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​Mustang of the Month

Mustang of the Month is designed to highlight employees that exemplify Norco College's core commitments mentioned below.

Nominations are solicited from Norco College employees. The college president will select a recipient each month whose achievements fit the criteria.​​

​Award recipients will receive corral bucks and college-wide recognition.

 

Core Commitments 

Access – Be accessible Norco College Be a Mustang Manifesto
Equity – Be equity minded
Student Success – Champion and celebrate student success
Expertise – Be an expert in your field
Mutual Respect – Practice mutual respect with a belief in personal dignity
Collegiality – Be an excellent colleague accepting different perspectives with respect
Inclusiveness – Be inclusive
Integrity – Model integrity by maintaining an open, honest, and ethical space
Quality – Be a person of quality in all things
Environmental Stewardship – Foster environmental responsibility
Innovation – Innovate, inspire & seek creative solutions
Civic Engagement – Engage and listen to the Norco College Community

Nominate TODAY!​


​​Recipients​

Mustang of the Month January 2024 Nicole Brown

2024

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​​​Gustavo Oceguera
Gustavo Oceguera
March 2024

Dr. Oceguera's dedication and commitment to our college community have made a profound impact on our students and staff alike.
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​​​Victor Chavira
Victor Chavira
February 2024

Victor’s nominator writes that he has “gone above and beyond to ensure the college's operations are up and running.”
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​​​Nicole Brown
Nicole Brown
January 2024

Nicole's nominator commends her as an expert in curriculum and FLEX, serving as a valuable resource to faculty, classified professionals, and administrators.
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Mustang of the Month January 2023 Steven Gonzalez

2023

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​​​Hayley Ashby
Hayley Ashby
December 2023

Dr. Hayley Ashby has been instrumental in supporting the planning efforts of the college in a number of ways that support student transformation, college transformation, and effectiveness, planning and governance.
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​​​Katie Arnhart
Katie Arnhart
November 2023

Katie was selected for her ‘can do’ approach to her work and the spirit of collaboration she brings to her department that reaches the entire campus.
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​​​Desiree Wagner
Desiree Wagner
October 2023

Desiree was nominated for how brilliantly she goes about serving as critical administrative support to the office of Planning and Development.
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​​​Brittnee Quintanar
Brittnee Quintanar
September 2023

Brittnee is the Faculty Team Lead for Guided Pathways and an associate faculty member in the counseling department with a strong commitment to student equity and student success.
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​​​Araceli Covarrubias
Araceli Covarrubias
August 2023

Araceli’s nominator writes about the amazing work she does in her leadership roles with the Faculty Association and as co-chair of the Art, Humanities, and World Languages department.
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​​​Caitlin Busso
Caitlin Busso
July 2023

Caitlin’s nominators highlight her superb research skills and innate ability to understand the complexities of the college as true qualities of a Mustang of the Month.
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​​​Cecilia Ramirez
Cecilia Ramirez
June 2023

Cecilia’s nominators describe her as equity minded, collaborative, gregarious, and loving.
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​​​Ashlee Johnson
Ashlee Johnson
May 2023

Ashlee has been a steadfast leader in assessment for several years helping to reshape how assessment is done at Norco College.
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​​​Dallas Carter
Dallas Carter
April 2023

Dallas exemplifies the ‘nc Mustang Way’ by generously giving her time and talents to creating a professional platform to launch the Black Student Network.
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​​​Dana White
Dana White
March 2023

Dana’s positive energy and enthusiasm for faculty development bring a breath of fresh air to professional development events.
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​​​Kasey Boyer
Kasey Boyer
February 2023

Kasey’s nominator writes, “In support of our educational partnerships, Kasey stepped up by visiting all of our high school sites, hosting parent night, and assisting hundreds of high school students get enrolled in their dual enrollment classes.”
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​​​Steven Gonzalez
Steven Gonzalez
January 2023

Steven’s nominator writes, “Steven is an all-star employee who is willing to go above and beyond the call of duty for students and colleagues.”
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Mustang of the Month June 2022 Norma Casas

2022

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​​​Chef Antonio Muniz
Chef Antonio Muniz
December 2022

Chef Antonio leads an amazing team in the Corral where he connects with students and listens to their feedback for healthier and more diverse menus.
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​​​Christopher Castillo Gonzalez
Christopher Castillo Gonzalez
November 2022

Christopher is recognized for his work building a community, awareness, and advocacy for our LGBTQIA+ and Undocumented students.
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​​​Amy Kramer
Amy Kramer
October 2022

Amy is recognized for the many ways she goes above-and-beyond supporting students across Special Funded Programs.
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​​​​​​Dr. Sigrid Williams
Dr. Sigrid Williams
September 2022

Dr. Williams is a dedicated advocate for the Administration of Justice discipline and students at Norco College.
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​​​Gilbert DeLeon
Gilbert DeLeon
August 2022

Gilbert was selected as Mustang of the Month for the generosity of spirit he brings to his work in the Counseling department.
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​​​Miguel Castro
Miguel Castro
July 2022

Miguel was nominated for his role in tirelessly communicating and coordinating with students requesting laptops, hotspots, and textbooks through the Library's Laptop, Hotspot and Textbook loan programs.
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​​​Norma Casas
Norma Casas
June 2022

Norma’s nominator describes her as “queen of the kitchen in all areas of food services.”
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​​​Norco College IDS Team
Norco College IDS Team
May 2022

This phenomenal group was nominated for the collective heaving lifting they did in rearranging the scheduling for the fall.
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​​​Brady Kerr
Brady Kerr
April 2022

Brady was nominated because of the high quality of care he has for students.
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​​​​​​Leticia Martinez
Leticia Martinez
March 2022

Leticia is recognized for her respectful, caring, and kind attitude towards students and for being an excellent resource and advocate for our students.
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​​​Dr. Virgil Lee
Dr. Virgil Lee
February 2022

Dr. Lee was nominated by more than one person, each described his inclusive spirit, keen editing eye, and above all his sense of fairness.
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​​​Art Yalong & Jeff Buch
Art Yalong & Jeff Buch
January 2022

Anyone who has encountered these two gentlemen can attest to their excellent work ethic and willingness to lend a hand.
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Mustang of the Month March 2021 Ruth Jones-Santos

2021

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​​​Dan Lambros
Dan Lambros
December 2021

Dan was nominated for his constant willingness to go above and beyond to fix our technical problems which often arise at critical times.
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​​​Melissa Bader
Melissa Bader
November 2021

Melissa was nominated by more than one person! A nominator writes that she is “an incredibly hardworking person with consistent focus on the mission of our college. She is collaborative, innovative and passionate about all things Norco College.”
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​​​Dr. Jason Parks
Dr. Jason Parks
October 2021

Dr. Parks received an enthusiastic nomination for several reasons including his devotion to the college, consistent availability, and inclusivity.
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​​​Cathleen Chou & Virginia Perez of Health Services
Health Services Team
September 2021

Cathleen Chou, interim Director of Student Health Services and Virginia Perez, Medical Administrative Assistant, were nominated for implementing a smooth vaccination verification process and for their exemplary efforts ensuring that our students were able to safely enter the fall term.
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​​​Dr. Alexis Gray
Dr. Alexis Gray
August 2021

Dr. Gray is recognized for her skilled and effective teaching and program development, and for her work as Chair for the Program Review Committee through two accreditation cycles.
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​​​Justin Czerniak
Justin Czerniak
July 2021

Justin’s nominator submitted his name for consideration for his “excellent work during the pandemic and his incredible collaboration to assist with the reopening of the campus safely.”
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​​​Norco College Custodial Team
Norco College Custodial Team
June 2021

Norco College is fortunate to have a team of dedicated and talented classified professionals preparing the college for the safe return of our colleagues and students.
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​​​​​​Denise Terrazas
Denise Terrazas
May 2021

Denise's nominator writes, “Denise tirelessly supports the college community in her role in the President's Office with grace, diplomacy, and amazing professionalism.
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​​​Jim McMahon
Jim McMahon
April 2021

Jim’s nominator writes that he is “a strong and reliable leader that keeps the Maintenance, Grounds and College Utilization team together, collaborative and working at peak performance.”
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​​​Ruth Jones-Santos
Ruth Jones-Santos
March 2021

Ruth has been nominated for how brilliantly she embodies the Norco Mustang spirit to ensure that students come first.
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​​​Dr. Sarah Burnett
Dr. Sarah Burnett
February 2021

Dr. Burnett is a true champion of students. Her nominator writes “Dr. Burnett is a tireless advocate not only for our students, but for the next generation of Mustangs.”
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​​​David Schlanger
David Schlanger
January 2021

David was selected for his passion and dedication to student success through the engagement and career centers, his work in student onboarding, student employment, career centered counseling, and the Norco College Success Network.
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Mustang of the Month April 2020 Dr. Gail Zwart

2020

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​​​Polly Johnson
Polly Johnson
December 2020

Polly is truly an asset to the college, her nominator writes that “she has been an integral part in ensuring the success of our FTF microbiology lab classes this semester during COVID safely and with excellence.”
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​​​Daren Koch
Daren Koch
November 2020

Daren is recognized for his exemplary efforts to transition tutorial services online.
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​​​Lenny Riley
Lenny Riley
October 2020

Lenny embodies the mustang spirit and our core commitments each and every day.
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​​​​​​Dr. Dominique Hitchcock
Dr. Dominique Hitchcock
September 2020

Dr. Hitchcock has a wonderful passion for students. She demonstrates remarkable collegiality as a leader, mentor and inspiration to colleagues in the Arts, Humanities and World Languages Department.
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​​​Alex Spencer
Alex Spencer
August 2020

​Alex’s nominator writes, “Alex is student centered personified. He is all about helping students reach their goals.
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​​​Sean Davis
Sean Davis
July 2020

​Over the last two years Sean Davis’ tireless efforts have had a profoundly positive impact on the Umoja and Norco College communities.
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​​​Charise Allingham
Charise Allingham
June 2020

Charise has been instrumental in several important projects and challenges the college has been faced with.
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​​​Michael Bobo
Michael Bobo
May 2020

Michael is an amazing advocate for our faculty and students, especially with respect to online education.
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​​​Dr. Gail Zwart
Dr. Gail Zwart
April 2020

Gail has been a pillar of Norco College and Riverside Community College District for 32 years, serving in many different leadership roles.
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