Butte College
News Announcement

Communications Chair Named Educator of the Year

On Tuesday, April 4, the Chico Noon Rotary named Laura Rapozo-Davis, Butte College's Educator of the Year. Rapozo-Davis is the chair of the Communication Studies Department at Butte College. She is a passionate teacher currently teaching gender and communication, and argumentation and debate courses, both of which focus on critical thinking about important diversity and equity topics.

Rapozo-Davis Graduated from the University of San Francisco with a BA in communication studies/mass media theory and a minor in Psychology. She began her first career as a television news reporter/anchor at KMVT News in Twin Falls, Idaho, and then KNVN News in Chico, California.

Her passion for teaching and learning led her to return to academia to earn her master's in communication studies from CSU, Chico. She began her teaching career as a part-time communication studies and communication design instructor at Butte College and CSU, Chico. In 2005, she joined Butte College full-time as a Communication Studies instructor.

In addition to her teaching duties, Rapozo-Davis has worked tirelessly to implement the ethnic studies requirement at the community college level. She has spent countless hours developing curriculum, drafting the program, and hiring and mentoring new faculty. Her hard work implementing this requirement will provide critical instruction for our students.

In recent years, Professor Rapozo-Davis has facilitated workshops in the community for various organizations, including the Chico Unified School District, the California Teachers Association, the Community Housing Improvement Program and the Housing Authority of Butte County. Her dedication to teaching and learning about equity and inclusion has had a positive impact on the community and the students she teaches.

On behalf of the Chico Noon Rotary, we congratulate Professor Rapozo-Davis on being named Educator of the Year and thank her for her outstanding work.

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