News
Hector Zepeda receives national award from US Department of Energy
August 27, 2026Yuma, Ariz. (August 27, 2026) – Arizona Western College student Hector Zepeda has been announced as the national winner of the 2026 Emerging Leader Award through the US Department of Energy Expansion Industrial Training and Assessment Center (ITAC). The award honors a student in their first year who excels in leadership roles, takes initiative, and demonstrates skill.
Last year, Zepeda participated in the ITAC at AWC, making home visits with Interim Director of Manufacturing Miguel Rios to provide free technical energy assessments to local manufacturers.
"It is a privilege and an honor to present this award to Hector,” Rios said. “This young man has demonstrated the willingness to go out of his level of comfort and demonstrate his willingness to improve. Hector is well versed in a multitude of topics, and I very much enjoyed the conversations we had as we traveled to Show Low, AZ to perform an energy assessment for a manufacturing company. I am excited to see what the future holds for Hector as he progresses in his career."
The ITAC at AWC was established following a grant from the US Department of Energy in 2024.
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Contact:
Miguel Rios
Interim Director of Manufacturing
Arizona Western Entrepreneurial College
miguel.rios@azwestern.edu
(928) 314-9435