College staff, faculty members honored for excellence in education

Brazosport College staff members Alicia Deleon, left, and Jennifer Kennon were recently named recipients of the League for Innovation in Community Colleges 2021-22 John & Suanne Roueche Staff and Faculty Excellence awards. Kennon was selected for the staff excellence award, while Deleon was the recipient of the teaching excellence award.

Brazosport College employees Alicia Deleon and Jennifer Kennon were recently honored by the college’s students, faculty and staff as representatives for the League for Innovation in Community Colleges 2021-22 John & Suanne Roueche Staff and Faculty Excellence awards.

Kennon, a College/Industry Coordinator for the Physical Sciences and Process Technologies division, was selected for the John & Suanne Roueche Staff Excellence Award, while Deleon, a Business Administration and Computer Technology department faculty member, was the recipient of the John & Suanne Roueche Teaching Excellence Award. As the 2021 teaching excellence recipient, Deleon also becomes BC’s Minnie Stevens Piper Professor Award nominee.

Deleon has been employed at Brazosport College for 31 years and has been teaching in higher education for 33 years. She graduated from University of Texas at El Paso with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.

“This was a genuine shock for me,” Deleon said. “There are so many wonderful and deserving people here at Brazosport College and I am totally humbled and honored to have been selected. My students are my greatest motivation and many of them overcome unsurmountable barriers to achieve their educational goals. I always feel so blessed to be a part of their journey.

“I teach because I love making a positive difference,” she added. “I see my role as a facilitator to learning. I always tell my students that their job is to work hard to learn, and my job is to help them succeed. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing students feel proud, motivated and encouraged when they grasp a hard concept and realize they are able and capable of achieving so much more.”

As for Kennon, she has been employed at Brazosport College for eight years, including the last three years in her current position in the Physical Sciences and Process Technologies division. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Child Development from University of North Texas.  

“This nomination and award were a great surprise for me,” Kennon said. “There are so many colleagues I was hoping to see receive this award, but I never expected to be one of them. I really feel like this job is the perfect combination of my education and past experiences — working with an amazing group of faculty and staff who genuinely care about student success.

“It takes all of us to put together schedules for our industry clients and for our program students,” she added. “I also enjoy advising our program students, making sure they are on target in their programs and connecting them with industry clients to perfect their resume and interview skills. BC has been a great landing spot for me and I look forward to many more years here.”

The John & Suanne Roueche Faculty and Staff Excellence Awards celebrate outstanding contributions and leadership by community college staff and faculty. Each academic year, member colleges are invited to select and submit names of individuals to be recognized as recipients of these prestigious awards.

For more information about the League for Innovation in Community Colleges John & Suanne Roueche Faculty and Staff Excellence Awards, visit its Web site at www.league.org. To learn more about Brazosport College, go online to www.brazosport.edu or call (979) 230-3000.