Knox College

The staff of student journalists at The Knox Student (TKS) received 21 awards from the Illinois College Press Association on February 20. Among these awards were first place and second place in the prestigious in-depth/investigative reporting category and third place in general excellence. The awards were in a wide spectrum of categories, including feature story, sport photography, feature design, and podcast, and they demonstrate the diverse talents of the TKS staff.

Twenty-seven Knox College educational studies students are fulfilling their student teaching requirements during the 2020-21 academic year -- an especially stressful time for many schoolchildren, families, and teachers because of COVID-19. The pandemic has forced school districts to change and continually revise their plans on how to provide students with an education. As a result, student teachers have needed to prepare to work in environments that can run the gamut from all-online to all-in-person learning, with some schools operating under a hybrid model that includes elements of both.

Knox's annual Business Intensive Seminar is designed to introduce students to the business world, help them recognize that business has an impact on a wide range of careers, and gain a better understanding of themselves and how they relate to others, says Jim Foley '78. Foley, director of the Turner Center for Entrepreneurship at Bradley University, has led the seminar since 2017. With a focus on two broad themes, leadership and innovation, the 19 students in this year's cohort engaged in sessions covering such topics as marketing, emotional intelligence, ethical business decisions, and entrepreneurship. The seminar took place November 30-December 3, 2020.

A proposal by Odessa Sagli '20 and Patrick Steppan '20 for a video installation exploring the relationship among humans, the environment, and natural disaster was selected as the top submission to a digital art competition sponsored by 150 Media Stream and organized by the Associated Colleges of Illinois. As the winners, they are receiving $3,000 to complete the piece, titled "Shrouded in Smoke." It will be featured on the 150 Media Stream art installation in the fall.

In what is believed to be a first-of-its-kind experience among Knox College students, Nicole D'Alterio '20 spent the 2019 fall term completing her senior student teaching capstone experience at an elementary school in Germany. "This experience has helped to develop my German language skills, my teaching skills, and my knowledge of what I want my classroom to look like in the future," said D'Alterio, an elementary education major with a minor in German. She also has a self-designed minor in writing studies.

Two Knox Students attended the Diversity Abroad Global Student Leadership Summit in Miami, Florida, where they had the opportunity to network with professionals, share their study abroad experiences, and attend professional development workshops. The purpose of the summit is to give students, particularly students of underrepresented groups, a chance to speak freely about their study abroad experiences and to learn how to best use these experiences to make an impact on their campuses and in their career. This is the second year in a row Knox students have attended the Diversity Abroad Student Leadership Summit.

Recent graduates and current students from Knox College helped youngsters learn cool dance moves, develop computer games, create ceramics, conduct scientific experiments, and participate in other activities at the Knox College for Kids summer enrichment program.

Touring galleries and museums, working intensively at New York Studio School, and networking with Knox alumni were just some of the things eight art students did during winter break through the Knox in New York program. The short-term immersive experience, taught by Associate Professor of Art Tony Gant and Professor of Art Lynette Lombard, combines an art history course and studio work with a two-week travel component to New York City. After the trip, students come back to Knox to create artwork inspired by their experiences. During fall term, students split their time between learning art history and working on their own paintings in the studio. In New York, students were exposed to art as a way of life by visiting museums, galleries, and studios, and attending drawing classes and lectures by well-known art historians and artists. Lombard says that they were also able to have a look at the inner workings of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, among other art institutions.

The Knox Student brought home 25 journalism awards from this year's Illinois College Press Association conference, smashing through the record set last year when Knox College's student-run newspaper won 19.

Building on their fall term classroom studies, a dozen Knox College students spent nearly three weeks traveling in southern China and deeply exploring the region's culture, landscapes, and arts. The 19-day trip took place during Knox's winter break.

Knox College Theatre presented "The Drowning Girls" by Beth Graham, Charlie Tomlinson, and Daniela Vlaskalic, which included three student performers and four student members of production staff.

Eight students performed and eight students served on the managing crew for Knox Theatre's production of "The Learning Plays" by Bertold Brecht.

Trezher-Njoh Malafa '19 used his Mellon Fellowship to cover the costs of two summer internships, one in Galesburg and one in Flint, Michigan. He spoke to Knox College about his experiences.

As a Mellon Fellow, Jonathan Damota '19 participated in the Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP), a premedical enrichment program for underrepresented minorities in medicine. In the program, Damota shadowed health professionals, gained lab experience, and discussed the practices and ethics of various health fields.

More than 30 Knox College students undertook internships, community service, or other research and creative work with the help of Mellon Experiential Learning Fellowships.

Knox College's student-run newspaper, The Knox Student (TKS), was named one of 43 finalists for the Associated College Press Newspaper Pacemaker award, often referred to as the Pulitzer Prize of collegiate journalism.

Melissa Smith '18 was among the students who presented papers on Islam and Religious Philosophy at the annual Midwest Region of the American Academy of Religion (MAAR) Conference.

Some students cross the ocean to get to their study abroad destination. For two Knox College students this year, their study abroad destination IS the ocean.

Knox College's 2017 StartUp Term is under way, with five teams of students collaboratively exploring entrepreneurship.

A group of Knox College pre-med students recently learned firsthand from Knox alumni what it means to be a medical professional.

Three Knox students and one recent alumna were chosen for Fulbright awards to complete teaching assistantships and research for the 2017-2018 school year.