Sarah Nichols and Angelo Lopez
By Mira Radovich, Senior Contributing Writer
Rio Salado students Sarah Nichols and Angelo Lopez are the college’s representatives to the 2025 All-Arizona Academic Team and will join honorees at a recognition ceremony on Feb. 19, 2025, in Gilbert.
The All-Arizona Academic Team is part of the All-USA Scholarship competition sponsored by PTK, the national community college honor society. Students selected to the team receive undergraduate tuition transfer scholarships toward pursuing their first bachelor’s degree at an Arizona university.
Meet Sarah Nichols
Growing up in difficult circumstances led Sarah Nichols on a path of healing and discovery. She not only discovered the power of education, but also the importance of self-awareness.
“My abusive mother discouraged me from pursuing educational goals, implying I would never measure up to my successful older sister,” Nichols said. “I journaled and took long bike rides to disconnect from my small world and gain perspective.”
Nichols channeled her energy into academics, where she dedicated hours to studying for her Advanced Placement (AP) classes while working full-time in a restaurant.
She graduated high school a year early and got a job at an accounting firm, where she found a natural calling to math and finances.
“Growing up, I witnessed the stress money caused in my household,” Nichols said. “This ignited my desire to deeply understand finances. In school, I thrived in math and realized that accounting could provide clarity amid chaos.”
In 2024, Nichols enrolled in Rio Salado College to pursue an associate degree in general business.
“I’m motivated by a love of learning and a desire to help others,” Nichols said. “Choosing accounting as my field of study means I can help individuals and families navigate their finances, and empower them to build brighter futures.”
Nichols flourished in her Rio Salado classes, and joined the college’s Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) chapter, where she currently serves as its vice president for fundraising.
Over the past year, she engaged with PTK’s civic initiative to help register new voters by making voting information accessible.
“There was a need in my community for reliable, unbiased election information,” Nichols said. “I noticed widespread concerns about misinformation, confusion regarding registration, and a gap in accessible civic resources that I felt compelled to help fill.”
Nichols plans to transfer to Arizona State University this fall to pursue a bachelor’s degree in accounting, and then become a certified public accountant. She aspires to open her own accounting firm one day and work with small businesses.
As she reflects on the difficult times, Nichols is grateful for the life lessons that put her on the path to a successful and healthy future.
“Despite the pain I endured, I thank my mother for inadvertently teaching me valuable lessons about survival and self-worth,” Nichols said. “Most of all, I embrace the lesson of forgiveness and moving forward even if it seems impossible.”
Meet Angelo Lopez
As a formerly incarcerated individual, Angelo Lopez turned to education to help reintegrate into society and give back to the community.
“I was incarcerated for 23 years,” Lopez said. “Beyond the obvious challenges of long-term incarceration, returning into society has been difficult at times, especially with technology. But I knew I wanted to help people.”
While incarcerated, Lopez witnessed another inmate participating in correspondence classes.
“The moment solidified my desire to participate in incarcerated learning,” Lopez said. “I was already a voracious reader and involved in informally educating myself.”
As he continued his self-education, Lopez turned to eastern philosophy and meditation.
“After a period of years, it had a cumulative effect,” Lopez said. “One day I realized I no longer wanted to live the way I was living. I made the life altering decision to leave gang life. This critical thinking was a catalyst for change.”
Lopez began taking classes through Rio Salado College’s Incarcerated Reentry program, and enrolled in the college’s addictions and substance use disorders program upon his release.
“I was originally was interested in becoming an addictions clinician, but my inability to acquire a fingerprint clearance card allowed me to pivot toward the nonprofit sphere,” Lopez said. “I have changed my degree path, but my goal remains the same - to have an impact on recovery and reentry.”
At Rio, Lopez is a member of the college’s Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) chapter. He has engaged in civic activities to promote voter participation, and volunteered for community service at several organizations.
“I volunteered with the Bridge, an organization that feeds the homeless population in high drug use neighborhoods, and Shot in the Dark, which is a harm reduction organization with clean needle exchange,” Lopez said.
Lopez also works full-time at Axiom Care, an organization that serves individuals with substance use and mental health disorders through peer support, case management, interventions, counseling and housing assistance.
Lopez is on track to complete an associate degree in addictions and substance use disorders in the spring, and an associate in general studies in the summer.
He plans to transfer to Northern Arizona University in the fall to pursue bachelor’s degrees in strategic leadership and justice studies.
“In the short term, I hope to help grow the fledgling nonprofit I am currently employed with,” Lopez said. “In the long term, I hope to start my own non-profit and help individuals with mental health or substance issues to reintegrate into society after incarceration."