Oct. 15, 2025
AURORA, CO – The Community College of Aurora (CCA) awarded three staff and faculty members for their commitment to student success. Jason Ray and Jim “Smitty” Smith received the Bowman Award for excellent teaching and service inside and outside of the classroom. Lily Lat won the Oudenhoven Award for excellence in service to students.
These annual awards are named for two of CCA’s past presidents, Dr. Linda S. Bowman and Dr. Betsy Oudenhoven, who also donate the monetary award to the recipients. Faculty and Instructors receive the Bowman Award based on student nominations while college leaders select the Oudenhoven Award recipient from staff who work in student support areas.
Classroom Connections Foster Student Success
Jason Ray is Math faculty at CCA. After years of teaching concurrent enrollment courses at a high school in Denver, he started at CCA to prioritize his family. The flexibility gives him more time to spend with his young daughter, Leiyah, who is somewhat of a celebrity around campus. To foster a personable classroom environment, she visits Ray’s classes about once a semester to give a short “guest lecture,” a recent example being about children’s show characters developed by Sanrio. His personable approach in the classroom leads to better student outcomes.
“Before class, we talk about movies, football, whatever students have going on.” Ray said. “If I can make a connection with a student, they tend to go above and beyond expectations, not always because they enjoy the math, but because we have a low-stress classroom.”
Outside of the classroom, Ray is a well-known mentor. He informs students each semester that not only can he help with math tutoring, but also chemistry and physics. His open office hours aren’t just limited to his students either. Ray offers his math, chemistry, and physics assistance to students who aren’t currently enrolled in his courses.
While Ray nears his tenth year teaching at CCA, Jim Smith is close to his eleventh. A retired firefighter with over 40 years of active duty experience at Aurora Fire Rescue, Smith is the lead instructor for CCA’s Fire Science Technology Program.
“Firefighting was always my passion. Now, since coming to the college, I found that teaching became a passion. I just absolutely love it,” Smith said. “I feel like these kids are my own kids. I nurture them, I teach them, and pretty soon they’re hired. They call me up to invite me to their academy graduations.”
Smith’s ability to connect with students comes from his obvious passion for his work and his empathetic approach to teaching. It’s common for firefighting instructors to aggressively dictate lessons in a militaristic style. But for Smith, mistakes made are group lessons. He teaches techniques by demonstrating and participating alongside students.
“What I found with these students is that they want to see it, so I do it,” Smith said. “I’ll put my gear on just like I would for a job and I go in and sweep a room and show them how to do what they need to do.”
Happy to Help
As a Lead Academic Coach for TRIO Student Support Services (TRIO SSS), serving students is part of Lily Lat’s role. TRIO SSS supports students with the college work that happens outside the classroom: accessing financial aid, exploring career paths, and academic advising. Lat works specifically with students who are the first generation in higher education, students with disabilities, and students with low income.
“I think my favorite part of the job is watching students graduate and walk across that stage,” Lat said.
What makes them stand out as an Oudenhoven Award winner is their willingness to step in and help students even when it’s not part of the job. Lat started working at CCA as an administrative assistant four years ago and grew by offering a helping hand when others were unavailable.
“There were some students who felt comfortable talking to me about some things, but I didn’t have the capacity to do advising for them. I remember there was one student who was older and housing insecure; I helped her apply for Section 8 housing while I was an administrative assistant,” Lat said. “Some time later, my manager encouraged me to apply to be an academic coach.”
Being open to these opportunities for growth is another criteria for the award, and it’s a mindset that supports Lat’s colleagues and CCA as an institution. When a former manager asked Lat to assist with building a relationship with the Asian Chamber of Commerce, Lat obliged. The institutional relationship has helped Lat bring cultural events and performances to CCA’s campuses. When that former manager stepped down, Lat stepped up in keeping the relationship with the Chamber.
About the Community College of Aurora:
The Community College of Aurora (CCA) provides high-quality instruction and student support services to Aurora, Centennial, and Denver, Colorado. With a vision to aspire to be a college where every student succeeds, CCA is the most diverse college in the State of Colorado. Focused on creating social and economic mobility for its students, the college offers courses on three (3) campuses, online, and through its high school concurrent-enrollment programs. For more information, visit www.ccaurora.edu.
Contact
Courtney Butler
Executive Director of Strategic Communications and Special Initiatives
Strategic Communications and Alumni Engagement
P: 303-340-7201 | E: [email protected]