Niles North Distinguished Alumnus Award 2020-2021 Nomination
Niles North High School is seeking nominations for the Distinguished Alumnus award. Nominations shall include supporting documentation about the nominee such as achievements in their field, significant contributions to their community, and their association with Niles North.
The award recipient will be requested to attend our annual Awards of Distinction program to accept their award and give a brief speech about their experiences in high school and post high school. The 55th Awards of Distinction will take place in May, 2021. At this ceremony, current students are also recognized for their accomplishments in areas of athletics, scholarship, and community engagement.
Selection is made based on the following criteria:
- Graduated from Niles North.
- Attended at least three years of high school at a District 219 high school (this can also include Niles East).
- Has made a significant contribution to his or her field and/or in the community, and
- Had a meaningful experience as a student at Niles North High School.
Please complete the online form:
Niles North Distinguished Alumnus Award 2020-2021 Nomination Form
If you wish to submit the nomination by email or mail, please send the information to Samina Hussain at [email protected], or mail it to Samina Hussain, Niles Township High School 219, 7700 Gross Point Road, Skokie 60077.
We will be accepting nominations until February 15, 2021.
* * Distinguished Alum 2021 * *
Jayesh Rathod, Niles North Class of 1993
Jayesh Rathod is Associate Dean for Experiential Education, Professor of Law, and Director of the Immigrant Justice Clinic at American University Washington College of Law. His areas of expertise and scholarly interests include immigration law, labor and employment law, and clinical legal education. As Associate Dean, Rathod oversees the law school’s clinical, externship, and trial advocacy programs, and fosters the development of new experiential offerings.
Professor Rathod has been recognized for his innovative teaching, including the use of technology and the promotion of bilingual education within U.S. law schools. His body of scholarship includes empirical, applied and theoretical work, and covers topics relating to immigration law, labor & employment law, and legal pedagogy. Professor Rathod’s research appears in a variety of prominent journals, including the Arizona Law Review, Houston Law Review, Michigan Journal of Law Reform, and U.C. Irvine Law Review. In 2018, he received the Pauline Ruyle Moore Award for outstanding scholarship in the area of public law.
Professor Rathod has worked on cutting-edge cases and projects relating to immigration detention, removal defense (including criminal-immigration intersections), humanitarian relief, immigrant workers’ rights, language access, and more. He has been invited to speak on immigration and workplace law topics at institutions across the United States, and has served as a commentator in local, national, and international media (including CNN, NBC News, and National Public Radio).
In 2016, Professor Rathod was a Fulbright Scholar at two universities in Brazil, where he taught courses on U.S. immigration law and comparative migration policy, and conducted research relating to the Brazilian immigration system. He is fluent in Spanish and proficient in Portuguese.
Over the course of his career, Professor Rathod has worked with numerous non-governmental organizations to advance the civil and human rights of communities in the United States and abroad. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Ayuda, a non-profit organization based in the Washington, DC area, where he resides.
EDUCATION
J.D., Columbia University School of Law 2001
A.B, Harvard University 1997
List of Niles North Clubs/Organizations:
- Orchestra
- Calliope
- Sociedad Honorária Hispánica (Spanish National Honor Society)
- National Honor Society
- Model UN
- Academic Bowl
- South Asian Student Association (formerly Indian Club)
Accomplishments:
- Honors graduate of Harvard College (1997) and Columbia University School of Law (2001)
- Law Clerk for federal judge Louis F. Oberdorfer on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia
- Tenured Professor of Law and Associate Dean at American University, Washington College of Law
- Founding Director of the Immigrant Justice Clinic at the Washington College of Law, including work on cutting-edge cases and projects relating to immigration detention, removal defense, humanitarian relief, immigrant workers’ rights, language access and more.
- U.S. Department of State Fulbright Scholar (2016-2017)
- Publications in a variety of prominent journals on topics relating to immigration law, labor & employment law, and legal pedagogy. Receipt of the Pauline Ruyle Moore Award (2018) for outstanding scholarship in the area of public law.
- Served as a commentator in local, national, and international media (including, CNN, NBC News, and National Public Radio).
Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients 1989 to Present
2020 – Dr. Roxanne Henkin, ’69
2019 – Jose Moreno, ’02
2018 – Gregg Fleisher, ’79
2017 – Dr. Mark Rasenick, ’67
2016 – Marina Pazin, ‘00
2015 – Maxine Winer, ’79
2014 – Julie Smolyansky, ’93
2013 – David Ko, ’97
2012 – Dr. Michael Ruchim, ’72
2011 – Michael Kim, ’74
2010 – Dean Klassman, ’74
2009 – Pankaj Sharma, ’98
2008 – David Walton, ’94
2007 – Marc Silverman, ’89
2006 – Ross Deutsch, ’79
2005 – Carrie Hightman, ’75
2004 – Paul Toback, ’81
2003 – David Rosengard, ’70
2002 – Michael Jay Margules, ’78
2001 – Lynn Schreiber Price , ’73
“I was honored as a Distinguished alum several years back. Very touching. Most wonderful moment was I didn’t realize it was being televised on the local TV station. In my acceptance speech, I talked about three NN teachers who made a difference in my life. Turns out one of their friends was watching the show, called her, and subsequently I received a letter from her. Wonderful to be able to say thank you so many years later. “. Lynn (Schreiber) Price, -73
2000 – Marc Schulman, ’72
1999 – Howard Friend, ’69
1998 – The Hon. Louis Lang, ’67
1997 – Edie Turovitz Kasten, ’75
1996 – Michael Krasny, ’71
1995 – Jay Footlik, ’83
1994 – Allen Sutker & Mark Polinsky, ’79
1993 – Neal Sabin, ’74
1992 – Irene Suzukida, ’70
1991 – Capt. Daniel L. Ley, ’77
1990 – Paul Lisnek, ’76
1989 – Dr. Steven Gitelis, ’69