Oakton College

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Oakton is a two-year community college with campuses in Des Plaines and Skokie.
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10/19/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us at the 5th annual PARA SA KULTURA! From the first bite to the last song, the night market was full of Filipino flavors, local vendors, and community connection in celebration of Filipino-American History Month.

10/15/2026

Congratulations to Nini Tella, Oakton's director of advising, transitions and student success, on receiving the Illinois Academic Advising Association (ILACADA) Outstanding Advisor Administrator Award!

Recognized at the ILACADA Fall Conference at Illinois State University, Nini earned this well-deserved honor for her outstanding leadership, dedication to academic advising and commitment to helping students and fellow advising professionals thrive.

10/14/2026

Explore the vibrant creativity of Oakton’s Art Department faculty at the ID Show: Oakton Annual Art Faculty Exhibition. 🎨

Featuring paintings, photography, ceramics and digital art, this exhibition showcases the unique artistic identities and perspectives of our faculty.

Visit the Koehnline Museum of Art through Nov. 20 to experience it for yourself.

10/12/2026

Today, on Indigenous Peoples' Day, we honor the histories, cultures and ongoing contributions of Native people, including the Bodéwadomi (Potawatomi), Ojibwe (Chippewa), Odawaa (Ottawa), Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo), Mamaceqtaw (Menominee), Myaamiaki (Miami), Thakiwaki (Sac and Fox) and Hoocągra (Ho-Chunk) nations, whose traditional homelands we live and work on at Oakton College every day.

We're grateful to the Native community members who shared their language and knowledge to help us represent their greetings with authenticity and respect in our new “Welcome, in Every Voice” mural at the Skokie campus. Their contributions are a meaningful reminder of the importance of honoring Indigenous languages, cultures and communities.

10/08/2026

History. Stories. Connection. Community. 🏳️‍🌈

We loved bringing people together for Pride Bites: An Intergenerational Chat at Oakton, a chance to learn LGBTQIA2+ history, share experiences and connect across generations.

Thank you to Oakton’s LGBTQIA2+ Advisory Council, Ge**er Hart Library and Archives, The Center of Concern and AgeOptions for being part of this special afternoon and helping bring our community together. 💚

10/07/2026

We’re proud to celebrate Oakton College President Joianne Smith on receiving the 2026 District 3 Pacesetter Award from the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations (NCMPR)! 🎉

The award recognizes outstanding leadership and support for college marketing and communications. President Smith has championed this work at Oakton, supporting the College’s brand evolution and environmental branding, while elevating authentic stories from students, alumni and community members.

🔗 Read more about President Smith’s leadership and the impact of this work: https://bit.ly/4hRfHqd

Congratulations, President Smith! 💚🦉

10/05/2026

Congratulations to Oakton Distinguished Professor of English Tina Fakhrid-Deen, one of just 10 Chicago-area artists selected to receive a 2026 3Arts Award!

A playwright, educator and community builder, Professor Fakhrid-Deen uses storytelling to create space for reflection, connection and transformation — in the classroom, on the stage and throughout the community.

3Arts is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization that supports artists working in the performing, teaching and visual arts through unrestricted awards, project funding, residencies, professional development and other career-building opportunities. Award recipients are selected through a competitive nomination and jury process. More than 100 artists are nominated annually before national, discipline-specific panels select 10 recipients.

🔗 Read more: https://bit.ly/4hGgRF4

10/01/2026

September in the community 🤝

Oakton is proud to show up, build relationships and connect with the communities we serve. Here are a few highlights from September:

🍁 Des Plaines Park District Fall Fest: Team members from multiple College departments connected with families at the annual Fall Fest, co-hosted by Des Plaines Chamber of Commerce & Industry & DPCCI Foundation and Des Plaines History Center.
🌱 Morton Grove Chamber of Commerce: College leaders joined a legislative panel featuring local, state and federal updates.
👋 Evanston Chamber of Commerce: Colleagues connected with business owners and community leaders at the Mashup event.
🎉 Aspiritech Gala: Oakton representatives attended the annual gala supporting cost-free training and employment opportunities for neurodivergent adults.

These connections help Oakton better understand and respond to the needs of the communities we serve — and bring our mission to life beyond our campuses.

09/24/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Oakton’s Open House! 🦉💚

It was a day full of exploring campus and programs, with campus tours and hands-on demonstrations from faculty in automotive technology, Earth science, drawing and more.

09/23/2026

When we invest in local businesses, we invest in stronger communities. 🤝

Thank you to everyone who joined us today for the Business Enterprise Program (BEP) and Veterans Business Program (VBP) Certification Kickstart Workshop. By connecting small, diverse and veteran-owned businesses with the tools and resources to pursue State certification, this event helped create pathways to new opportunities and strengthen our local economy.

We’re grateful to State Senator Ram Villivalam, State Representative Kevin Olickal, the Illinois Commission on Equity and Inclusion, Illinois APEX Accelerator and the Asian American Chamber of Commerce for making this opportunity possible — and to everyone who showed up ready to learn, connect and grow.

09/21/2026

🎉 Congratulations to Oakton student Mulla Juma, a 2026 Chime Workforce Scholar!

Mulla is one of 200 students nationwide recognized for academic achievement and a commitment to career-focused education. The Chime Workforce Scholarship, funded by the Chime Scholars Foundation and administered by the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, supports students pursuing career and technical education at two-year colleges.

Mulla is completing Oakton’s HVACR program this year and is excited to take his hands-on experience into the workforce.

Look familiar? 👀 Mulla is also one of the students featured in Oakton’s new commercial! Keep an eye out for him in ads from Oakton and cheer him on as he puts his skills into action.

09/17/2026

We proudly welcome 13 new graduates into Oakton's alumni community! 🎓

These Oakton students celebrated an important milestone, earning Associate in General Studies degrees during a ceremony at Sheridan Correctional Center.

They are the third cohort of the Northwestern Prison Education Program - NPEP to earn associate degrees from Oakton through the College’s partnership with Northwestern University and the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Surrounded by proud family, friends, faculty and supporters, the graduates celebrated their hard work, determination and academic achievement — and took another step toward earning bachelor’s degrees from Northwestern. https://bit.ly/4rjhhpd

09/16/2026

From supporting NASA’s Artemis missions and improving patient care to advancing Indigenous knowledge and strengthening local communities, Oakton alumni are making an impact.

Please join us in congratulating Oakton’s 2026 Distinguished Alumni, who we honored last week at our Des Plaines campus:

💊 ThuyVu Do — ambulatory care pharmacy specialist and mentor
🤝 Kimberly Jones — longtime public servant and Maine Township supervisor
🌱 Gina Roxas — Indigenous leader and environmental steward
🚀 Lynette Sugatan — NASA civil servant and Artemis III project manager

Their paths may be different, but each is using their knowledge and experience to help build just and thriving communities.

🔗 Learn more about their remarkable achievements: https://bit.ly/4xxffEf

09/15/2026

There’s nothing quite like the hustle and bustle of a new semester. 💚

Fall Fest filled our Skokie and Des Plaines campuses with good food, new connections, familiar faces and plenty of energy to kick off the semester.

A few more moments from two days of celebrating the start of fall at Oakton. 🍂

Address

1600 E Golf Road
Des Plaines, IL
60016

Telephone

+18476351600

Website

https://linktr.ee/OaktonCollege, http://oakton.edu/comments

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