Two Maricopa Community College Students Selected for Coveted Role in Cisco's Largest Annual Consumer Conference
Tempe, AZ (PRWEB) April 11, 2014 -- The Maricopa Community Colleges today announced that two of its students have been selected to be in an exclusive group - the "Dream Team" - that will receive a full paid trip to Cisco's Cisco Live conference, the networking giant's largest annual customer-focused event. Andreas "Andy" Gronen (Chandler-Gilbert CC) and Rhasaan Kimbrough (South Mountain CC) were selected to this year's cadre of ten students. The conference takes place next month in San Francisco.
Applications are submitted from across the United States and Canada; selections were based on technical and professional skills, instructor recommendations, activities outside the classroom, and geographical and individual diversity. As a member of the "Dream Team," students work closely with Cisco engineers during the annual conference. More specifically, the Cisco Live Networking Operations Center (NOC) team provides on-site wireless network support for the event, which is expected to bring a record attendance of nearly 25,000 in-person participants.
"We're proud of Rhasaan and Andy and their accomplishments," said Dr. Maria Harper-Marinick, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost. "Their selection to this prestigious team is a significant achievement for them as well as an indication of the quality STEM instruction provided by the outstanding faculty at Maricopa Community Colleges."
About the Winners
Rhasaan Kimbrough holds CCNA and CCNA-Security certifications and is currently enrolled in CCNP. A veteran of the United States Air Force, he received several awards and accolades while maintaining and troubleshooting advanced technological equipment. Rhasaan currently works for Level 3, supporting the IT Help Desk. He enthusiastically tutors fellow students, and ran a community-based business that provided support services to the families of prison inmates.
"I'm looking forward to the hands-on opportunities that will help catapult my career to the technical engineering world as a networking engineer," Kimbrough said.
Andreas "Andy" Gronen has received CCNA certification and is enrolled in CCNP. He is an international student from Italy with a bachelor's in Economics and a Masters in Game Design. He has maintained a 4.0 GPA in all of his IT courses, and recently placed 9th nationally in the Cisco NetRiders competition. He currently provides customer care for GoDaddy and is a project coordinator with the University of Advancing Technology (UAT).
"Being part of the Cisco Dream Team for Cisco Live 2014 is a huge learning and networking opportunity for me," said Gronen. "I know that the experience will be incredible both on an interpersonal and technical level, and I think I will learn hands-on skills like never before. This level and scale of network is certainly unprecedented for me and I plan on making the most of the experience by learning all I can and meeting numerous interesting people from different backgrounds to further expand my worldview."
About Cisco Live
Cisco Live is Cisco's premier education and training destination for IT professionals worldwide. Participants are offered unparalleled opportunities to increase knowledge of Cisco products and solutions via in-person events, live webcasts, and on-demand learning opportunities. In 2014, there are four Cisco Live events: U.S.A, Mexico, Italy and Australia.
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The Maricopa Community College system includes 10 colleges - Chandler-Gilbert, Estrella Mountain, GateWay, Glendale, Mesa, Paradise Valley, Phoenix, Rio Salado, Scottsdale and South Mountain. It also includes a Corporate College, the Maricopa Skill Center, Southwest Skill Center, and several satellite campuses and business/industry, technical and customized training institutes.
The Maricopa County Community College District is an EEO/AA institution and an equal opportunity employer of protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.
Tricia Moore, PIO, Rio Salado College, http://spot127.org/content/about-spot127, +1 480-774-8459, [email protected]
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