Awardee Will be Recognized at Commencement, June 18
Do you know a Highline College alum who is making an impact in their community? Now is your chance to honor them.
Nominations are now open for the 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award and close Friday, April 24. This annual award honors former Highline students who have made notable achievements in their profession or society.
Seattle Mayor Norm Rice sits with Highline President Shirley Gordon before the 1990 commencement ceremony where he would receive the college’s first Distinguished Alumnus Award. Rice attended Highline during the 1968–69 academic year.
Last year's recipient was Janessa Petitt, a nursing instructor and entrepreneur who was awarded for her impact on healthcare, education, and her community.
This year's winner, to be selected this spring, will join 2024 winner Rahma Rashid, the founder of Seattle nonprofit Muslimahs Against Abuse Center (MAAC), and 1990 winner Norm Rice, the award’s first recipient and former mayor of Seattle. Rice attended Highline in 1968–69.
Other past recipients include Michele Pedicone, a respiratory care therapist and allied health professor in New York, Angela Sheffey-Bogan, a principal at a local elementary school, Ed Ramos, accountant and veteran, and Ann Rule, an internationally recognized crime author.
Eligible nominees are former students who attended Highline five or more years ago (prior to the 2021–2022 academic year).
The college is looking for nominees who have made a significant contribution through community service, noteworthy professional achievement and/or recognized leadership. Nominations may be submitted by faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of Highline.
Nominees will be asked to submit a resume and personal profile questionnaire for review by a campus selection committee. The winner will be selected in spring and recognized at Highline’s Commencement ceremony on June 18, 2026.
Online nomination form PDF nomination form
PDF nomination forms may be emailed to Tanisha Williams at twilliam@highline.edu or mailed to:
Highline College Alumni Relations
PO Box 98000 MS CV-3
Des Moines, WA 98198
Questions?
Contact Tanisha Williams at twilliam@highline.edu.