by Angela Askey, Executive Director, Public Relations and Marketing, Central Arizona College
Omar Villa has been named Central Arizona College Faculty of the Year.
The Faculty of the Year award recognizes faculty who have made a difference in the lives of students inside and outside the classroom. The selected faculty should be a role model for students who not only demonstrates excellence in instruction, but also leadership and a passion for helping students learn.
CAC students were invited to nominate outstanding faculty for this honor. The following statement about Villa was submitted: “It is my great pleasure to nominate Professor Omar Villa for the 2019-2020 CAC Faculty of the Year. Mr. Villa portrays caring and success in his teaching. He is an exemplary professor that helps ease his students in his classes about math.
“He makes sure his students learn to do math most easily and effectively. He pays attention to detail in his students and the ones who struggle in his math classes. He makes sure that everyone has a chance to pass his math class, regardless if he must tutor on his days off or between classes.”
Villa attended CAC immediately following high school and completed an Associate of Science degree. He transferred to Arizona State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science in computational mathematical sciences. He later attended Western Governors University and obtained a Master of Arts in mathematics education.
While attending classes at CAC, Villa became a mathematics tutor, working under Jane Ellen Reid in the Interactive Learning Center. He retained his position as a part-time mathematics tutor while attending ASU.
In 2010, Villa returned to CAC as a full-time instructional specialist and in 2018 became a member of the mathematics faculty.
“It was a wonderful moment in my family’s life,” he said.
Asked what advice he would give his students, Villa said, “Stress is your biggest enemy in learning, and procrastination bring lots of stress. Also, laugh at all my jokes/stories.”
