Human rights activist John Bul Dau spoke  to Mesa Community College students on April 17 about his journey as one of the 27,000 “Lost Boys of Sudan” and the impact of his foundation. Planned weeks in advance by MCC’s own Psychology Department, the 7 p.m. event at the Southern and Dobson campus’ Performing Arts Center was a part of MCC’s evening lecture series and was free and open to the public. Upon arrival, guests were given informative packets on the John Dau Foundation and the impact the charity has on South Sudan communities by providing health care services and nutrition relief to t ..read more

The Mesa Community College softball team defeated South Mountain Community College on Saturday and Paradise Valley Community College on Tuesday, earning their first conference wins since February. The victory over SMCC broke a 22 game losing streak for the Thunderbirds who sit at 4-28 overall and 3-25 in conference play during a tumultuous season.  The Thunderbirds’ most recent matchups against Yavapai College were rescheduled for a second time to April 25 after the team was unable to field enough players to compete, according to the MCC Athletics website. The games were originally schedu ..read more

Mesa Community College’s Music Business Program will be hosting a virtual fireside chat on April 27 with artist and business consultant Laser Malena-Webber to educate students about crowdfunding for musicians. Webber and his sister are members of the touring band known as “the Doubleclicks,” which started in 201 and have performed in the United States, Australia, and Europe. Webber is a performer, podcast host, business consultant and author whose group has garnered over 4 million Youtube views with 10 independent albums and several viral music videos. According to the Laser Campaigns website ..read more

Interim president of Mesa Community College, Kimberly Britt, announced on March 29 the college canceled its hiring search for a new Vice President of Information Technology and have instead begun to search for an Associate Vice President of Information Technology due to financial reasons. “This approach aligns more with our current fiscal capacity. It will still allow us to attract talented professionals who can contribute significantly to our IT initiatives. The search for the AVP position will commence in August,” read Britt’s announcement to employees. After Britt initially scheduled an in ..read more

Mesa Community College students will be able to vote for the  2024 to 2025 Associated Students of Mesa Community College executive board on April 16 and 17 to determine who can advance the needs and interests of MCC students. According to MCC’s website, ASMCC ensures to develop, implement, and regulate programs that will further the intellectual, social, physical, person, and leadership development of MCC students. An election process is commonly held to determine the student leaders for this student government.  The election cycle this year had limited candidates in each category. F ..read more

Mesa Community College announced Indra Paola Peláez as the new Dean of Enrollment Services that will provide leadership and oversight to student enrollment services, starting April 29, 2024. The college previously considered five candidates for the role of dean of enrollment services. A statement to MCC employees stated that since October 2023, MCC has been seeking someone to fill the dean of enrollment position . The official search for candidates was said to start in the spring of 2024.  An open forum took place in February at Mesa Community College’s Southern & Dobson campus where ..read more

The men’s and women’s golf teams of Mesa Community College near the close of their regular seasons with postseason play slated to begin at the end of April. Women’s The Thunderbird’s most recent contest was a come from behind victory at the South Mountain Invitational from April 2-3 at Cave Creek Golf Club in Phoenix. Sophomore Alyzzah Vakasiuola won her fourth title of the year, adding to her championships from the Pima Invitational, Estrella Mountain Classic, and the Thunderbird Invitational. MCC finished the first round at 347 strokes, one behind first place Chandler Gilbert Community Colle ..read more

The men’s and women’s track and field teams at Mesa Community College both hold top five spots in the week Two edition of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association rankings. Women’s The women’s team sits at number one in the country in the USTFCCCA National Junior College Athletics Association Division I April 3 rankings, outpacing New Mexico Junior College in second and Pima Community College in third. MCC won the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference championships, hosted by Paradise Valley Community College on March 29. Name(s) Event Final Mark Maliyah Ro ..read more

Mesa Community College taught students important self-defense strategies in a series of classes taught on campus by local martial artists in an effort to promote campus safety. The ASMCC Student Government partnered with KBX PHX, a local kickboxing studio, to cover different ways that students, staff and faculty can protect themselves against attackers. The event is a total of four one-hour sessions, with the last class being held next Wednesday, April 10 and each week covers a different topic including situational awareness, basic self-defense moves and releases and escapes. The project was p ..read more

In part of its Evening Lecture series, Mesa Community College will welcome human rights activist John Bul Dau on April 17 to share his story and message of hope and resilience.  According to the John Dau foundation website, Dau has won many prestigious awards such as the National Geographic Emerging Explorers Award and was a Volvo for Life finalist in the Quality of Life category.  In 1987, the ethnic minority community of Southern Sudan was attacked by the Arab government from the north, forcing Dau and 27,000 other boys from their villages. The John Dau Foundation website adds that ..read more