Estrella Mountain Community College's student body, and its five student ambassadors Jennifer Alvarez, Cecily Davis, Christopher Esteen, Justine Garcia, and Lincoln Knight, are pleased to announce the selection of the college's first mascot: the Estrella Mountain Lion.
Spanning over a year, the process began with nominations from the student body, ranging from Killer Bees to Earthworms, and ultimately, the Estrella Mountain Lion. As part of its continued commitment to student learning and its evolution to a more student-centered Learning College, the selection process did not end there. Student ambassadors developed activities to educate students about types of lions, including facts about lions that are indigenous to Arizona, and especially the Estrella Mountain range, for which the college is named. Students also studied definitions of descriptive words like 'regal,' 'powerful,' and 'aggressive,' so that the design of the mascot would reflect the exact qualities students wanted their lion to impart.
Students were then able to vote on two mascot designs created by the college's graphic designer, Andrew Nolte, that best represented their concept. The mascot, which features a mountain lion bathed in dawn light crouching over purple mountains, will be used on campus promotional materials and will represent both academic and any future athletic teams throughout the college's future.