Kishwaukee College has named Davut Hanveliyev as the winner of the 2023 Gandhi/King
Peace Scholarship. Hanveliyev was selected after submitting an essay where contestants
were asked to outline a plan for a nonviolent response to the problems of hate and
discrimination and draw upon the lives and writings of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr.
Hanveliyev, of DeKalb, received a $500 Kish scholarship for the Spring 2023 semester,
a certificate of achievement, and was recognized at the April Board of Trustees meeting.
His entry was forwarded to the Illinois Community College Trustees Association (ICCTA)
for consideration in the statewide Gandhi/King Peace Scholarship competition.
In his essay, Hanveliyev advocated embracing diversity through mutual respect to create
a more understanding society.
“It is the diversity of people that adds an enriching element to any society, making
it vibrant. Therefore, this enriching element should be acknowledged as an achievement,”
Hanveliyev wrote in his essay.
Hanveliyev said he saw the essay prompt as an opportunity to share his perspective
on social justice issues based on his exposure to different cultures outside the United
States.
“I hope that this essay will help raise consciousness about how mutual respect and
a commitment to nonviolence could lead us to build a society whose diverse members
can thrive and develop themselves both intellectually and socially,” Hanveliyev said.
Currently studying computer science at Kish, Hanveliyev plans to earn an associate
degree and graduate next spring before transferring to a four-year college to pursue
a bachelor’s degree. He said he was drawn to Kish after talking with alumni about
the support provided to its diverse student population.
To read Hanveliyev’s essay in its entirety, visit www.kish.edu/iccta.