Waubonsee Community College has enrolled its 300,000th student in its 51st year serving the district.
Hannah Polhill, from Yorkville, is a freshman and a Gustafson Scholar majoring in business at Waubonsee. She intends to transfer to a four-year institution and study both business and psychology.
A competitive dancer while in high school, Polhill is now learning how to teach dancing to others, when she’s not in class. She wants to combine her education with her love for dancing to help people use dancing to improve their lives.
“I like to help people and someday want to own a dance studio and use it to teach dancing as a therapeutic escape,” said Polhill.
As part of the Gustafson Program, Polhill participates in community service projects throughout the school year. Earlier this year she volunteered at the Fox Valley Marathon. She plans to do future community service projects with the Kendall County Public Action to Deliver Shelter (PADS), a program that provides services for the homeless or those otherwise in need of services.
Polhill had no way to know that she would be the 300,000th student to enroll at Waubonsee when she registered for classes earlier this year. In fact, she didn’t know that she was until a few weeks into the semester.
“It’s an honor. I feel like I won the lottery,” she said.
The milestone is significant for the college, too.
“Enrolling the 300,000th student in the first year after our 50th anniversary celebration makes this particularly special,” said Faith LaShure, Dean for Enrollment Management.
Waubonsee’s 200,000th student registered for classes in 2002.
In addition to recognition at the October meeting of the Board of Trustees, Polhill received a Director’s Scholarship of $1,000 from the Waubonsee Community College Foundation.
