MCC Highlander Alumni Association Presents Awards

Oct. 11, 2022

The McLennan Community College Foundation’s Highlander Alumni & Friends Association recently presented two prestigious awards to alumni of McLennan Community College: the Distinguished Alumni and Distinguished Leader awards.

Mandy Loftin-Conner is the recipient of the 2022 Distinguished Alumni Award. Mandy is a graduate of China Spring High School and attended McLennan as a Theatre major from 1991-93. She then continued her education at Texas Tech University and has taught locally for 25 years. During that time, she has earned 13 trips to Regional UIL One Act Play Meet and eight trips to State. In addition to teaching and directing, Mandy is an established playwright. She has published the well-received play, Lafayette No. 1, which has been produced in 31 states, Canada and Australia. She has also published AGO, Should Not Cause Harm, Unclaimed, Dirt, 11 and Rue. Most recently, Mandy partnered with Creative Waco to create a pair of life-sized Columbian Mammoth puppets that will be utilized by the Mayborn Museum and the Waco Mammoth National Monument. Creative Waco Fiona Bond praised Mandy’s creativity, “Mandy is deeply grounded in her personal faith and values. She embodies those values in her work and creative practice, inspiring others, and giving those who feel unseen the opportunity to find their voice and shine.”

Killian Hutchison of Waco was awarded the 2022 Distinguished Leader Award. Killian came to McLennan Community College as a Presidential Scholar. She maintained a 4.0 GPA during her time at MCC in the nursing program, all while working a part-time job, serving on the Student Advisory Committee, and volunteering at several non-profits in the Waco community. Killian did all of this during the midst of a pandemic, and during the peak, she volunteered to help vaccinate our community. Killian is an all-around incredible person, and is the epitome of McLennan’s drive to build future leaders and heroes. Killian will continue to serve our community as a NICU nurse at Ascension Providence.