The 2025 Paul Simon Student Essay Contest and the Gandhi/King Peace Scholarship are
now open for submission to all Kishwaukee College students. Contest entries will be
reviewed blindly by a committee for each competition. The winner in each category
will receive a $500 Spring 2025 tuition reimbursement from Kishwaukee College and
will be recognized at the Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, April 8. The winning
entries will be forwarded to the statewide competition sponsored by the Illinois Community
College Trustees Association (ICCTA). Please review the entry forms and the contest
details below.
Deadline to Submit: 4 pm Friday, Feb. 28
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 Kishwaukee College — The Kish winner will receive a $500 Spring 2025 tuition
reimbursement. The Kish winner will also be recognized at the Kish Board of Trustees
meeting at 4 pm Tuesday, April 8. 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 2025 semester. The state winner will be invited to the ICCTA annual
awards banquet on Friday, June 6, in Normal.
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.
Submissions must be accompanied by anentry form. Review the entry form for complete guidelines.
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 Kishwaukee College — The Kish winner will receive a $500 Spring 2025 tuition
reimbursement. The Kish winner will also be recognized at the Kish Board of Trustees
meeting at 4 pm Tuesday, April 8. 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 2025 semester. The state winner will be invited to the ICCTA annual
awards banquet on Friday, June 6, in Normal.
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, please provide specific examples of how the legacies of Gandhi and King
have affected your life and volunteer activities as a community college student.
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:
How your life and volunteer activities have been affected by the legacies of Gandhi
and King
Content, strength and persuasiveness of argument
Personal goals and involvement in peacebuilding efforts on campus and in the community
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. Review the entry form for complete guidelines.
To support an expanding workforce, Kishwaukee College will offer several free workshops and training events for local businesses and their employees. Funding for the workshops is provided through the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) Noncredit Workforce Training Grant. The grant aims to increase responsiveness to employer needs and workforce strategies by building capacity and strengthening the impact of noncredit workforce training at community colleges.
Kishwaukee College will celebrate Black History Month throughout February by hosting several events and discussions for students and the community. The events hosted by Kish are free and open to the public.