Meet Our Distinguished Alumni Each year, Oakton honors outstanding graduates with the Distinguished Alumni Award. Our recent award recognized the following four graduates for their commitment to building just and thriving communities in keeping with Oakton’s Vision 2030 strategic plan.
Filza Ali AA, ,
Nathan M. Norman AA, , 18 is passionate about supporting young people. As workforce development manager for the City of Evanston, he connects Evanston youth and young adults with workforce development opportunities and resources that contribute to sustainable career paths. He also serves as an ambassador for Oakton’s Emory Williams Academy for Black Men, a program designed to support the success of Black male-identifying students.
17 has a long-standing
Julian G. Thompson (2005-2006) centers race and justice in his work as assistant professor of criminology, law and justice at the University of Illinois Chicago. The author of many articles on a variety of social work topics, he has served in leadership positions at various local organizations supporting vulnerable populations with job reentry, housing and access to mental health services.
Jerrod W. Tucker (2005-2007) is the head coach of the Jacksonville 95ers, a men’s professional basketball team based in Jacksonville, Florida. He also serves as dean and head varsity basketball coach at a charter school. An active community member, he volunteers his time to support homeless and low-income populations. At Oakton, he was a basketball team captain and led the team to its first trip to the national tournament. He was inducted into the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference Hall of Fame in 2019.
commitment to supporting immigrant and undocumented students. As a bachelor’s degree student at Loyola University, where she received the full-ride Magis Scholarship for undocu- mented students, she facilitated undocumented ally training for more than 300 students and employees and created platforms for undocumented students to network and strengthen their connection with the community. Today, she works as an associate research strategy and operations analyst at a Chicago-based biotechnology company and continues to advocate for immigration reform.
Oakton Alumni Council Composed of dedicated representatives from Oakton’s alumni community, the Alumni Council recommends, provides and supports a range of activities and services to alumni, students and the Oakton community. Members include:
Jonathan McFarlane ’05, Chair Associate in Arts, Liberal Arts Shakera Khatoon ’22, Vice Chair Associate in Science, Math and Science Theresa Bashiri-Remetio ’09 2019 Distinguished Alumni Honoree Associate in Arts, Liberal Arts Public Relations Certificate, Professional
Maria Lazanyi ’09 Associate in Arts, Liberal Arts Nathan Norman ’19 Associate in Arts, Liberal Arts
Norman Petroski ’15 Associate in Applied Science, Management and Supervision Dayani Pieri ’09 2016 Distinguished Alumni Honoree Associate in Arts, Liberal Arts
Franklin Ortega Attended 2008-2011 Tim Panfil ’88 and ’89 2014 Distinguished Alumni Honoree Associate in Applied Science, Electronics and Computer Technology Associate in Science, Engineering
Neha Shafizadah Attended 2008-2010
Accounting Certificate Patrick Dunne ’08 Associate in Applied Science Health Information Technology Coding Certificate
2023 Annual Report | oakton.edu 29
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online