Two graduating Lamar Community College students were named to the Colorado Community College System annual Rising Star list. Rayce Coen and James Moffett were celebrated along with 25 students from across Colorado, one college employee and one college president the Auraria Campus in Denver.

"This is a special event that I look forward to each year," said Colorado Community College Chancellor, Joe Garcia. "We are incredibly proud of our students and in awe of their commitment outside of the classroom, on and off-campus, to champion what they believe in. They will no doubt continue to make us proud as they take on their next academic chapter and career endeavors."

The awards, made possible through the support of the Colorado Public Employees' Retirement Association and Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative, honor students and staff who have made key contributions to the overall success of their colleges and communities.

"Rayce and James have made a positive and meaningful impression on campus," said LCC President Dr. Linda Lujan. "Their passion for assisting their fellow students is commendable and we wish them the best as they continue their education this fall."

As a member of LCC's Student Government Association, Coen served as State Student Advisory Council Representative and lobbied at the state level to remove restrictions on student leadership. In addition to SGA, Coen is the president of the Agriculture Club where he works with SGA to encourage and increase collaboration among student groups and contributed to conversations about working with the local food bank to create a garden that would allow them to provide produce for their clients. Off campus, Cohen supports Pedals to Plains and highway beautification projects. He also judges Future Farmers of America contests at LCC and served as the FFA State Reporter for the 2017-2018 year, which included traveling throughout the United States and abroad promoting agriculture, and was a delegate for FFA at its national conference. Coen, a resident of Wiley, will graduate with an Associate's of General Science degree and intends to transfer to West Texas A&M to major in Ag Business with the ultimate goal of returning to the Lamar to open a crop-dusting business.

Moffett has been active in SGA and Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society. While part of SGA, he, like Coen, supported collaboration with the LCC Agriculture Club and local food bank. His work with PTK focused mostly on outreach efforts encouraging students to get involved. On campus, Moffett is a member of the Lopes Men's Basketball team where he excels as a team player and encouraging teammate. Off campus, he volunteers with the National Sports Center for the Disabled helping individuals look beyond their disability to ski and snowboard and with a Denver youth sports organization where he referees and acts as an assistant manager for coordinating soccer, football, baseball, lacrosse and basketball leagues. A resident of Denver, Moffett will graduate with an Associate's of Science degree and hopes to transfer to a university where he can study abroad while majoring in Environmental Science or Business.