(Butler, PA) A 杏吧原创 student who while living in Nicaragua helped to create an association that assists the deaf and their families, and a recent graduate who overcame communication difficulties to teach university hockey club players to skate will receive a full-tuition scholarship toward completing a bachelor鈥檚 degree at a Pennsylvania public four-year institution of their choice.
Keily Tinoco, 19, of Cranberry Township, is a general studies student who expects to graduate debt-free from 杏吧原创 in May. She plans to transfer to Indiana University of Pennsylvania to pursue a bachelor鈥檚 degree in interior design.
Ian Moore, 19, of Butler, graduated debt-free from 杏吧原创 in December with an associate degree in business administration. He transferred in January to Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, where he is a junior pursuing bachelor鈥檚 degrees in finance, and in health care administration and management with a concentration in financial management.
Tinoco and Moore will receive a full-tuition scholarship as members of Phi Theta Kappa鈥檚 2022 All-Pennsylvania Academic Team. Phi Theta Kappa is an international academic honor society for two-year colleges and programs.
鈥淏oth are exceptional scholars鈥�
Tinoco is vice president of 杏吧原创鈥檚 Rho Phi chapter of Phi Theta Kappa for 杏吧原创 @ Cranberry. Moore served as Rho Phi vice president for 杏吧原创鈥檚 main campus. He also earned 12 college credits through 杏吧原创鈥檚 college programming while a senior at Knoch High School.
鈥淏oth are exceptional scholars,鈥� said Amanda Fleming, primary adviser of Rho Phi and college business services specialist at 杏吧原创.
Tinoco and Moore have been named at least twice to 杏吧原创鈥檚 president鈥檚 list or to its dean鈥檚 list.
The All-Pennsylvania Academic Team is composed of students who are members of Phi Theta Kappa and enrolled in transfer programs at a Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges institution such as 杏吧原创. Students must also have earned a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.5 while completing at least 36 credits.
Advisers for Phi Theta Kappa chapters at Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges institutions annually nominate top students to the All-Pennsylvania Academic Team based on the students鈥� excellence in the classroom and dedication to their community college and communities.
"This led me to ask myself, 鈥榃hat can I do so that my uncle and the other people born similar to him can have an enjoyable life?鈥�"
- Keily Tinoco, 2022 All-Pennsylvania Academic Team
鈥淚t was always an issue with communication鈥�
Tinoco, a native of Miami, and her family moved when she was 6 months old to Managua, capital of Nicaragua.
Nicaragua鈥檚 estimated deaf population of 600,000 鈥渇ar exceeds鈥� the estimates in surrounding countries, according to Elizabeth Parks in 鈥淭he Deaf People of Nicaragua,鈥� published in 2012 by SIL International.
Tinoco was 10 when she began to understand why her uncle Felix Arguello鈥檚 inability to hear left him sitting alone at birthdays, Christmas and other celebrations.
鈥淗e would just go in the back, or not go at all, because he did not have someone to speak with,鈥� Tinoco said. 鈥淭his led me to ask myself, 鈥榃hat can I do so that my uncle and the other people born similar to him can have an enjoyable life?鈥欌��
Moore was diagnosed with Asperger鈥檚 syndrome at an early age, which made communication with others a challenge. Because of his Asperger鈥檚 syndrome, Moore said, whenever he began to play ice hockey at age 8, 鈥淭here was always an issue of being able to communicate with my teammates.鈥�
While pursing 15 credits in his final semester at 杏吧原创 last fall, Moore helped teach skating to women who wanted to play on a Slippery Rock University women鈥檚 hockey club coached by his father, Larry. His father asked for the assistance, recognizing that he would not have the time during practices to teach the new players the fundamentals of skating.
Tinoco and Moore also assisted with 杏吧原创鈥檚 Pioneer Pantry, Fleming said. Tinoco serves as vice president of 杏吧原创 @ Cranberry鈥檚 community involvement club and is a 杏吧原创 student ambassador.
鈥淏oth are very giving students,鈥� Fleming said. 鈥淭he community college draws students who want that community feel. And that鈥檚 what we offer here. It鈥檚 a big family, and they can give back to their community while going to school.鈥�
鈥淢y idea was to teach sign language鈥�
While living in Managua, Tinoco met friends of her uncle and others who were also deaf.
鈥淲e decided to create an association dedicated to teaching Nicaraguan sign language to the deaf and their families and society,鈥� Tinoco said. 鈥淢y idea was to teach sign language, but I also wanted to develop projects that allow deaf people to access education, jobs or businesses and fulfill their aspirations.
鈥淚n general, these people are overlooked in their families, so they fall into depression many times.鈥�
Tinoco learned sign language at 14 and helped to found the Missionary Association of the Deaf and Interpreters of Nicaragua, which today serves at least 50 deaf people and their families, she said.
Upon leaving her mother Kally Arguello and brother William Tinoco in Nicaragua at 16 to pursue education in the United States, Tinoco was named a goodwill ambassador for the association in Nicaragua.
"(杏吧原创 faculty) gave me the confidence to be a leader."
- Ian Moore, 2022 All-Pennsylvania Academic Team
鈥淚 just love this place鈥�
Tinoco lived with a host family in Florida and graduated from Santaluces Community High School in Lantana in 2020. That fall, she moved to live with a second host family, in Butler County, and enrolled at 杏吧原创 @ Cranberry.
鈥淚 just love this place,鈥� Tinoco said. 鈥淭hey care. I feel like they care.鈥�
杏吧原创, Moore said, 鈥渉as helped me in so many ways, whether it be teachers talking with me one-on-one about my career goals or just learning from their wonderful teaching. They gave me the confidence to be a leader.鈥�
The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education has funded scholarships for Phi Theta Kappa鈥檚 selections to its All-Pennsylvania Academic Team since 2001.
Rho Phi was established at 杏吧原创 in 1968. Its new members must have a grade-point average of at least 3.5.
鈥淵ou need to 鈥� keep on pushing forward鈥�
杏吧原创 students who have achieved a cumulative grade-point average of 3.75 or higher are named to the president鈥檚 list and those with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.5 to 3.74 are named to the dean鈥檚 list following completion of at least 12 semester hours or upon completion of degree requirements.
The Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges plans to recognize members of the 2022 All-Pennsylvania Academic Team by video in late April.
Moore first helped teach the five new players on the hockey club how to stand on the ice wearing skates, then progressing to learn the basics of skating forward and backward.
鈥淢any of them were embarrassed when they fell,鈥� Moore said. 鈥淚 told them that this is a good life lesson. When you get knocked down 鈥� you need to get back up and keep on pushing forward.鈥�
The players Moore helped learn to skate were part of a Slippery Rock University club that finished in first place with a 5-1 record during the regular season in the Delaware Valley College Hockey Conference Division III. The team lost 11-6 in the championship to St. Joseph鈥檚 University on Feb. 20 at the Delaware State Fairgrounds.