Honors Scholar Degree Designees: 2022-2023

The Honors Scholar Designation represents the highest distinction available through the Honors Program. It is only awarded to students who have completed 18 credit hours of Honors Courses (including at least one interdisciplinary learning community) while maintaining a G.P.A. of 3.25 or higher. Scroll down to learn more about this exceptional group of students.

+ Grace Antar + Ashour Daniel + Hasan Khan + Brett Morris + Paula Ortiz Silva + Ololade Shittu + Lucia Zdenahlik +

Grace Antar

My name is Grace Antar. I completed the Honors Scholar Designation in my first year at Oakton. After I receive the Associate of Arts (Accounting and Business premajor) I am working towards from Oakton, I plan to transfer to another institution to complete my Bachelor's degree and possibly become a Certified Public Accountant. I am grateful for the Honors program, through which I was able to take various seminar courses outside of my premajor, such as Women and Creativity, Ethics, Environmental Science and Composition II, while also completing multiple Honors Contracts in my Accounting classes. 

Scholarships and Awards: Honors Scholar Designation; Oakton Honors Accounting Award

Hasan Ali Khan

My name is Hasan Ali Khan and I'm on track to receive my Associate of Applied Science degree in Substance Abuse Counseling at Oakton College. I am a non-traditional international student from India and I've spent my previous education in medicine and medical sciences. The COVID-19 pandemic caused my to re-think my career and Oakton College provided the best solution. Being part of the Honors Program allowed me to explore courses not only in STEM but in the Arts and Humanities. Some of my projects are: a poster presentation titled, "Absorption Method or McFarland Method, Which Inoculation Method Allows for Reproducible Biofilm Growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa?" and a creative writing and audio project titled, "Losing My Mother’s India: Womanhood Under Indian Fascism". For my efforts at Oakton, I have been awarded the Honors Global Studies Award, the President's Scholar Award, and the Marge Whitman Oak Award for Leadership. I am looking forward to starting a new career as a licensed Substance Abuse Counselor at the end of my holistic education at Oakton College. 

Scholarships and Awards: Honors Scholar Designation; Oakton Honors Global Studies Award (2022); Oakton Honors Public Intellectual Award (2023)

Ashour Daniel

My name is Ashour Daniel, and I will be graduating from Oakton College in the Spring of 2023, with an Associates of Arts degree in general studies. I plan to transfer Lake Forest College with the intent to pursue a major in History, and a greater goal of attending law school. Growing up as the son of immigrants, I was always driven to pursue my education to the greatest extent, but I was initially worried about the cost. However, what I found at Oakton was not only a solution to the high cost of college, but also a vibrant, diverse community that could support students like me in all aspects of my college journey. As a student in Oakton’s Honors Program, I have experienced all of the benefits of a rigorous liberal arts-style program, within the context of Oakton College. This experience will allow me to bring the knowledge and skills I obtained to my transfer school. Overall my time as an Oakton Honors Student has allowed me to grow and thrive as a student and an individual, and that growth was largely due to the support of my professors and peers at Oakton College. Among my Honors Projects, I completed a community profile of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in Des Plaines for Prof. Townsend’s Religious Diversity in America class and a paper on the “Epic of Gilgamesh as a Window into the world of Ancient Mesopotamia” for an Honors Contract in Prof. Pearson’s World Mythologies class.

Scholarships and Awards: Honors Scholar Designation; Oakton Honors Humanities Award

Paula Ortiz Silva

My name is Paula Ortiz Silva and I will be graduating in the spring of 2023 with an Associate of Arts (with a General Business pre-major). I will be transferring to the University of Illinois, Chicago to finish my Bachelor's degree in Marketing. As a first-generation college student, Oakton has been one of the most amazing experiences in my life. Being a first-generation college student is already hard enough and Oakton has brought me a lot of good experiences, and an excellent education that has prepared me for my next step. I am thankful for the Honors Program where I have met incredible professors who helped me develop not just as a student but also as a human being. Now I will continue my path in the Honors Program at University of Illinois, Chicago.

Scholarships and Awards: Honors Scholar Designation

Brett Morris

My name is Brett Morris. My time at Oakton has been focused on Psychology, but I've also particularly enjoyed classes on World Religions, Ethics, English, Social Problems, and especially the Honors courses I've taken on Contemporary Culture and the Arts and the Learning Community that combined Plants and Society and Intro to Social and Cultural Anthropology. I also very much enjoyed taking a deep dive into some of my Psychology classes by taking advantage of the Honor's Contract process, which gave me the opportunity to learn a lot from my Professors in our one-on-one meetings. Among my Honors Projects, I completed a project on How Exercise, Diet, and Sleep Impact Cognitive Decline, which included an interview study. I believe these experiences have helped prepare me for future academic challenges. I am going to attend Northeastern Illinois University beginning in May 2023, where I will be majoring in Psychology and minoring in Social Justice. My experience at Oakton has been incredibly fulfilling, and I feel lucky to have had so many stellar professors. 

Scholarships and Awards: Honors Scholar Designation; Oakton Honors Behavioral and Social Sciences Award

Ololade Shittu

My name is Ololade Shittu and I will be receiving my Associate of Arts from Oakton this summer. I will be transferring to Elmhurst university in the Fall of 2023 to complete my Bachelor of Science in Nursing, after which I intend to go to Medical school to fulfill my long term goal of becoming a Pediatric Oncologist. As an international student, I have had a somewhat difficult time navigating the intricacies of the educational system in the U.S., but being a member of the Honors Program has provided me with opportunities to take a path forward towards my goal while focusing on the things I love the most. My most memorable experience in the Honors Program was my Honors Microbiology project which was a case study. This project helped seal my decision to go into the medical field. Among my other Honors projects, I also completed a community profile of an “African initiated church”, working with Professor Townsend in Honors Religious Diversity in America. As I continue my academic journey, I look forward to being able to experience more service learning opportunities like the ones I have had at Oakton, and most importantly being able to apply all that I have learned in the real world.

Scholarships and Awards: Honors Scholar Designation; Oakton Honors Health Careers Award

My name is Lucia Rosario Zdenahlik, and I graduated as a President's Scholar with my Associate of Arts Degree in the Spring of 2023. During my first year at Oakton I enrolled in rigorous Honors courses. I was extremely compelled by Honors courses, so much that I completed the Honors Scholar Designation in my first year. I continued to take Honors courses that I was genuinely passionate about. The Honors Program introduced me to diverse areas of study and styles of learning such as within the Environmental Studies Concentration; Great Books Concentration; and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Concentration; all of which I have completed. As an Oakton Honors student, I discovered my passion for Environmental Studies. This interdisciplinary field allowed me to bridge my strengths across the sciences and humanities, inspiring me to pursue a career focused on research, education, public service, and social change. I have taken on many leadership roles at Oakton. As President of the Honors Student Organization, I have provided guidance and support to fellow students. As Co-President and Treasurer of the Environmental Club, I have planned events for students to learn about stewardship and sustainability in Oakton's beautiful and diverse ecosystems. I have been awarded the Elmhurst-Oakton Honors Full Tuition Scholarship and am transferring to Elmhurst University where I will complete my Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies. Upon completion of my degree, I plan to pursue a career working directly with communities around the world to decrease the negative impacts of climate change.

Scholarships and Awards: Honors Scholar Designation; Oakton Honors Student of the Year Award; Oakton Honors Environmental Studies Award (2022); Oakton Honors Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Award (2023); Oakton Board of Trustees Outstanding Student Leadership Award; Elmhurst-Oakton Honors Full Tuition Scholarship; Oakton High School Senior Honors Scholarship