Thank you to everyone who submitted essays for the 2025 Paul Simon Student Essay Content and Gandhi/King Peace Scholarship. Both contests were reviewed blindly by a committee of Kish faculty/staff members. The winner in each category received a $500 Spring 2025 tuition reimbursement and was recognized at the Board of Trustees meeting in April. The 2025 winning entries were forwarded to the statewide competition sponsored by the Illinois Community College Trustees Association (ICCTA).
Information on the 2026 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."
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 only ONE student 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 an entry 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.
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.
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:
Each submission must be no longer than 500 words in length, typed single-spaced in business-letter format, and accompanied by a completed entry form. Review the entry form for complete guidelines.
2025 Winning Entries
2025 Kish Paul Simon Student Essay Contest winning entry by Tanisha Jones-Robinson
2025 Kish Gandhi/King Peace Scholarship winning entry by Hilda Osei
2024 Winning Entries
2024 Kish Paul Simon Student Essay Contest winning entry by Pedro Hall
2024 Kish Gandhi/King Peace Scholarship winning entry by Perla Gonzalez
2023 Winning Entries
2023 Kish Paul Simon Student Essay Contest winning entry by Chesney Eschbach
2023 Kish Gandhi/King Peace Scholarship winning entry by Davut Hanveliyev (Statewide
Winner)
2022 Winning Entries
2022 Kish Paul Simon Student Essay Contest winning entry by Perla Gonzalez
2022 Kish Gandhi/King Peace Scholarship winning entry by Perla Gonzalez
2021 Winning Entries
2021 Kish Paul Simon Student Essay Contest winning entry by Madeline Henson
2021 Kish Gandhi/King Peace Scholarship winning entry by Hadley Booker
2020 Winning Entries
2020 Kish Paul Simon Student Essay Contest winning entry by Kelly Benjamin
2020 Kish Gandhi/King Peace Scholarship winning entry by Kelly Benjamin
2019 Winning Entries
2019 Kish Paul Simon Student Essay Contest winning entry by Levee Callahan
2019 Kish Gandhi/King Peace Scholarship winning entry by Sophie West
Kishwaukee College announced the creation of a new Bookkeeping certificate, which will be available to students starting in the Fall 2025 semester. Students will learn the essential skills and knowledge required to manage records effectively.
Read MoreThe Kishwaukee College Foundation is accepting nominations for the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award. The award honors exceptional alumni who have made significant contributions to their professions, communities, and beyond, reflecting the values and excellence of Kishwaukee College.
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