Knox College

Isaac Hughes '21 has been recognized as a top college senior by the Lincoln Academy of Illinois, which named him as one of its student laureates this year. Hughes, from Vashon Island, Washington, is double-majoring in environmental studies and philosophy at Knox. Every year, the Lincoln Academy of Illinois honors one outstanding senior from each of Illinois' four-year colleges and universities, plus one student representing all Illinois community colleges. These students are selected for the Abraham Lincoln Civic Engagement Award, which makes them Student Laureates of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois. The academy's website notes that student laureates "are honored for their leadership and service in the pursuit of the betterment of humanity and for overall excellence in curricular and extracurricular activities."

"Dracula! The Radio Play," written by Philip Grecian, is being presented remotely by Knox College's Theatre Department on area radio stations and online October 29-31. The Knox Theatre Department offers many openings for students--whether studying theatre or another subject area--to be involved in the production of shows, events, and specialty workshops all four years on campus. The involvement of students in theatre at Knox is profound, as all of the studio theatre shows and even the mainstage auditions are completely student-run.

Deja was recently named a winner of the 2020 Governor's Volunteer Service Award. The award recognizes volunteers and volunteer programs that have made a difference in Illinois and highlights the importance of volunteerism and community service.

Luis Mateo Liendo completed an internship during the summer of 2020 with the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame, continuing work he started earlier in the year for a Knox College arts administration class.

Hailey Nguyen '21 completed a 2020 summer internship with the regulatory affairs team at the global biopharmaceutical company AbbVie.

Two Knox College students were inducted as juniors last spring into Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's most prestigious academic honor society. Their achievement was recognized at Knox's Opening Convocation for the 2020-21 academic year.

The Elbridge Pierce Prize was awarded to Frances Alexia Santiago, who is majoring in business and management, during the Knox College Opening Convocation for 2020-21. This prize recognizes the senior who has made the greatest scholastic improvement since the end of the first year at Knox.

Daniel Bien '22, who recently completed his second year at Knox, took on community-based projects in an internship with the Lake County (Illinois) State's Attorney's Office during the summer of 2020. A year earlier, Daniel spent part of the summer at the IIT Chicago-Kent Pre-Law Undergraduate Scholars (PLUS) Program. He majors in political science and environmental studies, is a saxophonist for the Knox Jazz Ensemble, a member of the Student Senate, a member of Phi Gamma Delta, a TRIO student, and a member of the Pre-Law Club.

Joey Dorgan Jr. '21 spent the summer of 2020 working at the Center for Disabilities and Development at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital, which focuses on improving the mental health of individuals with disabilities. After graduating from Knox, he plans to attend medical school and pursue a career in sports medicine.

Knox College student Charles Broomfield '22 interned remotely during the summer of 2020 with the Argonne National Laboratory in the Strategic Security Sciences Division.

Alex Davis spent the summer of 2020 as an intern studying Chinese Mahayana Buddhism. He chose to pursue this path out of a desire to better understand the meditative practice and way of life from an exclusively Buddhist point of view.

Raph Adeyemi, who plays on the Prairie Fire men's soccer team, interned with Verraki Partners, a Nigeria-based business solutions company during the summer of 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.

The Faculty Scholarship Prize was awarded to Bhumika Gupta, a physics major, at the beginning of the 2020-21 academic year. The Faculty Scholarship Prize, which is the highest honor that Knox faculty members give to a student, recognizes seniors who have exhibited exceptional academic ability while participating significantly in extracurricular activities.

The selective Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program recently selected five Knox students for grants to study abroad.

High-achieving students were named to the Knox College Dean's List for the 2020 Spring Term. To be named to the Dean's List, a student must have earned at least 2.5 credits in the term, with a grade point average of 3.6 or better (on a 4.0 scale).

Students at Knox College were awarded prizes from the Theatre Department at the end of the 2019-2020 academic year. The prizes celebrate excellence in performance, writing, and knowledge of theatre.

Students at Knox College were awarded prizes from the Psychology Department at the end of the 2019-2020 academic year. The prizes celebrate excellence in research, writing, and knowledge of psychology.

Neha Motwani was awarded a prize from the Knox College Pre-Professional & Cooperative Program in Medicine at the end of the 2019-2020 academic year. The Sylvia and Irwin Jaffe Memorial Prize in Medical Sciences is awarded to an outstanding female student majoring in the sciences and who demonstrates an intention to pursue a career in medicine. Selection is based on academic achievement, participation in extracurricular activities, leadership, and service to others. It was established by Kent and Theresa Jaffe to honor Sylvia and Irwin Jaffe, grandparents of Erica A. Jaffe, class of 2008.

Students at Knox College were awarded prizes from the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the end of the 2019-2020 academic year. The prizes celebrate scholarly and classroom excellence and community leadership.

Students at Knox College were awarded prizes from the Physics Department at the end of the 2019-2020 academic year. The prizes celebrate excellence in physics research, problem-solving, and performance in the classroom and laboratory.

Students at Knox College were awarded prizes from the Music Department at the end of the 2019-2020 academic year. The prizes celebrate excellence in musical composition, performance, and scholarly writing.

About 300 Knox College seniors received their bachelor's degrees on June 7, 2020, in Knox College's Virtual Conferring of Degrees ceremony.

Students at Knox College were awarded prizes from the Modern Languages Department at the end of the 2019-2020 academic year. The prizes celebrate excellence in research, writing, and knowledge in the field of modern languages.

Students at Knox College were awarded prizes from the Mathematics Department at the end of the 2019-2020 academic year. The prizes celebrate students who demonstrate excellence in their field.

Knox College students were welcomed into the nation's oldest and most prestigious honor society, Phi Beta Kappa.

During the 2020 Conferring of Degrees, select Knox College students were awarded College Honors for their advanced research and creative projects in specialized department fields. Projects were conducted in such areas as biology, composition and rhetoric, theatre, and environmental studies.

Students at Knox College were awarded prizes from the History Department at the end of the 2019-2020 academic year. The prizes celebrate excellence in research, writing, and knowledge of history.

Several students received academic awards from Knox's Biochemistry and Chemistry Departments during the 2019-20 academic year. The awards included Glenn M. Nagel Undergraduate Research Fund Awards in Chemistry and Biochemistry (2003), Leland Harris Award in Chemistry (1989), Russell P. Sutton Prize in Organic Chemistry (2000), and various ACS prizes.

As the academic year came to a close, several Knox students were awarded special prizes by the college. These prizes recognize students who strive for excellence in their academic roles at Knox College, as well as their roles in Knox community life.