by the Amarillo College Police Department (ACPD) was “a celebration to remember,” and folks of all ages had so much fun that the ACPD is hosting the free event again in 2022.

Featuring bouncy inflatables, free hotdogs and snow cones, face painting, safety-related booths and activities, and much more, National Night Out is a community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie.

Slots are still available for teams or individuals to register and participate in the Amarillo College Scholarship Scramble golf tournament on Friday, July 22 at Comanche Trail Golf Course.

The cost is $90 per person and $360 per team and includes lunch. Register here.

Lunch will be served at 11 a.m., and golfers hit the links at 12:30 p.m.

In addition to receiving an affordable, quality education at one of the nation’s Top Five community colleges, students at Amarillo College also benefit from a wealth of impactful resources to help remove barriers to their success – food pantries, free legal aid, mental health counseling, etc.

However, the newest such resource may have the greatest impact of all.

Amarillo College and Martha’s Home, a shelter for homeless single women and mothers with children, are joining forces to empower the Home’s adult residents as they strive to escape poverty by pursing certificates and degrees through AC’s Adult Education and Literacy (AEL) program.

Leaders of AC and Martha’s Home will gather at 5:30 p.m. Monday, June 27th to cement the partnership and unveil the Home’s new “Present Needs—Future Success” campaign, which is already garnering meaningful local support.

Registration is now open for one of Amarillo College’s most highly anticipated summer activities, Chalk It Up, the sidewalk art contest that consistently spawns dazzling colorful creations and always awards cash prizes to the winners.

The event is from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 30. It is free to enter, and the first 40 entries will be accepted.

Amarillo College, which in 2021 was named one of the nation’s Top 5 community colleges and was dubbed a “Rising Star” by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program, is once again an Aspen Prize Finalist.

The Aspen Institute today announced that AC is one of the 10 Finalists for the 2023 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. Started in 2010 and awarded every two years, the $1 million Aspen Prize is the nation’s signature recognition of community colleges that are achieving high, improving, and equitable outcomes for students.

There is no doubt that students who begin their exploration of academia at a community college can and do matriculate to universities of great distinction.

A sterling example of that is former Amarillo College student Roman Leal, who in May received his juris doctorate from Yale Law School. The accomplishment was achieved just three short years after he scored in the top three percent on the law school admissions test – the LSAT.

Amarillo College is pleased to announce that a total of 633 full-time students attained academic excellence worthy of placing their names on the Spring 2022 Dean’s List.

To attain inclusion on the prestigious list, students must attend AC full time and earn a grade point average of 3.6 or higher.

Students who achieved Dean’s-List status for their academic excellence in the Spring of 2022 are listed alphabetically.

Amarillo College’s Washington Street Campus bustles big time on Tuesday nights in June, when the Jim Laughlin AC June Jazz Series is in full swing.

This will be the 27th year for June Jazz, the popular outdoor concert series that commonly draws an audience of hundreds to the College and is named in honor of its founder and continuous organizer, Dr. Jim Laughlin, professor of music.

A pair of Amarillo College professors whose dedication to student success is widely acknowledged by students and faculty alike have been named recipients of the prestigious 2021-2022 John F. Mead Faculty Excellence Award.

Dr. Bruce Lin, assistant professor of music, and Dr. Asanga Ranasinghe, assistant professor of chemistry, received AC’s foremost faculty accolade during commencement exercises on May 13 at Hodgetown Stadium.

Amarillo College will celebrate the laudable achievements of nearly 1,200 dedicated scholars at back-to-back commencement ceremonies Friday, May 13 at Hodgetown Stadium in Downtown Amarillo.

Eligible to participate in AC’s Spring Commencement are 912 spring graduates and 282 students who anticipate completing their academic requirements this summer.

Amarillo College is pleased to announce that its Communications and Marketing Department has captured 18 prestigious awards from a pair of elite national organizations known for recognizing excellence in higher education advertising.

The 37th Annual Educational Advertising Awards recognized AC with a dozen awards, and the 2121 Collegiate Advertising Awards came in with six more.

Amarillo College is once again in the running for the nation’s biennial signature recognition of community college excellence – the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence.

The Aspen Institute on April 27 announced 25 semifinalists for the 2023 Aspen Prize, and Amarillo College, which in 2021 attained Top 5 recognition and was named an Aspen Rising Star, is in the running once more.

Amarillo College, with enthusiastic support from industry stakeholders, is now better positioned than ever to propel students to a wide variety of careers in the burgeoning banking and finance industry.

On April 26, the AC Board of Regents approved a new Banking and Finance Certificate and, pending approval of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the academic certificate will be offered at AC beginning next fall.