Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation Heroes of Education Honoree Plays Vital Role in Estrella Mountain Community College’s Upcoming Celebration of 25 Successful Years, Honored for His Years of Support
Annually, the Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation (MCCF), the fundraising arm of the Maricopa Community Colleges, awards a Hero of Education to a person who has gone above and beyond to champion higher education in Arizona. Additionally, ten College Heroes are awarded for their roles in providing exceptional, respective support to each of the ten Maricopa Community Colleges. Estrella Mountain Community College’s (EMCC) 2016 hero is Elliott Freireich, whose years of support play an important role in the college’s upcoming milestone. Friereich serves as a member of EMCC’s President’s Community Advisory Council, which gathers prominent and diverse community members to strengthen the college’s operational foundation using their individual and collective knowledge to analyze opportunities and programs, and provide valuable feedback and strategic direction.
Freireich has been a West Valley resident since 1963. He graduated from Alhambra High School and went on to receive a Bachelor of Science degree in Printing Management from Rochester Institute of Technology. He also attended Glendale Community College and Arizona State University. As the founder and publisher of the West Valley View, and a supporter of education initiatives, it’s reflective of how education-related values were inherent to his upbringing - - his mother served on the Agua Fria High School Foundation Board which raised educational funds, and his father owned two local newspapers.
His West Valley View currently publishes 70,000 copies weekly and has been running since 1986. Freireich’s devotion to print-based journalism has earned him numerous awards. He is a three-time winner of a Golden Dozen award for editorial writing from the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors, as well as obtaining the Freedom of Information award from the Arizona Newspapers Association. The former award put a spotlight on his editorial that examined the human element of immigration, while the latter award celebrated his passions for the importance of freedom of the press and community advocacy.
As EMCC is geared to embrace its 25th year of providing outstanding and ever-growing educational programs to its students, Freireich’s contributions are held in esteem. As a publisher, he has helped to sponsor the college’s signature fundraising event, Drive for Success New Car Raffle. For 17 years, this sponsorship support has been instrumental, in collaboration with the Estrella Rotary Foundation. in providing scholarship funds for West Valley students.
Freirich’s value to the campus’s growth and success is immeasurable in how it provides an example to both faculty and staff, and students, about how advocacy efforts can directly impact your own community in ways that continue to be beneficial for years to come. He is a hero to the college, the West Valley, and the state of Arizona.