May 21, 2021
Roy , Jr. and Brenda Bullock 912 Saint Nicholas Dr O Fallon, IL 62269-3172 Dear Roy and Brenda, Congratulations to you on Reyna's admission to Knox College. This is a momentous occasion for you as well as your student, because your support and encouragement over the years made this achievement possible. I know that you want Reyna to choose the school that is right for them—a college home that provides an environment for academic success and personal growth. I think Knox can be that place, and I’d like to tell you why. Our outstanding faculty are genuinely committed to helping students on their journeys. Knox graduate Bridget Coughlin, who is now CEO and president of Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, likes to tell the story of an encouraging note left on one of her books by her research advisor, noting that her project seemed to be going slowly. Bridget says it was just the nudge she needed to reach out and ask for the help she needed to get back on track. Our graduates leave Knox with a resume packed with tangible experience. Hands-on learning is at the core of our curriculum—even during a pandemic. Students conduct their own research, put on theatrical productions, launch businesses, publish journals, and more. Beyond the classroom, every Knox student receives a $2,000 Power of Experience grant so they can afford to study abroad, pursue an internship, or launch their own community service initiative. This past summer, Joey Dorgan Jr. used his grant to work as a pediatric research assistant at the Center for Disabilities and Development at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital. Jordyn Hall spent seven weeks in Mexico, working in healthcare clinics and honing her Spanish language skills, with Child Health International. Closer to home, Hailey Nguyen worked with AbbVie’s regulatory affairs team as a virtual intern. Our students become deeply engaged in strong, sustainable, and diverse communities. Our campus and our Galesburg location have nearly everything students need for college—a beautiful and safe place to study, a thriving culture scene, and professional opportunities. Something that I find even more remarkable for a community of our size is its diversity. Among our 1,200 students, you’ll find people who are as different from each other as you can possibly imagine. Together, they develop greater empathy, learn to collaborate across their differences, and develop the skills to be effective leaders in an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world.
Our graduates are well-positioned for rewarding careers. I firmly believe there’s no better preparation for the jobs of the future than a liberal arts education. Knox graduates are analytical thinkers, effective communicators, and creative problem-solvers. For every student who arrives on campus knowing they want to practice law or medicine and goes on to do so with great success, I can point to others who have won acclaim in careers that seem to have little to do with their academic disciplines: the history major who became a James Beard Award-nominated restaurateur (Stefano Viglietti), the modern languages major who’s now a senior director of business strategy for Microsoft’s xBox gaming division (Juliana Tioanda), or the computer science major who founded an aerospace company that is working to transport humans to Mars (Carol Craig). Our entire Knox community truly cares for one another. The current pandemic has highlighted the enduring strength and resilience of our community. When Knox moved to virtual instruction this spring, our faculty put in long hours to master new technologies and to make themselves available to students working from every time zone to help them adapt and thrive. Our alumni community donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to help pay for students’ travel home and the equipment they needed to continue their studies off campus—and contributed a record amount to support the need for additional financial aid and scholarships. Now that we are back on campus, students, faculty, and staff have been vigilant in observing our safety protocols, enabling a successful return to in-person classes. This is a very special place, and we are its stewards. My colleagues and I will do everything in our power to make sure that Reyna has the most transformative and rewarding experience we can provide. That is the promise of a Knox education. I wish you and your family a most successful conclusion to the college search process! Sincerely,
Teresa L. Amott President teresa.amott@knox.edu P.S. You can read more about the extraordinary educational, professional, and personal accomplishments of our graduates at www.knox.edu/outcomes. Find out where our graduates work or are continuing their educations and how Knox students’ debt compares to students at other schools.