Student Spotlight: Courtney Clark

Courtney Clark initially wanted to attend a four-year university, but her parents suggested that she check out College of DuPage.

"I thought if I chose COD, I'd miss out on a lot of things, such as being part of the student life and getting to live on campus," she said. "But after my parents found out about the scholarship, I decided to apply. When I received it, I came to COD for several meetings, and the more I came to campus, the more I liked it.

"When I participated in the Student Leadership retreat in August, I realized COD has everything that other universities do."

Clark was one of 56 students who were selected to become Presidential Scholars for the 2011-2012 academic year. Touting an average ACT score of 30 and an average GPA of 3.84/4.0, the scholars represent the very "best of the best" in terms of area high school graduates, receiving full-tuition scholarships for up to 64 credit hours as well as admission into the Honors Program and the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.

Clark has not decided upon a career and is enrolled in general education classes. While she took Spanish in high school, she's now enrolled in French in hopes of traveling or studying abroad and perhaps pursuing a career in international relations.

Her goal is to take full advantage of what COD has to offer. She's already participating in the Living Leadership program and is a Student Ambassador.

"I keep thinking over and over again that I'm really happy that I chose COD," she said. "I've met so many people, and I like all the classes and teachers that I have right now. I don't think I could have made a better choice."

More about Presidential Scholars