Two GateWay Community College students are the latest to make the All Arizona Academic Team for 2020. Matthew Berkes and Andrew De Nardo will each receive scholarships to one of the Arizona state universities of their choice in the form of a tuition waiver. This prestigious award is only open to students earning an associate degree and who maintain a GPA of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
Berkes, a math major, stumbled upon GateWay while working a call center job in 2017 and never looked back.
He first enrolled at GateWay after attending a Power Math Camp held by the school’s Learning Center, stating, “I had a great time there, so I decided to stay and sign up for classes!”
He enjoys math and science so much that he even serves as a math tutor to his peers.
Currently, Berkes is a Phi Theta Kappa member, TRIO Program Participant, and he also finds time to volunteer at St. Vincent de Paul.
“Being selected for this award is an honor and will certainly make it easier for me to afford college and ultimately reach my goal of earning a graduate degree,” said Berkes.
He has plans on transferring to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University, where he hopes to earn a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics. Eventually, he would like to make learning about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) easier and more fun for future students.
For De Nardo, a Nuclear Medicine Technology major, his sights are set on earning a Bachelor of Science in Diagnostic Imaging and Therapy through the concurrent program with Northern Arizona University.
Further down the line, De Nardo would like to continue his education in medical school by studying to become a surgeon with a concentration in neurology or cardiology.
He said the faculty at GateWay were major influencers in pushing him through personal life experiences. “Their professional opinions and friendly advice serve as admirable inspirations of the type of man I should aspire to be every day,” noted De Nardo.
Possibly the most influential experience at Gateway for De Nardo was during the regional conference that his chapter of Phi Theta Kappa attended at Yavapai College.
“During the conference I had met so many inspirational peers from different institutions, and had heard so many amazing stories that it made me realize I had the ability to make a major impact on not only my own life, but all the lives that surround me as well,” he said.
De Nardo is part of the President’s Honor Roll, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, and Maricopa Community Colleges Honors program at GateWay. He also works as a chemistry and anatomy tutor.
He was just accepted into the 2020-2021 cohort program and will be taking bachelor’s degree courses in conjunction with the program courses and graduating from both Northern Arizona University and Gateway Community College by the end of Summer 2022 with his associate and bachelor’s degrees.
Berkes and De Nardo will be recognized, along with 89 students from community colleges across the state, at the All AZ Academic Team event on Feb. 27, at Arizona State University West.