Each year, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) honors community college alumni who have gone on to do amazing things. This year, the association will recognize three people who are dedicated to serving their communities and their county. (See their profiles, below.)
AACC will celebrate the 2025 Outstanding Alumni and their colleges at AACC 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee, at the closing brunch event on April 16.
From HVAC business owner to Congress
When you ask Rep. Randy Weber (R-Texas) about one of the most important interactions of his life, he immediately brings up his time at Alvin Community College (ACC). The Texas native began taking classes at ACC in 1971 and would go on to take courses in the HVAC program.
In 1981, Weber started his own HVAC business in the greater Houston region. As his business grew, Weber turned his eye toward public service, serving on a city council and later in the state legislature, where he authored landmark legislation to combat human trafficking. In 2012, Weber was elected to Congress.
While ACC was the gateway to becoming a business owner and a public servant, it is also where Wever met his wife, Brenda. The congressman has long credited ACC for his success as a businessman and as a political figure. He has supported the college continuously, even using his 60th birthday as an opportunity to raise funds for ACC through a celebrity roast in 2013.
In 2023, Weber took time on the House floor to recognize ACC as an important catalyst in his life and the thousands of students it has educated in its 75-year history.
Repealing school segregation
For Sylvia Mendez, a lifelong quest for equality began in 1944 when she was just eight years old. Outraged that their daughter had to attend a segregated school, Mendez’s parents linked arms with other Latino families to fight injustice in a California federal court.
As she sat in court every day, she wasn’t thinking about integration. She was thinking about the playground.
“We didn’t have a playground in the Mexican school,” Mendez recalled. “All I was thinking while we were in court was ‘Oh, my God, someday they’re going to let us go to that White school, so we could have a playground.”
The judge decided in favor of Mendez in February 1946. He ordered the boards of Westminster and three other school districts to halt the desegregation practices among Mexican students. Shortly thereafter, legislation repealing school segregation statutes ended segregation in California.
Mendez v. Westminster was later cited in the historic 1954 case Brown v. Board of Education.
After high school, Mendez enrolled in Orange Coast College’s nursing program and graduated with an associate degree in nursing. At California State University, Los Angeles, she earned a bachelor’s in nursing and a certificate in public health. She worked in nursing for more than 30 years.
Since retiring, Mendez has traveled around the country, teaching others about her family’s legal case and encouraging young people to stay in school. In 2011, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.
Last year, Mendez visited Orange Coast College and she spoke about her experiences with Mendez v. Westminster and as an OCC student.
A changed man
While incarcerated, Cordero Holmes took educational opportunities that provided him on a path to become a community leader in the Phoenix, Arizona, area, especially in helping justice-involved youth.
A proud member of the Tohono O’odham Nation, Holmes’ educational journey began at Rio Salado College, where he enrolled while incarcerated. He completed certifications in addictions and substance use disorders and an associate in applied science degree in 2021. A year later, he finished an associate in the arts degree with an emphasis in psychology.
In 2024, Holmes completed a bachelor of public service and public policy degree at Arizona State University, and also earned his certified nonprofit professional credential. He is currently pursuing a master of science in criminology and criminal justice and a master of public administration. Al this while also raising four children.
Holmes’ educational accomplishments only paint part of the picture. He is director of Operations for Progress Pushers Arizona, where he trains mentors to work with young people, helping them navigate life after the justice system involvement. He also regularly volunteers at the Durango Juvenile Detention Center, offering guidance and encouragement to incarcerated youth.
Along the way, Holmes also earned many recognitions for his accomplishments, which include receiving the coveted Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship, serving as a STAR Fellow for the Urban Institute and being featured in a PBS documentary called “Being Free.” Most recently, he was selected for the 2025 Arizona State University Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Servant-Leadership Award.
Cordero’s journey reflects the transformative power of education, resilience, and the belief in second chances. He inspires all who hear his story to believe in their potential for growth and change.
