Honorable Mention Winner
Nancy McGrotty
Pasco-Hernando Community College
Senior in Legal Assisting
3.63 GPA
     As a non-traditional student, Nancy McGrotty says she arrived on campus full of mixed emotions, ranging from anticipation to fear. "I saw all these young, bright faces and I couldn’t imagine what I was doing there," says McGrotty, 53. "I felt like I didn’t fit in."
     But fit in she did. "I decided that if I was going to immerse myself into the entire college experience, it would be full tilt," McGrotty says. "I wanted to enjoy each aspect of college life."
     As Student Government Association president, McGrotty conducts weekly meetings, acts as a liaison between the administration and SGA, and attends leadership conferences. Also, as vice president of Phi Theta Kappa’s Alpha Epsilon Upsilon chapter, she helped double enrollment by spicing up the orientations with Power Point presentations and a relaxed social atmosphere. In addition, McGrotty serves on the Council for Student Services and as a member of the business leadership organization Phi Beta Lambda.
     Connie LaMarca-Frankel, PTK advisor, says that McGrotty is great at team building and also is an excellent listener. "Nancy has a gift for working with people," she says. "She leads by example, never asking anyone to do anything she wouldn’t do herself. Nancy motivates people by helping them to find their strengths and apply them while at the same time she encourages them to take risks and find within themselves more than they thought possible."
     Besides her campus leadership, McGrotty is involved with community-service projects, such as the "Relay for Life," where she acts as team co-captain with Tammy Patascher, holding fund-raisers, such as a Hawaiian-themed hula-hoop contest. Plus, for the American Heart Association’s "Heart Walk 2000," she took on the role of team leader, recruiting 10 walkers for her team. Together they earned more than $1,000 in donations.
     "One of the projects I hold dearest is the efforts made by many to institute awareness of the domestic violence issue," McGrotty says. "I’m also very proud and excited to be involved in the ‘America’s Promise’ program, which strives to help all of our children." For this activity,   PTK members go to local domestic violence shelters and help children make Christmas cards for their mothers around the holidays. "I try to work as a team," McGrotty says. "I’m firm, and I use that in a polite and approachable way to encourage group work."
     Bobby Bowman, PHCC’s athletic director, says that McGrotty is an inspirational leader. "Nancy is an outstanding student and has unlimited potential as a student leader and person," he says. "She is a dedicated hard worker that always sets high goals for herself, and someone that is highly thought of by PHCC staff, faculty members, and her many peers."
     Because McGrotty wanted to see more advisors interact with students on a social basis, she also instituted the first-ever "Official Advisor Donut Day" in September 2000. The last Monday of every month in the term is reserved for club advisors, instructors, and administrators to attend the SGA meeting. Afterward, students can meet with them in a more casual atmosphere to share refreshments. "Advisor Donut Day was met with a heart-warming response from both students and advisors alike," McGrotty says. "I feel it’s so important to set goals, even small ones like this, and to really follow through with them."
     As for expenses, McGrotty supports herself through the Veterans Administration Chapter 35 Program—a financial assistance program that provides aid to the dependents of disabled and deceased veterans—scholarships, and a job.
Contact McGrotty at nancymcgrotty@hotmail.com.