Among the students taking part in the 2006 Commencement ceremonies at Anoka-Ramsey Community College (ARCC) in May, two stand out for having earned the college’s highest achievement. Each Spring, ARCC names an Outstanding Student of the Year on each campus. The 2006 award went to sophomore Gary Steffenson on the Cambridge Campus and sophomore Leah Dodds on the Coon Rapids Campus.

Steffenson, of Cambridge, Minn., has graduated with an Associate of Arts degree. He plans to pursue a career working with special needs students. He has already begun taking classes at St. Cloud State University and plans to transfer there full time and earn a degree in Special Education. While at ARCC, he served as president of his Phi Theta Kappa honor society chapter and chaired the chapter’s Relay for Life team. In addition, he was selected for the 2006 All-Minnesota Academic Team.

Dodds, of Ramsey, Minn., has graduated with an Associate of Fine Arts degree in Music. An accomplished pianist, she has won a full scholarship to Augsburg College and plans to attend this fall and major in Piano Performance. Dodds, who received home schooling until her high school graduation in 2005, first attended ARCC in the Post Secondary Educational Options (PSEO) program. While she was a PSEO student, she was selected as ARCC's Music Student of the Year in 2004.

ABOUT ANOKA-RAMSEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Anoka-Ramsey Community College, with campuses in Cambridge and Coon Rapids, has been a leading provider of higher education and training in East Central Minnesota since 1978 and the north suburban area of Minneapolis/St. Paul since 1965. Annually, the college serves more than 9,700 learners of all ages as they pursue associate degrees that transfer as the first two years of a bachelor's degree, or certificate programs that lead immediately to rewarding careers. ARCC is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System.