Harper College Distinguished Alumni Awards

The Distinguished Alumni Awards program at Harper College recognizes Harper College Alumni who have distinguished themselves in their careers and in their service to the community. The program launched in 2008 and to date, a total of 97 individuals have been honored in two award categories. The Distinguished Alumni Program celebrates exceptional alumni while fostering meaningful, ongoing connections between honorees and Harper College students. Honorees serve as role models and ambassadors by engaging directly with students through on-campus visits, speaking opportunities, and other involvement throughout the academic year. Learn more about previous Harper College Distinguished Alumni honorees by visiting the Distinguished Alumni digital display on Harper’s campus on the main level in Building A.

2026 Distinguished Alumni Award Reception

6 - 8 pm, Thursday, October 29, 2026
Wojcik Conference Center at Harper College

2026 Harper College Distinguished Alumni

Distinguished Recent Alumni Award Honoree

Dr. Ruth Morales, DPT

Dr. Ruth Morales came to Harper College unsure if she was ready for higher education — until an anatomy class sparked a love of science that eventually led her to a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Northwestern University. Now a Certified Lymphedema Therapist at Whole Wellness Physical Therapy and Chiropractic, she treats patients with neurologic, orthopedic, and cancer-related conditions, including pro bono care for underserved communities — crediting Harper's support for helping her push through and keep going. Read More

Distinguished Alumni Award Honorees

John Lawson

John Lawson's journey has come full circle: he began as a Harper College Community Service Officer in 1980 while earning his criminal justice degree, and now serves as the college's chief of police. Along the way, he built a decades-long career including roles with the Roselle Police Department and as a lead homicide investigator with the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force, earning honors like 1997 State of Illinois Police Officer of the Year. Lawson credits Harper with teaching him the discipline to balance work, family, and school — lessons he now hopes to pass on to students walking the same halls he once did. Read More

Megan E. McDowell, DNP, MSN, RN, CNE

Dr. Megan E. McDowell traces her path from Harper College nursing student to nurse educator back to instructor Beth Nudelman, whose engaging teaching inspired her own career in higher education. After graduating from Harper in 2003 and earning advanced degrees elsewhere, she returned to teach nursing at Harper from 2012 to 2020. Now an assistant professor at Brenau University, McDowell co-founded Track My Clinical, a platform modernizing clinical education, and researches how healthcare professionals can identify and respond to human trafficking — crediting Harper for setting "the gold standard" of what it means to be a nurse. Read More

John Schafer

John Schafer says reading defenses as a Harper College wide receiver in the 1980s taught him the instincts that later defined his risk management career: spot vulnerabilities and reinforce them. That mindset carried him through the Army, security leadership in war zones and disasters, and creating the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs. He credits former Harper coach John Eliasik with teaching him the teamwork behind safety work, and now runs Ministry of Sailing, providing safety support for races like the Race to Mackinac — while also authoring three books, including his latest, Safety is Second. Read More

Colin Weber

Colin Weber traded his childhood dream of following weatherman Tom Skilling for engineering, following encouragement from his dad and a high school teacher to Harper College. There, a tough mechanical engineering course and coach Jim Macnider's lessons in consistency helped shape him before he went on to the University of New Haven, Drexel University, and eventually Lockheed Martin Space, where he now mentors students and picks his own assignments in a competitive leadership program — a path he says started with the real-world introduction Harper gave him. Read More

Thank you to our event sponsors!

Distinguished Alumni Award nominations take place each spring. Questions about the nominations? Email alumni@harpercollege.edu.
Visit Distinguished Alumni Nomination Information to review the criteria for a future nomination.

For information on sponsoring or about the Distinguished Alumni Awards event, please contact Harper College Alumni Relations at alumni@harpercollege.edu or 847.925.6701.

Past Distinguished Alumni Honorees

Distinguished Alumni Scholarship Fund

Invest in a Strong Future: Support the Distinguished Alumni Scholarship Fund.

Questions? Contact us at 847.925.6701 or alumni@harpercollege.edu.