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Kaylee Angerer wins Outstanding Student Award

English professor Bill McCloskey presents to Kaylee Angerer the 2014-2015 Outstanding Student of the Year Award.

The Faculty Association awarded Kaylee Angerer the 2014-2015 Outstanding Student of the Year Award.

While presenting the award, Professor of English Bill McCloskey said he had the pleasure of having her in his Intro to Theater course.

“She is an outstanding student and person,” he said, adding, “If there was a Supplemental Instructor need for Theater, she would be my first choice.”

Angerer is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa national honor society.

“Whenever I walked through the Learning Assistance Lab, she is always there working with students,” McCloskey said. “And I always kid her that she never goes home.”

Angerer has been accepted in the honors program at Southern Illinois University, and was awarded the Dean’s Transfer Scholarship.

“We will miss you at Monroe County Community College,” McCloskey said.

After the award ceremony, Angerer was congratulated by fellow students and faculty.

"I love helping my fellow students,” she said. "It feels good to know the faculty noticed how hard I've been working.”

She especially thanked Geosciences Professor Lisa Scarpelli for helping her with attaining scholarships and getting accepted into SIU. She served as Scarpelli's Earth Science tutor and her Supplement Instructor. She also worked as a tutor for a variety math courses.

"She has been my No. 1 mentor all throughout college," Angerer said. 

She remarked how what Scarpelli has done in school is exactly what she wants to do.

 "I really hope to be a professor like her one day."

Angerer hopes to become an environmental engineer through a civil engineering degree designation, and has aspirations of working for the government's Environmental Protection Agency.

In addition, she plans to be a part of the Engineer's Abroad program. The main focus for the program is finding new solutions to getting clean water to people in need without access.

When working full time at her previous jobs, Kaylee felt the pressure to successfully balance her studies and making ends meet.

"I never lost sight that school was No. 1," she said.

She eventually decided to quit her higher paying job to make time for school, taking a position at campus even though it was a pay cut.

"I knew that school was my top priority," she said.

She is interning this summer at Gerdau Steel Mill in Monroe, but she hopes for the opportunity to tutor at Southern Illinois.