RRCC Students Recognized for Outstanding Achievements
This year's student award winners were recognized at a ceremony earlier this month.
April 22, 2026
A nursing student and mother of five. A student in recovery. Another who started earning college credits while in high school. This year's Red Rocks Community College award honorees are all outstanding students in different ways.
Each spring, RRCC and the Colorado Community College System recognize students who have not only succeeded academically but have made a meaningful impact on the campus and broader community.
Many of this year's winners are adult learners who came to college by way of careers, family and personal reinvention. What they share is ambition, resilience and a willingness to show up—for their coursework, for their peers, their families and for the community around them.
Students from Red Rocks Community College were invited to an awards ceremony hosted by the Colorado Community College System last week, and another internal celebration for RRCC later this month.
Rising Star Awards
Rising Star awards recognize students for leadership contributions on campus and in the larger community.
Wesley Taylor
Wesley is a biology student at RRCC interested in environmental microbiology, genetics, and stem cell research. During this last year at RRCC, Wesley has served as team lead for the astrobiology team of the college’s Space Grant program, president of the philosophy club, and member of the Multilingual Exchange Society. He pushed the astrobio team to conduct experiments and publish research on lunar agriculture all while assisting side projects in DNA extraction techniques.
He came to Colorado four years ago as a mental health technician and was inspired to return to school, pivoting careers towards biology and ecology, after starting jobs both at the Denver Zoo and Colorado Parks & Wildlife. He plans to apply for grad school starting in 2027. In his free time Wesley enjoys gardening, language learning, gymnastics, and D&D.
Ariana Lazo
Ariana is a nursing student who wants to pursue a career in midwifery. Ariana is a member of the RRCC chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa society, and through that has spearheaded a project this year to bring composting to the Red Rocks Community College campus, as well as to increase the school’s recycling rates. The work has involved collaborating with leadership, researching, and then organizing events on campus to raise awareness and to educate the RRCC community about how to compost and recycle.
Ariana also took a lead on helping RRCC start an adult learners club to support other non-traditional students like herself and to provide a community and advocacy for them. Ariana, who is also a mom of five, has also served as President of the Association of Pre-Health Professionals, and graduating from TRIO’s Leadership Institute. She was accepted into the CU Anschutz UPP Program, continuing to grow through every opportunity Red Rocks has opened to her.
Inclusive Excellence Champion
This award recognizes students who make contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion practices on their campus.
Students for Human Rights Club
The Students for Human Rights club started to support students who are marginalized. Club leaders describe its start as “a seed of hope that sprouted into tangible change.” Over the past year, Victoria Maldonado, (president and co-founder), Isabella Heath (co-founder), Heather Volzke (vice president), and Claire Thennes (co-vice president) worked to develop events, distribute resources, educate the public, provide relief, and become a safe space for those who need it. Their projects have included:
- Partnering with a local non-profit that matches individuals in need to service dogs for free. They’ve been on campus a few times to increase awareness and provide stress relief during midterms and finals.
- Hosting an author, Irene Kim, to talk about her book, Korea Reunited: A Family's Lifelong Dream, where she explored themes of war, generational trauma, cultural identity, and the writing process.
- Hosting a speaker from the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado to educate and inform students of their rights when encountering police, especially in times of increasing immigration raids and provided educational material in the form of I.C.E raid kits to students, staff, faculty, and the local community.
- Working with the Psychology Club and psychology professor, Kyle Kelly, organized a behavioral health fair with more than 20 local organizations. The club made and distributed mental health goodie bags filled with resources, messages of hope, and reminders of self-worth.
The Students for Human Rights club started to support students who are marginalized. Club leaders describe its start as “a seed of hope that sprouted into tangible change.” Over the past year, Victoria Maldonado, (president and co-founder), Isabella Heath (co-founder), Heather Volzke (vice president), and Claire Thennes (co-vice president) worked to develop events, distribute resources, educate the public, provide relief, and become a safe space for those who need it. Their projects have included:
Partnering with a local non-profit that matches individuals in need to service dogs for free. They’ve been on campus a few times to increase awareness and provide stress relief during midterms and finals.
Hosting an author, Irene Kim, to talk about her book, Korea Reunited: A Family's Lifelong Dream, where she explored themes of war, generational trauma, cultural identity, and the writing process.
Hosting a speaker from the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado to educate and inform students of their rights when encountering police, especially in times of increasing immigration raids and provided educational material in the form of I.C.E raid kits to students, staff, faculty, and the local community.
Working with the Psychology Club and psychology professor, Kyle Kelly, organized a behavioral health fair with more than 20 local organizations. The club made and distributed mental health goodie bags filled with resources, messages of hope, and reminders of self-worth.
Rollie Heath Nominee
The Rollie Heath award is given to one student from the entire community college system who participated in concurrent enrollment while in high school.
Sarah Wilson
The nominee from Red Rocks Community College this year was Sarah, a student who started attending RRCC as a concurrently enrolled high school student from Summit Academy.
Sarah has spent two years enrolled at Warren Tech, where she pursued cosmetology while earning concurrent enrollment credits. She will continue taking courses at Red Rocks as she completes her program and prepares to graduate in May. Through her cosmetology training, she discovered a passion for helping others feel confident and express themselves.
She is also a member of the National Technical Honor Society, where she enjoyed supporting and mentoring her peers. Outside of academics, Sarah is an athlete on the Brighton High School Swim Team, where she served as Team Captain and developed strong teamwork and leadership skills. She also held the position of Vice President in her Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO), further demonstrating her commitment to leadership, service, and personal growth.
RRCC Awards
Outstanding Graduate
The Outstanding Graduate is selected from among nominations made by faculty, staff, and students. To be considered, a student must hold a minimum 3.2 cumulative GPA and have demonstrated a positive impact on the college/community through clubs, organizations, student government, employment, or community or campus service.
Victoria Maldonado
Victoria is a psychology student at RRCC that wants to be an art therapist or researcher in Puerto Rico, where one of her parents is from. This year, she has served as President of the Student Government helping lead members through difficult discussions understanding the budget and crafting a referendum campaign to make changes to student fees in a way that supports student interests. She is also Founder and President of the Students for Human Rights club and is graduating this spring with Honors.
Presidents SPIRIT Award
This award aims to recognize and encapsulate the spirit, service, and values of Red Rocks Community College.
Saige Chapin
Saige is a first-generation student who is representing RRCC at the state level as State Student Advisory Council (SSAC) Representative. She is pursuing degrees in Engineering, Mathematics, and Computer Science. She is also chair of the State Student Advisory Council, Vice President of Student Government, and President of the Womxn in STEM club. Saige never backs down from leadership opportunities where she can ensure students are represented and where she can speak up to help create safe spaces for all students.
Student Employee of the Year
This award honors a standout student employee who has made exceptional contributions to Red Rocks Community College. The recipient of this award exemplifies the values of our institution and goes above and beyond in their role.
Rob Johnson
Rob Johnson is a student who is driven and passionate about succeeding and helping others do the same. This May he is earning a certificate in Small Business: Entrepreneurship but is continuing his education and plans to earn an associate degree, a bachelor’s degree and possibly a master’s degree. He’s a graduate of the Gateway program, entering Red Rocks after recovering from substance abuse. He serves as treasurer of the Adult Learners Club and is now employed by the college as an instructor, putting his extensive years of experience in various industries to use teaching field leadership and construction tech courses.