ICCTA Student Scholarships

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

1. 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.
2. 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 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.

Paul Simon Entry Form (PDF)

Paul Simon Entry Form (docx)

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

1. 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.
2. 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 completed entry form. Review the entry form for complete guidelines.

Gandhi/King Entry Form (PDF)

Gandhi/King Entry Form (Docx)

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