Profiles - About Alumni for April 2009

Featured Alum: Anne Meyers, 1989-1991, Humanities

In 1988, while attending a Rotary luncheon with her husband, Anne Myers struck up a conversation with a physician who was in on the ground floor of bringing Yavapai College to Prescott. During that conversation, Anne expressed a regret that she had never attended college. The physician encouraged her to enroll at Yavapai College, which Anne did, first taking ENG 101 and PSY 101.

Anne reports "I learned so much at Yavapai, about art, literature, history, philosophy and even algebra and physics. The professors, at Yavapai College--including Serge Ainsa, David Hochstedler, and Roz Ashby--were among the best of my academic career. To this day, when I sit down to write a legal pleading, I am grateful for the essay exams in Western Civilization class where I first learned to quickly distill and critically examine the ideas of others."

After three years of attending at classes at Yavapai, part time, Anne had two years worth of college credits and a 3.96 GPA. When her marriage ended in June 1991, Anne and her two daughters (then ages 7 and 9) moved into Anne's mother's home in Scottsdale, AZ. By July 1991, Anne's Yavapai experience resulted in admission to Arizona State University's Honors College and a Trustee's Scholarship.

Her first year at ASU, Anne worked nights for an answering service, and went to school during the day and volunteered in her youngest daughter's classroom during the afternoons. During her second and third years at ASU, Anne tutored high school students in preparation for the SAT. Anne graduated from ASU's Honors College, cum laude, in May 1994. Before she graduated Anne took the LSAT (law school admissions boards) and scored in the 95th percentile.

In May 1994, Anne gained admission to Cornell Law School, and was awarded a scholarship there. She graduated from Cornell in May 1997. While at Cornell Anne was an editor of Lii - Cornell's on line legal journal - and was a member of the Moot Court Honors Board.

Today Anne practices as a trial lawyer in Philadelphia. Anne's youngest daughter is 26 years old; she's married and has a little boy. Anne's eldest daughter is 28; she is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College and is engaged to be married in May of this year.

Anne insists, "If it were not for my days at Yavapai College I would not have been able to recover as quickly and as effectively as I did, when my husband left me in June of 1991. I can't imagine where I would be now, if not for Yavapai College. But I guarantee, I would not be practicing law before the oldest courts in this country."

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Shaunte Duarte, Class of 2008, Softball Team

Former Yavapai Softball Player Faring Well At Next Level

As written up in The Daily Courier, Monday, March 02, 2009

Shaunte Duarte, left, earned second team all-American honors as a sophomore on the Yavapai College softball team last season. She's off to a good start at the University of New Mexico this year.

Duarte was named Mountain West Conference Player of the Week last week. She went 7-for-10 from the plate with two doubles, four walks, four RBIs and six runs scored in four games played.

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YC Roughrider Soccer Players, Class of 2009

YC Soccer Players Moving On

As written up in The Daily Courier, Monday, March 02, 2009

The record-breaking sophomore class from the 2008 National Champion Yavapai College soccer team recently announced where six of its members will continue their educational and playing careers.

The back-four defense of Jeff Bendawald, Chris Hunter, Evan McNiel and Dirk Petersen, as well as goalkeeper Sam Hayden and record-setting attacker Justin Meram have all signed with NCAA Div. 1 programs.

Name - School (major):

1. Hayden - UC-Santa Barbara (Psychology)
2. Bendawald - Ohio State (Business Man.)
3. Hunter - UC-Santa Barbara (Psychology)
4. Meram - Michigan (Bio & Dentistry)
5. McNiel - UC-Santa Barbara (Business)
6. Petersen - UC-Irvine (Psychology)

The players were part of the team that went 26-0-0 in 2008, setting a college record for wins at any level in one season. In their two-year careers they won back-to-back national titles and went a combined 50-2-0.

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