Napa Valley College student Huzaifa Kamran Khawaja is one of 10 students selected from a nationwide pool of 3,400 applicants to be named a 2020 Hites Scholar by the Phi Theta Kappa honor society.

The Hites Transfer Scholarship, which offers support of $7,500 to each of the honorees, is the honor society’s largest and most prestigious award.

Khawaja is a member of Phi Theta Kappa, which recognizes the academic achievement of students at associate’s degree-granting colleges.

The Hites Transfer Scholarship is awarded to Phi Theta Kappa members who are preparing to transfer to a college or university. Winners are selected for their outstanding academic achievement and rigor, leadership accomplishments and engagement in college and community activities.

Khawaja is majoring in molecular and cellular biology at Napa Valley College and will transfer to UC Berkeley in fall 2020 with two associate’s degrees, one in natural science and mathematics, and one in natural science with an emphasis on life sciences.

He was elected to the Associated Students Napa Valley College in 2018-2019 and represented the student body as the student trustee on the Napa Valley College Board of Trustees.

Khawaja also served on two board committees, Real Property and Finance, as well as on two hiring committees and the student discipline hearing panel. He currently serves as an officer on the Dreamers of Community Change student club and is vice president for NVC’s Phi Theta Kappa college project.

“I am thankful to the Almighty, my family, NVC teachers and friends as I could not have done this without them,” Khawaja said. “Special thanks to Cathy Gillis for showering her trust onto me and being my mentor. Napa Valley College is the platform that has given me the opportunity and resources to launch to the sky. I will forever be grateful for the love, recognition, and ample possibilities to mold myself into a dynamic student.”

In addition to this award, Khawaja was a semi-finalist on the All-USA Academic Team; he was named a 2020 Coca-Cola Academic Team Gold Scholar and will receive a $5,000 scholarship. Khawaja is one of only 50 students selected from across the country for this honor.

Khawaja and fellow Phi Theta Kappa scholar Tyler Kirby were selected to represent Napa Valley College on the All-CA Academic Team, with All-California Community College Academic Team awards this year.

An engineering major, Tyler Kirby will be starting his third year at Napa Valley College in the fall. “Through my tutoring job at the Math Success Center on campus, I have been inspired to possibly become a teacher one day,” he said.

The students were honored on May 15 at a virtual Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society induction and at the Napa Valley College Board of Trustees meeting the night before.