Sophomore Barbara Araoz (Neuquen, Argentina/Maria Auxiliadota) of the Marshalltown Community College women's basketball team has been named to the Phi Theta Kappa 2017 All-Iowa Academic Team.
Araoz, a psychology major, was nominated for the team and was hand-selected as just one of two MCC students to be named to the team. Araoz joined fellow MCC student Hannah Stone on the PTK All-Iowa Academic Team. Along with an outstanding academic resume, Araoz participated in multiple community service projects throughout her career as a Tiger to set her apart on campus.
"It's a great honor to be able to represent the school," Araoz stated. "It's very satisfying to know that people on campus recognize the time and efforts that my family and I have put in to reach this point."
A native of Argentina, Araoz touched on her time spent as a Tiger. "It's been a great experience at Marshalltown. I came here to play basketball, but as the time went on I found I could do a lot of other things. It's satisfying when you're far away from home and you can occupy your time with something that allows you to give back to the school. Marshalltown has given me so much these last two years and to be able to give back is a great feeling."
MCC women's basketball head coach Steve Garber praised Araoz for her commitment to success throughout her career. "Barbara's focus as a student-athlete is equally approached from both the athletic side, of which her work ethic and commitment are daily rituals, to the academic side which consistently applies over her two years with those same values. Her commitment to show the maturity of a leader in both athletics and academics is a proven commodity, with her improvements as a basketball player over time and as an excellent student in each semester of her attendance here at MCC. We are privileged to have had as high of a quality person in our community such as Barbara Araoz."
Araoz, who helped guide the Tigers to a seven-win improvement from the 2015-16 season, is a three-time member of the NJCAA Academic All-Region XI First-Team. As a freshman, Araoz earned the NJCAA Pinnacle Award after posting a 4.0 GPA and received All-Region XI Honorable Mention honors for her play on the court.
To read the full MCC article: MCC & IVG students named to 2017 All-Iowa Academic Team
Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society is the largest honor society in American higher education and serves as the official honor society of two-year colleges.
