A clear sky. Low near 55F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph..
A clear sky. Low near 55F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
Updated: May 6, 2022 @ 3:58 pm
When Aimee Cauwet walks forward to accept her Porterville College degree a week from today at her commencement ceremony, she will be accepting not one, not two, not three, but four associate degrees from PC — Associate of Science for Transfer in Biology and Business Administration, and Associate of Art and Science degrees in biological and physical sciences. She will also be recognized as the 2022 Porterville College Scholar of the Year.
Cauwet was presented with the PC Scholar of the Year during an awards ceremony on April 29 at PC by her science professors, with Christopher “Buzz’” Piersol and Chris Vanni making the presentation.
“We were there for awards. We knew we were getting something,” Cauwet said. “The (Scholar of the Year) was a total surprise. I was so impressed with what everybody else had done, it could have been one of them.”
But once she saw all her teachers walking forward, she started thinking “maybe.”
Sitting in the audience, her mother was having the exact same thoughts.
“We were all there, her dad, me, her brother, my mother and her dad’s father,” said her mother, Tina Cauwet. “And as soon as I saw her teachers walking up, I said to her brother ‘maybe it will be Aimee.’ He was smiling and shaking his head and said ‘yeah, it’ll be her.’
It was.
“I looked over at her and she was all teary eyed.”
Her award was based upon recommendations from a faculty panel, and focused on her outstanding achievements and dedication as a student, maintaining a 4.0 grade point average in all her studies over the past two years at Porterville College.
Her grades were similar, 4.0 to 4.25, for the past six years — middle school and high school at Summit Collegiate High School.
During the April 29 ceremony, Cauwet also received a Distinguished Student Award for her achievements in biological and physical sciences, and business administration.
At age 21, and with four college degrees under her belt, one would think Aimee has loved school since kindergarten, but that wasn’t the case.
Aimee was born with cerebral palsy and has dyslexia. She struggled through her early school years, particularly in reading. School wasn’t fun for her until fourth grade.
“I was good at math but I was not a good reader,” she said. “My true love for school came at fourth grade. That’s when I started reading. I pushed myself and once I started reading, I loved school.”
Reading was grasped, her mother said, with one simple step.
“She struggled to read but then discovered if she underlined the words, she was able to get the words to pop out and she grasped it,” Tina Cauwet said. “At the end of fourth grade, she was doing so well, they wanted to test her I.Q. and she was 100 percent the highest score they ever got. They placed her in a gifted-kids classroom.”
Besides keeping her grades up, Cauwet was also involved in high school band and sports, including swimming with the Neptunites, playing city basketball and played city soccer. She wasn’t able to participate in high school sports due to her condition and her frame — one side of her body is half an inch shorter than the other by half a foot, her mother said.
“But she’s always been dedicated to her school work. She always strives to do her best and is always trying to outdo her brother,” Tina Cauwet said. “She would not take anything below an A.”
Even with her grades, the competition was fierce. PC says it has numerous students receiving several degrees, and 33 high school students who will also be graduating from college.
“There were a number of qualifying students and it was a new process that is more involved and more formal,” Piersol said. “We had to answer questions about the students and provide evidence that they exhibit scholar intellect curiosity, and they must be interested in lots of subjects.”
And Aimee met all the qualities and criteria.
“She made it rather easy. She took college-level business classes while still at Summit,” Piersol said. “She also took a number of general-education courses. Then here at PC, ultimately moved to Science. But has taken (practically) every science class offered.”
One instructor, who retired last year, Teresa Minter-Procter, was particularly excited for Aimee.
“One interesting thing is Aimee’s father (Ken Cauwet) was also a student of Ms. Minter-Procter back in 1987,” he said. “You can see where she got the talent.”
Piersol also said he was happy to hear of Aimee’s university selection.
Aimee Cauwet said she plans to attend California State University Channel Islands in the fall, where her brother Timothy will also attend. And, though intrigued by science, she’s not ready to declare a major until she gets there and starts exploring all her options.
“I love biology life. I love the eco system and chemistry, but I want to wait until I go farther in depth (before declaring a major,)” she said. “I do love that (the school) is close by and that it’s associated with the National Parks. They have all the majors.”
Her father, Ken Cauwet, praised Aimee’s decision and her dedication.
“I’m impressed by Aimee’s love of learning and her hard work in everything she does,” he said. “I am very proud of her and thankful to God for her. I know that she will make a difference with her life.”
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