3 PC students named among top 30 in state
Fernandez among top 30 students in state
Porterville College students,jose Fernandez, Paul Vera, and Saúl Navarrete have all been selected to be a part of the 2021 Phi Teta Kappa All-california Academic Team.
Only 88 students from among the 2.1 million community college students in California were selected for the honor.
Fernandez was ranked among the top 30 community college students in California which put him onto the All-california Academic First Team. Vera was ranked among the top 60 students, placing him on the second team and Navarrete was placed on the third team, and he was among the top 90 students.
The three earn are the only students in the Kern Community College District to make All-california Teams this year. The purpose of the Phi Teta Kappa All-state Academic
Team Program is to provide recognition at the state level for the top community college students.
Grades, leadership and community service determine selection to the All-california Academic Team. To view the team selections and rankings, click https:// ccleague.org/sites/default/files/ptk_2021_allcalifornia_rankings.pdf. JOSE FERNANDEZ Fernandez is 27 years old and a full-time Porterville College student. He’s double majoring in Business Management for Entrepreneurship along with Business Administration.
He recently received his Certificate of Achievement for Entrepreneurship and a Job Skills Certificate for Entrepreneurship last summer. He will earn his Associate Degree in Business Management for Entrepreneurship along with his AS-T for Business Administration this spring.
Fernandez said he will possibly transfer to Fresno State. His goals are to complete college and to become a business owner. He said he would like to be operating a successful business in 10 years.
PAUL VERA
As a first-generation nontraditional student, Vera decided to return to college in 2018 to pursue his dream of becoming an Agriculture Teacher/ Professor. As of 2020, Vera has already completed an AS-T degree in Agribusiness and an AA degree in Social Science. He will also be completing an AA degree in Liberal Arts and Humanities this spring.
He will be transferring to Fresno State in the fall. Outside of school, Vera works fulltime for the Porterville Unified School District as a Behavior Intervention Specialist.
He also loves animals so being able to merge his passion for working in education and fondness for animals would be a dream come true, he said.
SAUL NAVARETTE
Navarrete is a 19-yearold student at Porterville College studying Political Science and Administration of Justice. When he’s not hitting the books, Navarette can be found at the gym or working at his part-time job.
In his free time, Navarette enjoys reading and researching topics in the fields of politics, philosophy, and entertainment. Navarette hopes to conduct research under great political science professors once he transfers. Navarette also thanked his parents for supporting his educational endeavors.