Major: Transfer
Sakina Khan’s experience with a family member influenced her decision to pursue a career in communication sciences and disorders (CSD).
“I became interested in CSD as my major after shadowing my sister who was unable to speak at her speech pathology appointments,” she said. “I was intrigued by the therapists’ innovative techniques.”
Khan chose College of DuPage to begin her studies after being named a Presidential Scholar, which included full tuition for two years and membership in the Honors Program and Phi Theta Kappa. She was pleased to discover academic and support programs that focused on her success.
The community feeling at COD is something I don’t think I will find anywhere else.
Sakina Khan
“I had heard a lot of good things about the resources that COD offers, and they were all proven to be true,” she said. “I was able to take a lot of honors classes and had the honor of becoming a member and a club officer for the Honors Student Advisory Council, where I was able to give my input on different topics regarding the honors student atmosphere at COD.
“The Career Services Center helped me figure out how to represent myself well to future employers with my resume. I am also planning to double minor in digital marketing and communications, and I thoroughly enjoyed the classes I took for these.”
Khan earned an Associate in Science degree as an Honors Scholar and received the Honors Program transfer scholarship to Elmhurst University, a full-tuition award.
“I was honored, humbled and inspired to receive the scholarship,” she said. “It will help me financially in continuing my education to pursue a bachelor’s at Elmhurst, which was my top university choice as it has an amazing program for what I am pursuing.”
After earning her bachelor’s degree, Khan would like to attend graduate school and then become a pediatric speech pathologist. She also hopes to use her minors to further her career passions and possibly start a business.
Because of her positive experience, Khan strongly recommends COD to any prospective students.
“I would tell them that choosing COD was honestly one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life,” she said. “It greatly helped me financially to save my money for graduate school. I also made some of the best friends I have today. The community feeling at COD is something I don’t think I will find anywhere else. I also loved the atmosphere and environment that COD has, including the amazing library, along with all of the services they provide for free! I strongly recommend COD to anyone considering it.”