Kaskaskia College hosts its Annual Awards Banquet, recognizes Distinguished Alumnus of the Year and Business and Industry Partner of the Year

Centralia, Illinois - Kaskaskia College recently celebrated the outstanding achievements of its faculty, staff, students, and community partners at the Annual Awards Banquet held this April. The event recognized individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the college's mission of excellence in education and community engagement.

Among the distinguished honorees were Whitney Kampwerth Luebbers, recipient of the prestigious Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award, and Monken Automotive, recipient of the Business and Industry Award. Luebbers, a 2007 graduate of Kaskaskia College, has distinguished herself as a dedicated family practice attorney in Carlyle, IL. She was the first student to graduate high school at the same time she received her Kaskaskia College degree in 2007.

"My time at Kaskaskia College saved me an incredible amount of money, reducing my student loans and helping me to obtain my law degree in five years as opposed to seven," said Luebbers. "There's almost not a week that goes by that I don't encourage people to look into the KC Now Program and the Jump Start Program for students to take advantage of free dual credit offerings or tuition at half rate. KC has gone the extra mile to make college accessible to anyone."

Monken Automotive has demonstrated exceptional collaboration and support for over a decade to the KC Automotive Technology advisory board, contributing to the advancement of automotive education and workforce development.

"These individuals and partnerships exemplify the spirit of excellence and dedication that defines Kaskaskia College," said KC President George Evans. "Their contributions have had a profound impact on our students, our community, and our institution, and we are incredibly grateful for their continued support and commitment to our mission."

KC Board of Trustees Chairman Bill Hawley was recognized as the winner of the Ray Hartstein Trustee Achievement Award and will receive the statewide award among all Illinois community college trustees this summer.

In addition to these esteemed awards, Kaskaskia College recognized the following individuals and partnerships for their exemplary contributions:

Outstanding Employees of the Year: Jenna Eldred & Franceska Windler

Outstanding Part-Time Employee of the Year: Trishia Kohnen

Innovation Impact Award: Steven Foutch

Synergy Award: Education Center Staff & Children's Learning Center Staff

Outstanding Full-Time Faculty of the Year: Julie Littrell

Horizon Faculty Member of the Year: Lesley Brower

Assessment Award: Scott Crothers

High School Dual Credit Faculty Member of the Year: Helen Essenpreis of Mater Dei High School

Educational Partnership of the Year Award: Sandoval High School

Paul Simon Student Essay Contest: Jacquelynne Witteborg

Gandhi King Peace Scholarship Contest: Jordynn Duensing

Gigi Campbell Student Trustee Excellence Award: Madison Johnson, outgoing student trustee