Oakton became the first community college in Illinois to receive the Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution Program (AANAPISI) designation in 2020. AANAPISI is one of eight federally designated Minority-Serving Institutions (MSI) programs established by the U.S. Department of Education.
The AANAPISI program provides federal funding for colleges and universities and works to improve the availability and quality of higher education for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) college students.
Under the AANAPISI program funding, which runs from 2020-2026, Oakton has established the Center for Organizing Minority Programs to Advance Student Success (COMPASS) with the goals to:
There are six program strategies to improve the opportunity gap and achieve these goals for AAPI students.
The Silk Road Scholarship is an endowed fund to help reduce financial barriers. For more details on how to apply, please visit the .
Open to all high school students, Code Elevate is a summer coding program focused on girls of color.
Students are introduced to basic HTML and JavaScript. It is designed in collaboration with Oakton’s Computer Science Department and Division of STEM. In addition to coding, students explore college options and connect with tech professionals while earning a college credit upon completion of the program. This program is aimed at encouraging AAPI women to pursue careers in Computer Science and Technology.
Women in Tech is a discussion series for Oakton students interested in learning about working in the tech industry.