Amarillo College's News Source Since 1930 Volume 91, Issue 6
AC loses first employee to COVID-19
acranger.com
Leaving the nest
Graduation speaker prepares for the next step By ALISSA SPANGLER Staff Reporter
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By CAYLEE HANNA Page Editor
Dr. Theresa Da Costa, 65, an Amarillo College English instructor, died Dec. 6, 2020, due to COVID-19. Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart notified the staff in an email. “I am heartbroken to report that our friend and colleague, Theresa Da Costa, passed away today. She was fighting health concerns complicated by COVID. I will miss her friendship and partnership.” Dr. Daniel Ferguson, the chair of the English department, said he learned Da Costa was in the hospital with COVID-19 on Nov. 23. Da Costa had been teaching three online English classes this semester, which another faculty member has now taken over. “Our goal is to work as much as we can to ensure student success,” Ferguson said. Becky Easton, the dean of liberal arts, said that Da Costa had an amazing impact on AC and that she had an astonishing background. “Dr. Da Costa made a huge positive difference at Amarillo College,” she said. “She was born in Uganda, went to high school in Italy and came to the United States to become a translator for the United Nations. She was fluent in six languages. Then, she realized that her heart was in education. Obviously, she was an expert in English, but English was not her first language. She knew firsthand what it’s like to be an immigrant and to create a fulfilling life for herself in the United States. Her life experiences, along with her hard work and love of learning, made her a role model to students, especially those who were born outside the U.S. or who speak other languages at home.” Ferguson said that Da Costa was funny and always found a way to make him laugh. “Dr. Da Costa liked to visit and had such a dry wit,” he said. “But she also had a goofy side. She would come to my classroom door and See DA COSTA, page 3
December 10, 2020
Sewar Ali is counting down the days to graduation. “I like to go above and beyond just because I know that I can, and I have the potential. Setting goals way higher than I expect myself to accomplish is what keeps me going,” the 2020 Amarillo College fall graduate said. This day is not only special because she will be graduating, but Ali has also been selected to be the commencement speaker for this year’s virtual ceremony. She said this accomplishment is only possible because of the connections she has made. “I didn’t realize how crazy networking can be and making connections. There are so many more people that go to Amarillo College that deserved to be speakers, but I had connections like Lesley Ingham, advisers, SGA and PTK. I was able to get to know President Russell Lowery-Hart and talk to him often,” she said. Being selected as the commencement speaker was not Ali’s only accomplishment. She was a part of the Presidential Scholars, Phi Theta Kappa and served as secretary for the Student Government in 2019.
FALL 2020
GRADUATION
CEREMONY
“I love AC, I ride for AC. The college has just done so much for us, and not every college will do that. I’m sad that it is not a four-year university, but I’m excited to leave the nest,” the future graduate said. After AC, Ali plans to transfer to Texas Tech University to obtain her bachelor’s degree in biology. When finished with her bachelor’s, she plans to go to medical school. While Ali has had many great accomplishments during her time at AC, she said she had to overcome her fair share of struggles. “The last few years I’ve struggled with depression after losing my grandma and my uncle. It was really hard to overcome that, but once I got a good therapist and a good support system it all helped a lot.” “I’ve been working to make monCOURTESY PHOTO ey for myself so that I don’t have to ask for money from my parents. I’ve just been working my butt off since my junior year of high school. Juggling work and school and gym and everything else has continued to be a struggle for me,” she said. The coronavirus pandemic has affected many things in Ali’s life, but she had some advice she wants everyone else to hear. “Just keep going, the world will not stop for us. We have to keep going.”
DECEMBER
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at 7 PM
Complete schedule of viewing opportunities can be found at www.actx.edu/graduation.
Leading through a pandemic By BETHANY FOX Staff Reporter
This semester has been an extremely difficult one, especially for Amarillo College’s president, Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart. Challenging decisions have been necessary in order to keep our campuses and community safe. In return, the college has been able to manage COVID fairly well, Lowery-Hart said. The president says his top priority is the safety of people on campus. In order to do that, the college continually evaluates the active cases. “If our rates start mirroring
our communities, we then discuss different responses,” Lowery-Hart said. “So far, our plan has kept our numbers well below the region and state.” The most burdensome decision Lowery-Hart said he has made was when he chose to allow staff and limited students to return to campus in July. “That was the toughest for me because it was the most uncertain and I was worried people would wear masks and we’d have an outbreak and people would die,” Lowery-Hart explained. “We make important decisions about the direction of our college and
community, but I’ve never had to make decisions that could be life or death.” Even though this transition was scary, Lowery-Hart said he trusted the science. “Science told us that if we wear masks, socially distance and wash our hands — we could work and stay protected. There is no secret code to leading and managing in this pandemic so we followed the science, picked our path and then monitored the numbers to ensure that it worked.” While leading the college through this pandemic, Lowery-Hart has recognized the toll it has taken. “I’ve really, really struggled personally
and professionally and I’ve not managed the burden well,” Lowery-Hart said. In order to stay positive, he said he has found some practical ways to alleviate the burden. “Reading helps – even if it’s just for fun. Staying virtually connected to faculty and staff has also helped.” Lowery-Hart encourages students and staff to remain vigilant. “It looks like a vaccine is coming in the spring, so we just have a few more months of diligence — and we must remain diligent until we can move beyond the pandemic,” Lowery-Hart said.