Klamath Community College has, for the second year in a row, a top student receiving a New Century Pathway Transfer Scholarship award from Phi Theta Kappa honor society.
The monetary scholarship, sponsored by Coca-Cola Co., was granted to Emilee Lindquist a KCC student studying agriculture sciences, who plans to transfer to a university and eventually become a large animal veterinarian.
The New Century Pathway Transfer scholarship is only available to one student per state, per year.
Last year, KCC’s Matthew Ebner won the state award. Ebner, who graduated in 2024, is attending Oregon Institute of Technology and plans to study dentistry at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU).
“To obtain this statewide recognition is rare,” said KCC President Roberto Gutierrez. “To do it two years in a row is exceptional. We couldn’t be prouder of Emilee at KCC for earning this honor. It is another example of how our faculty, staff and students work hard every day to ensure student success.”
To become a Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) honor society member, a student must hold a 3.5 GPA or higher during their community college years. Being a PTK member comes with multiple honors, including scholarship opportunities.
Last year, Lindquist was the recipient of a Leaders of Promise scholarship. There are multiple state and national scholarships available to PTK members, in fields ranging from poetry to nursing.
Lindquist, 20, a graduate of Redmond High School in 2023, originally chose KCC to earn prerequisites through the Agricultural Science pathway. She switched her major to obtain an Associate of Science and will be graduating from KCC this spring, transferring to Iowa State University to continue her education in Animal Science.
“My long-term career and educational goal is to become a large animal veterinarian,” she said, “specializing in emergency medicine for swine and ruminant species.”
While attending KCC, Lindquist works part-time at Goodell Veterinary Clinic. She is in her first year of service with the National Junior Swine Association Junior Board of Directors and will continue with her second and final year through 2026.
Lindquist was born and raised in Central Oregon. She has a younger brother, Jacob, who now lives with her mother in Minnesota. She attended schools in Bend and Redmond, joining the Redmond FFA Chapter as a freshman. In high school, she was active in the FFA and 4-H programs within her chapter and state.
She has raised and exhibited swine, rabbits and goats, competed in multiple career development events, and held various officer positions. In 2022, she competed at the National FFA Livestock Judging contest, where she won an individual gold, and silver with her team.
Additionally, Lindquist ran in track and field, sang in the choir, and was an officer for the Oregon Junior Pork Producers. Through her extracurricular activities, she was part of several service opportunities including food and clothing drives, tutoring and fire evacuation resources for families and livestock during the summer and spring months.
The scholarship amount is given to the student directly for any use needed while pursuing educational commitments, including housing, supplies, tuition, groceries, etc.
“I will be using my scholarship funds to assist in my tuition for the upcoming year at Iowa State University. As a pre-veterinary student, I can expect at least six more years of school and I’m sure of some student financial challenges along the way,” she said. “This scholarship and others that I have applied for and/or obtained will help to limit those financial barriers.
“I appreciate that KCC has so many diverse groups and clubs, but also offers multiple different academic pathways for students, rather than just the common general programs,” Lindquist said.
“Being from Central Oregon, there were community colleges and universities closer to me, but I know many students, including myself, who came to KCC to pursue an associate in a specific field that was otherwise not offered by another college. I think having those specified pathways is one of the reasons why so many students enjoy their time and courses as a student.
“I have successfully worked with KCC faculty and Iowa State University to be best prepared for the transferring process next year; communication between the colleges is something I would recommend to all students who will continue their education past the community college level,” she said.
“Last but not least, most instructors at KCC, specifically in the science department, work very hard to help students achieve success. Eleazar Gutierrez has been the most helpful instructor I’ve had at KCC but specifically in the science department. I have taken multiple courses with him and have been eager and excited in every course. He has opened many opportunities for me and other students in and outside of the classroom. I also had chemistry courses with Barbra Mann, who was very helpful and flexible with lectures and labs, especially with students perusing a chemistry related career and the fire science department.
“Professors make all the difference in students’ enthusiasm and commitment to their education, and I have been extremely fortunate to have been on the receiving end of many acts of selflessness during my time here.
“I will forever be grateful for choosing to take the community college route at KCC prior to entering the remainder of my higher educational experiences,” Lindquist said.
For more information about KCC and its programs, visit www.klamathcc.edu.
