Jay Faulkner, Phoenix College (PC) alumnus class of 1947, is helping local high school students make it happen at PC, through the Jay Faulkner Endowment for ACE (Achieving a College Education) students. The ACE Program is nationally recognized for its proven success in motivating underrepresented students to complete high school and continue on to complete a college degree
A Legacy of Giving
Faulkner’s recent gift to the named endowment brings his life-time giving to $500,000; establishing him as the largest individual donor in Phoenix College history. Thanks to Faulkner’s’ generosity, local high school students are able to participate in the ACE program, helping students make a smooth transition from high school, to community college and university.
In 2004, Faulkner established the endowed scholarship to allow generations of students to benefit from community college education and experiences – just as he did years ago. Faulkner’s family farm was located just a few miles from the Phoenix College campus, and he recalls that attending PC was like coming home.
“Everyone knew everyone, and the administrators and faculty were inspiring” - Jay Faulkner
The Effects of Empowering Others
Faulkner says that at the heart of his continued support of Phoenix College and the endowed ACE Scholarship is his desired to help students succeed and to enrich their lives, their families, and the community. Falkner maintains he is paying forward the kindness and support shown to him while attending Phoenix College. His scholarship has launched bright futures for many students; among them is Jacklyn Angel Gueyger.
“College was absolutely not in my plans, because I had been convinced college wasn’t for me. The ACE Program gave me the support, tools and encouragement I needed to go to college” - Jacklyn Gueyger
She participated in the ACE Program while attending Carl Hayden High School. After completing the program, Gueyger achieved her associate’s degree at Phoenix College, and was PC’s salutatorian graduate in 2006. She went on to attain her bachelor’s degree in journalism at Arizona State University (ASU) – Walter Cronkite School.
A daughter of Mexican immigrants and a first-generation college student, Gueyger and her family were guided through the college matriculation process by the Phoenix College ACE Program, and now she serves as the college transition program manager for the Be A Leader Foundation. The student who once did not consider herself college-bound, now has two college degrees and is helping other students change their lives through education.
Gueyger was recently accepted into the ASU American Express Leadership Academy, and aspires to continue supporting students and the community through leadership and service. Having once been the student needing assistance from donors like Jay Faulkner, Gueyger now pays it forward too – helping others do the same.
For more information about the ACE Program, visit phoenixcollege.edu/students/ace. To learn more about supporting Phoenix College students, please call Deborah Spotts at 602.285.7667, email Deborah.spotts@phoenixcollege.edu, or visit phoenixcollege.edu/waystogive.