Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC) faculty member Dr. Nyla Ali Khan has been named to The Journal Record’s “50 Making a Difference” list for the third consecutive year, which provides the additional distinction of being one of just six individuals this year inducted into The Journal Record’s “Circle of Excellence.”
“Through her experiences and insights, Dr. Khan introduces her students to ideas and concepts they may never come in contact with outside of the classroom,” said Dr. Candie D. McKee-Williams, a fellow OCCC faculty member. “Professor Khan encourages her students to consider not only their own communities and country, but also the often overlooked parts of the world. Her students learn compassion and empathy for self and others, leading them to become engaged, worldly citizens.”
Born in Kashmir in the foothills of the Himalayas, Dr. Khan attended university in New Delhi, then moved to Oklahoma to pursue a Master’s in Postcolonial Literature and Theory, and her Ph.D. in English Literature, at the University of Oklahoma. She has taught at the University of Oklahoma and at the University of Nebraska-Kearney. Dr. Khan has received statewide recognition for her human rights work, and was recently honored as one of the Oklahoma League of Women Voters’ 100 Trailblazers. She’s received a President’s Volunteer Service Award & Silver Medal for her national public speaking and her statewide bridge-building work. Dr. Khan is a member of the Oklahoma Governor’s International Team, the Harvard-based Scholars Strategy Network, has served on the board of Generation Citizen, is an active member of the Women’s Interfaith Alliance, and is a State Commissioner on the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women. She has authored or edited six published books, and her articles and editorials have appeared in academic journals, newspapers and magazines across the world.
“Professor Khan has very fortunate students,” said OCCC Professor Stephen Morrow. “She brings an energy to her classes that consists of individual care for her students, a mission to help each student find a voice grounded in critical thinking and confidence, and the hard work of helping each student improve his and her and their writing skills.”
With more than 60 majors to choose from, and more than 40 student-led clubs and organizations, OCCC offers an affordable, accredited college education to around 17,000 students annually, and serves thousands more in non-credit classes and programs. OCCC offers associate degrees, certifications and leadership opportunities to all Oklahomans, whoever they are, whomever they love, wherever they’ve been and wherever they’re going.
For information, opportunities and updates, visit thinkoccc.com and follow @OtripleC on social media.
