The word ‘scholarship’ has several meanings including: learning, knowledge acquired by study, the academic achievement of a scholar, and a sum of money granted to aid a student in their academic pursuits. Monika Groomes embodies this word, ‘scholarship,’ because of the experiences she has had at Estrella Mountain Community College. Since she began her studies in 2006, she has excelled academically, achieved many honors, and earned several scholarships to help her continue her education.
Groomes, originally from Poland, said “Immigrating to the United States and enrolling at the community college helped me realize my dream of a better life.” Not only has she achieved her dreams, but she hopes to help others achieve their own. During her time at Estrella Mountain, she has worked with homeless children; collected money to purchase water pumps in Africa; cleaned and painted the homes of low-income families; mentored her peers through the Estrella Mountain Community College peer mentor program, which she helped to develop; coordinated care packages for troops overseas; supported projects that benefited abused women; cleaned trash from the Salt River; and much, much more. Her goal to help others doesn’t end there, however. She plans to transfer to Arizona State University where she will earn a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies. She would like to teach college in the future so that she can help students achieve their academic and personal goals as she did. “I hope that as a future teacher,” she said, “I will spark the educational fires for others that will help them make their dreams come true.”
Because of her extensive involvement in the community and at Estrella Mountain, Groomes achieved another dream, one that many high school and college students aspire to achieve, a free education. Groomes’ last two years of study at Arizona State University will be funded by scholarships she received as a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the international honors society of two-year colleges. She was awarded the All-Arizona Academic Scholarship, and the Guistwhite Scholarship, an exclusive scholarship only awarded to 20 students nationally.
These, among many other awards and recognitions, make Groomes one of Estrella Mountain’s successful graduates of 2010.