Pima Student Named Inaugural “Hero of Heroes” for Extraordinary Commitment to Service
By Anne T Denogean, Marketing Communications, and Strategic Outreach
Jade Heath’s spirit of giving and volunteerism comes naturally to her.
“Honestly, I just like knowing that I can make someone's life easier and that I can make them smile," Jade said. “Growing up, I felt like I could see that someone was in distress. I wanted to ease their load, maybe take one thing off their plate to make it lighter for them."
A second-year Pima Community College student, Jade recently was selected as the first-ever Hero of Heroes, the top honor of the new Pima Heroes Award — earning a total of $6,000 to use as she pleases. Ten students were recognized as Pima Heroes and awarded $1,000 each, with one outstanding student receiving an additional $ 5,000. This year, that honor went to Jade, who has demonstrated a dedication to giving back since she was a little girl.
The award was established by Tucson philanthropists Carmen Bermudez and her husband, Tom Feeney, to encourage and recognize Pima students who give back through service. Having created a similar award at the University of Arizona in 2023, they were eager to extend the recognition to PCC students.
Service to Others at the Heart of the Award
For Jade, helping others is not something she performs for recognition. It is woven into her daily life and family history, as well as in her plans to become a pediatric or labor and delivery nurse.
Although she is only 20, Jade has spent more than half her life in a caregiving role. She began helping care for her grandparents by the time she was in elementary school. Both struggled with significant health issues, and she assisted with cooking, mobility and daily tasks.
“Growing up, I felt like I could see that someone was in distress. I wanted to ease their load, maybe take one thing off their plate to make it lighter for them.”
“I’ve always taken care of my grandparents,” she said. “It never felt like a task. They raised me, so helping them felt like the right thing to do.”
That instinct to care for others carried into her teenage years as she helped look after her siblings, but especially when she unexpectedly became a mother at age 17. She continued school, worked part time and eventually graduated early while taking nine classes at once. Jade said motherhood has been a blessing and has sharpened her focus.
“Having my daughter made me push even harder,” Jade said. “I want her to have a strong role model.”
Her Days Start Early, End Late
Jade’s qualifying service took place at St. Francis Cabrini/Our Lady of La Vang Catholic Church, home to Tucson’s Vietnamese Catholic community. After the pandemic, volunteer numbers dropped dramatically and administrative work piled up. Heath stepped in to tackle the most daunting backlog — nearly eight years of financial and organizational records that needed to be rebuilt from scratch.
“I knew they needed help,” she said. “After COVID, they had only two volunteers left.”
Her behind-the-scenes work organizing, documenting and banking donations frees other volunteers to focus on community-facing programs (in collaboration with St. Vincent de Paul) such as preparing meals for families in need and for fundraisers where Vietnamese foods such as pho, bánh mi and egg rolls are sold at a reasonable price.
Jade’s desire to help others is mirrored in her Pima employment. As a First-Year Experience Peer Mentor, she guides new students through the challenges of starting college, including financial aid, resource referrals and academic support.
Her days start early and end late — caring for her daughter, attending classes, volunteering, working nearly 20 hours per week and studying after she has put her daughter to bed.
“If that means I’m staying up until 2 or 3 a.m., then that’s what needs to be done,” Jade said.
Why Jade Stood Out
All student applications were reviewed anonymously by Pima’s Governing Board members and scored on the merit of the students’ community service. Jade’s service hours, her leadership, her initiative and her lifelong pattern of giving back made her the highest-scoring applicant of the inaugural program.
“It doesn’t take money to be of service to others...you can donate extra food and clothing or even help a charity promote an event with your social media skills.”
She steps in where help is needed — quietly and consistently. Her commitment is not limited to one project or one year. She grows out her hair and donates it every five years to people who have lost their hair because of medical conditions. She keeps clothes and snacks in her car to give to people experiencing homelessness and hunger
“If I can make things easier for someone else, why wouldn’t I?” she said.
As the first Hero of Heroes, Jade hopes that she can be an example to other students.
“It doesn’t take money to be of service to others,” she said. “You can donate extra food and clothing or even help a charity promote an event with your social media skills. I hope people see this and think of different ways in which they can help.”