NORTH COAST, Calif. – Mendocino College math majors Levi Baguley and Jeremy Ronco were awarded $1,000 each from the California Mathematics Council, Community Colleges (CMC3) Foundation.

The scholarships are funded by donations made by community college math instructors from throughout Northern California and Nevada.

Baguley, in his last semester at Mendocino College, first discovered an interest in math as a freshman in high school.

Since attending Mendocino College, his passion for the subject has grown. Baguley serves the college community on the Math, Engineering, and Science Achievement, or MESA, Leadership Council as vice president and as a leader of the Academic Excellence Workshop.

He has participated in the Dwight D. Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship program and the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholar program. In the latter, he was part of a team that won a rover design competition.

Baguley was nominated for the award by Mendocino College mathematics Professor Leslie Banta. Banta noted that Baguley “has a natural curiosity that leads him to explore concepts” and that he “embraces a good challenge.”

Banta, along with Professor Roger Ahders, considers Baguley to be one of the most promising students they have ever taught. These traits will serve Baguley well when he transfers to in the fall to pursue a degree in applied mathematics.

Ronco, a returning student, has worked 16 years in the civil engineering field, most recently for the city of Willits.

He first attended evening algebra classes at Mendocino College, and by the time he reached calculus classes he found himself loving both math and school.

Ronco serves the college community by leading the Physics for Scientists and Engineers III Workshop and organizing study groups with other MESA students.

He also assists physics professor, Dr. Timothy Beck, with a project to track and predict the trajectories of meteorites, a collaboration with the International Meteor Organization.

Ronco was nominated for the award by mathematics Professor Casey Terrill. Ronco is “unique in that his learning doesn’t end when a course ends,” and Terrill expects that “he will excel as a graduate student.”

Banta considers his work and insights in the subject of mathematics to have “far exceeded those of other students” at the undergraduate level.

Ronco will be transferring to pursue a degree in engineering to become a fully licensed engineer.

The mathematics department at Mendocino College offers a full range of courses to serve the educational needs of students from a variety of backgrounds.

The Associate Degree for Transfer in Mathematics fully prepares students who seek to transfer to a university for further study in mathematics.

The math department faculty and the MESA program are focused on student success, offering students mentoring and internship opportunities as well as tutoring and personal guidance in math education.

The Mendocino College Ukiah campus is located at 1000 Hensley Creek Road, Ukiah, and at www.mendocino.edu.

Janelle Bird is interim director of community relations and communication at Mendocino College.