Technical Campus Welding Professor Alfredo Garcia, who is the designated Education Chair for the Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) Lone Star District, attended the Inaugural PMA Lone Star Suppliers Expo in Grapevine earlier this month. At the expo, the PMA Lone Star District awarded three $1,500 scholarships to Collin College Welding program students.
Collin College had five singers participate in the Texoma Region Musical Theatre National Student Auditions (NSA). Four singers advanced from the preliminary round as semifinalists:
- Zoe Arriaga, Musical Theatre, Cat 5B (Arduino Studio)
- Mamie Van Meter, Musical Theatre, Cat 5B (Arduino Studio)
- Elbert Haney, Musical Theatre, Cat 6B (Carter Studio)
- Clara Moos, Musical Theatre, Cat 7B (Carter Studio)
Two singers advanced from the semifinal rounds to the final rounds, and both earned first place in their respective categories:
- Elbert Haney, 1st place Musical Theatre, Cat 6B (Carter Studio)
- Clara Moos, 1st place Musical Theatre, Cat 7B (Carter Studio)
Haney and Moos will advance to the National Association of Teachers of Singing NSA with singers from across the globe. Should they emerge as NSA semifinalists, they will compete live in San Antonio at the national conference this July. This is the first time Collin College has finalists in the Musical Theatre category.
Collin College Theatre alumnus, James Ortiz voiced and operated the puppet alien “Rocky” in the new blockbuster film featuring Ryan Gosling, Project Hail Mary.
The Collin College Child Development Lab School had its annual assessment/monitoring visit for the Texas Rising Star program. The assessor spent an hour in each classroom observing teacher-child interaction and the environment. The Child Developed Lab School maintained a four-star rating — the highest rating obtainable.
Collin College’s Phi Theta Kappa chapter received multiple awards highlighting their commitment to academic and career success. Among the most prestigious is the “Most Distinguished Chapter” awarded to the top chapter in the state out of 92 chapters.
For the 15th consecutive year, the Collin College Respiratory Care program will receive the Distinguished Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) Credentialing Success Award from the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC). The CoARC views the RRT credential as a measure of a program’s success in inspiring its graduates to achieve their highest educational and professional aspirations.
The Dental Hygiene program held their fourth annual Reclaim Smiles outreach event which provided preventive, therapeutic, non-surgical periodontal therapy, and restorative treatment for survivors of human trafficking. In collaboration with Reclaim611, 70 volunteers worked to provide comprehensive dental evaluations for 18 patients. The estimated cost of services provided to these patients was approximately $13,000.
Technical Campus Provost Dr. Brenden Mesch was a panelist for the 2026 Governor’s Small Business Summit with Allen Economic Development Corporation (EDC) Board member Kristina Holcomb moderating a group discussion focused on workforce development for small businesses. This was the first of many events planned throughout the state where local economic development groups, chambers of commerce groups, and the state EDC and Texas Workforce Commission representatives partner to support entrepreneurs.
A Technical Campus team, including Provost Dr. Brendan Mesch and Chief Human Resources Officer Dr. Allison Venuto among others, participated in the fifth annual Allen Chamber Corporate Challenge. Hosted at a Texas Health Resources training center, the challenge revolved around field-day-type activities. Team Collin’s proud moment of the day was their final score which beat the Allen Americans team!
A team of 105 faculty, students, staff, and community members gathered to remove trash from the Jeans Creek area near the McKinney Campus last week. The team collected a total of 96 full trash bags weighing in at 1116.28 lbs. The youngest trash collector was as young as 2.5 years old, a wonderful turnout for a great cause!
The Wylie Campus held its campus signature event “Shamrock Fest” last month with more than 1,000 attendees enjoying music, dancing, food, and fun.
The Farmersville Campus had their annual “Movie Night on the Lawn” hosting more than 350 attendees on campus to enjoy the full-length film How to Train Your Dragon.
Congratulations to Bachelor of Science in Clinical Operations Management Director Josh Snyder for earning his Ed.D. through Abilene Christian University. His dissertation was “Navigating the Shift: Supporting Health Sciences Faculty Transitioning from Industry to Asynchronous Online Education.”
Wylie Campus English Professor Buz Sawyers was part of writing a memoir titled Faith Through the Storm for Vietnam Marine veteran Major James Capers Jr. who was the first African American inducted into the Marine Special Forces among many other notable accomplishments. Sawyers was invited to the White House to attend Major Capers Jr.’s Medal of Honor induction ceremony.
Frisco Campus English Professor Dr. Lauryn Angel had her book titled Fandom, Feminism, and the Female Superhero on Film published by Bloomsbury last month.
Technical Campus History Professor Dr. Joe Jaynes presented “In the Room Where It Happens: Using Hamilton to Teach American History” at the World Social Science Association Conference in Albuquerque last month. This presentation explored innovative approaches to integrating musical theater into the teaching of American history.
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