Alumni Spotlight

Our alumni have some pretty amazing stories to tell. Harper alumni have overcome significant obstacles, worked hard on their journey toward success and are making great contributions in both career and community. If you have an idea for an Alumni Spotlight story, contact alumni@harpercollege.edu.

Latinos Unidos alumni reunion celebrates club’s impact and finding ‘family’ on campus

Current and former members of Harper College’s club for Latine students recently joined together to honor its legacy of support and inclusion. Read More

Ten Questions with Isaac Jean-Paul

Isaac Jean-Paul, 2024 Harper College Commencement speaker, on being a father, the inspiring world of adaptive sports, why "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield brings a smile to his face, and more. Read More

Jackie Lefevre standing in front of Troy E Larson Memorial Lecture Hall

Scholarship honors persistence, endurance and fortitude and inspires Harper students.

Attorney Jackie LeFevre created the Troy E. Larson Endowed Memorial Scholarship in memory of her first husband. As an elementary student Troy was diagnosed with mild dyslexia, but his mother encouraged his interest in reading. Read More

Shipra Rajput standing next to Edwards sign

International student experience inspires alumna to give back

Shipra Rajput always dreamed of studying in the United States. So, when the opportunity arose to go to college in the U.S., and following a recommendation of a family friend who lived in the northwest suburbs, Shipra enrolled at Harper College in 2014. Read More

A meaningful “thanks” from alumna

Dana Romero (A.A. ’19) counts several highlights from her time as a student at Harper College. She was secretary of the Psychology club, a member of Phi Theta Kappa, an orientation leader, in the Honors Program, a member of several other clubs, and maintained a near 4.0 GPA. Read More

Harper Alum’s passion for social work, social justice ignited at Harper College

Years before Dr. Justin Harty (A.A. ‘08) became a trailblazer in the field of Social Work and an assistant professor in the School of Social Work at Arizona State University, he was a high school graduate questioning if college was the right path for him. He worked at Menards for the first few years after high school before deciding to enroll at Harper part-time. Read More

Second chance leads to steadfast support of Harper students

Harper College helped Randal Allen turn his life around. The scientist, professor and donor is dedicated to helping others gain new opportunities via scholarships. Read More

Harper graduate’s immigration story inspires immigration law career

Maria Vargas received her law degree in Mexico. After becoming a U.S. citizen, she earned her paralegal certification at Harper College to work in immigration law. Read More

Harper alum leading Illini Solar Car Team

Read about Harper College alum Tim Damisch, president of the Illini Solar Car Team, who will compete this summer in the American Solar Challenge. Read More

Alumni from left: Ahmed Akinyele, Suliat Akinyele and Veronica Naranjo.

Alumni credit ESL program as catalyst for success

When Veronica Naranjo moved to the Chicago area from Colombia in 2006, she had a college degree but she didn’t speak much English and wasn’t certain about her first steps in her new country. After exploring area colleges, she enrolled in the ESL program at Harper College. Once at Harper, she quickly found that the program provided so much more than the language skills she wanted to improve. Read More