April 1, 2015
Mesa College Student Sarah Taha Named Among Nation’s Best
By Office of Communications
Sarah Taha, an Iraqi immigrant and honors student at San Diego Mesa College, was named
earlier this week as one of the top community college students in America. It’s been
a remarkable journey for Taha, who 10 years ago as a 16-year-old in Iraq had already
witnessed war and the fear of death, bombs and kidnappings.
Taha, now 26 and a resident of La Mesa, is one of only 20 to receive the All-USA Community
College Academic Team honor, which comes with a $5,000 scholarship and is presented
by Follett Higher Education Group. The awards were presented at the Phi Theta Kappa
(PTK) Honor Society’s Presidents Breakfast during the American Association of Community
Colleges Convention in San Antonio on Monday, April 20th. Mesa College President Pamela
Luster joined Sarah as she accepted the award.
The PTK awards program – considered one of the most prestigious in the country – is
designed to recognize two-year college students from across the USA who display an
outstanding combination of academic achievement and community service. The team of
20 was selected by a panel of judges from more than 1,700 students nominated by more
than 1,000 community colleges.
“Sarah is a perfect example of the power of resilience and humility,” said Dr. Pamela
Luster, president, who was with Sarah in San Antonio when she received her award.
“She is a model of Mesa College students who succeed despite adversity and who challenge
themselves to excel.”
On April 14, Taha and fellow Mesa student Judith Jaime, were named by the California
Commission for Community Colleges to the PTK All-California Academic team members.
As the top scorer in the State, Taha earned a $2,000 award as the 2014 Coca-Cola New
Century Scholar for California. She also received the prestigious $5,000 PTK Guistwhite
Scholarship Award.
This Friday, April 24th, at the Mesa College Scholarship Awards, Sarah is expected
to receive several more scholarships, including the $2,500 President’s Academic Excellence
and Service Award.
Taha was a senior in high school in November of 2006, when her father was shot and
killed by terrorists as punishment for allowing her two brothers to work as interpreters
with the U.S. forces. Her family was displaced; her education came to a halt. She
went into a deep depression. Eventually, the family found their way to America through
a special immigration visa, and Sarah found her way to Mesa.
“The community college experience can best be described as my ship to salvation,”
wrote Taha in her application. “It was my first glimpse of hope and my first step
towards my next life. I used to view education in the United States as unattainable
but I would eventually get it. I overcame the death of my father and war in Iraq.
Once I’ve done that, I can do anything.”
Taha graduates this May as a valedictorian, with a perfect GPA of 4.0. Following graduation
from Mesa, she will pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, with hopes
to achieve her Doctorate in Accounting and help those who are in the situation she
was able to escape. She wants to become social entrepreneur, and already has ideas
for an international enterprise that imports tea grown in Iraq and other Persian Gulf
countries to help bolster those communities. Locally, she has volunteered to raise
funds and awareness of the hungry and shelter-deprived.
This is the second year in a row a Mesa College student was named the top community
college student in California. Sarah Farmer, a psychology major at UCLA, was California’s
2014 New Century Scholar.
Tags: Students, All-USA, All-California Academic Team, Sarah Taha, Phi Theta Kappa
