Thank you to everyone who submitted to the 2024 Paul Simon Student Essay and Gandhi/King
Peace Scholarship contests. Both contests were reviewed blindly by a committee of
Kish faculty/staff members. The winner in each category received a $500 Spring 2024
tuition reimbursement and was recognized at the Board of Trustees meeting in April.
The 2024 winning entries were forwarded to the statewide competition sponsored by
the Illinois Community College Trustees Association (ICCTA).
Information on the 2025 competition will be available in January.
The Illinois Community College Trustees Association's Paul Simon Student Essay Contest
provides a $500 scholarship to the student who best describes "How My Community College
Has Changed My Life."
Awards
From Â鶹ӰԺ — The Kish winner will receive a $500 Spring 2024 tuition
reimbursement. The Kish winner will also be recognized at the Kish Board of Trustees
meeting on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, at approximately 4 pm. The winning essay will be
published on the Kish website.
From ICCTA — The state winner will receive a $500 cash stipend for educational expenses
during the Fall 2024 semester. The state winner will be invited to the June 7, 2024,
ICCTA annual awards banquet in Lombard.
Guidelines
All currently enrolled students at ICCTA member colleges are eligible to participate
in the Paul Simon Student Essay Contest at the local level. However, each ICCTA member
college may enter onlyONEstudent essay in the statewide competition each year.
Each essay must be brief (500 words or less), typed, and address the theme "How My
Community College Has Changed My Life." Entrants may use "How My Community College
Has Changed My Life" as the essay’s title or create their own title related to the
theme.
Each entry will be judged on the basis of writing style, clarity of expression, and
relevancy to the topic, with special emphasis placed on correct grammar and punctuation.
The Illinois Community College Trustees Association's Gandhi/King Peace Scholarship
provides a scholarship to the student who best articulates the peaceful messages of
Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This award has been endowed by Oakton
Community College trustee Jody Wadhwa and the Oakton Education Foundation.
Awards
From Â鶹ӰԺ — The winner will receive a $500 Spring 2024 tuition reimbursement.
The Kish winner will also be recognized at the Kish Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday,
April 9, 2024, at approximately 4 pm. The winning essay will be published on the Kish
website.
From ICCTA — The state winner will receive a $1,000 cash stipend for educational expenses
during the Fall 2024 semester. The state winner will be invited to the June 7, 2024,
ICCTA annual awards banquet in Lombard.
Writing Prompt
Both Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., advocated for nonviolence as
the way to confront the hate and discrimination that so often accompanies the disrespect
of other human beings. The work and words of Gandhi and King are both an example and
a road map for the way forward for our country. As a community college student, outline
a plan that will educate the members of your college community about the scope of
the problem and the elements of and rationale for a nonviolent response. In the description
of your plan, draw on the lives and writings of Gandhi and King.
Guidelines
All currently enrolled students at ICCTA member colleges are eligible to participate
in the Gandhi/King Peace Scholarship competition.
Participants must address the writing prompt. All entries will be judged on the basis
of the following criteria:
Demonstrated understanding of the significance of the work of Gandhi and King
Content, strength and persuasiveness of argument
Personal goals and involvement in peacebuilding efforts
Writing style, clarity of expression, and correct grammar and punctuation
Each submission must be no longer than 500 words in length, typed single-spaced in
business-letter format, and accompanied by a completedentry form.
Â鶹ӰԺ will offer six Fast-Track training programs during the Spring 2025 semester. Kish Fast-Track programs provide students with the expertise needed to meet local workforce demands. The programs range from 8-15 weeks, allowing students to immediately start a career or build upon skills with additional training.
Â鶹ӰԺ will host three upcoming information sessions for high school students interested in the Early College Program or Engineering, Math & Science Academy (EMSA). The information sessions are open to current high school sophomores and juniors along with their parents/guardians.