COD Student Attends Georgetown Through Prestigious Preferred Program

College of DuPage student Cullen Dobbs has been accepted to Georgetown University through the prestigious Georgetown Preferred Consideration Program.

The Warrenville resident was recommended for the program by former Associate Vice President of Academics Emmanuel Awuah.

"I was presenting at the Honors Council of the Illinois Region symposium at Lewis University. During lunch, Dr. Awuah was talking with me about my career path and where I hoped to transfer," Dobbs said. "He brought up the Preferred Consideration Program and asked for my information so he could submit it. One month later, he called me and said I had been accepted."

For more than 20 years, Georgetown University has extended invitations to select community colleges to nominate its top students for the Georgetown Preferred Consideration Program. The typical student accepted for transfer admission has achieved a cumulative 3.8 GPA or higher.

Dobbs, who is receiving a half-ride scholarship to Georgetown, plans to pursue a criminal justice career. He first became interested in this field through his father.

"He went to law school and then changed his life around to work construction and build movie theaters," he said. "I have always been obsessed with the law when it comes to watching TV and even learning about it throughout my life."

Dobbs decided to attend College of DuPage because of his family. He received the Presidential Scholarship, a full tuition award that alleviated the financial burden of school and allowed him to live at home. He also was part of the Honors program.

"I was planning to graduate with an associate's degree in Criminal Justice and two certificates in Homeland Security and Emergency Management," he said. "That all changed with the Georgetown opportunity."

Dobbs will pursue a bachelor's degree in Government with a Criminal Justice option. He plans to apply to the Georgetown University Law Center through the Early Assurance Program, after which he would like a law career with the FBI, CIA or Homeland Security.

The opportunity to transfer to Georgetown is both surprising and surreal, Dobbs said. He is thankful to College of DuPage for all of its support.

"Having administrators and faculty who believe in me as much as they have is extremely warming," he said. "Professor Deanna Davisson is someone who completely changed my attitude toward education and helped me grow as a student, along with Professor Michelle Moore and many others who helped shape my educational career. COD opened my mind to different career paths.

"I will be forever grateful for what College of DuPage has done for me because I wouldn't be attending Georgetown today. I never thought myself capable of such an accomplishment. I will do my best to make sure these opportunities do not go in vain.

For more about the Criminal Justice program, visit www.cod.edu/programs/criminal_justice.

College of DuPage is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Serving approximately 28,000 students each term, College of DuPage is the largest public community college in the state of Illinois. The College grants nine associate degrees and offers more than 170 career and technical certificates in over 50 areas of study.