CT State Northwestern Student Receives Prestigious Scholarship
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Press Release
March 17, 2026
Winsted—CT State Community College Northwestern is proud to announce Northwestern student Dakota Lawson has been selected as a 2026 Phi Theta Kappa Guistwhite Scholar and will receive a $5,000 scholarship toward his baccalaureate studies.
Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) is the honor society for two-year colleges and associate degree students. Guistwhite Scholars are chosen based on academic achievement, leadership accomplishment, and engagement in Phi Theta Kappa programs. Lawson is the first student in the history of the Northwestern campus to have been awarded this prestigious scholarship. He will be recognized during the Parade of Scholars at the PTK annual convention in Baltimore, Maryland later this month.
As well as his membership in the Northwestern PTK chapter, Lawson also serves as a PTK New England Regional Vice President and has been named an All-CT Academic Team member. He was elected chair of the Connecticut Board of Regents Student Advisory Council, representing all of the more than 55,000 community college students in the state. He is treasurer of the CT State Northwestern Student Government Association, editor-in-chief of the campus Moosecast podcast, and was featured in The College Tour, an award-winning TV series that shares real life stories of students from across the country.
“We are very proud of Dakota’s achievements in PTK and on campus overall,” said Northwestern campus President, Dr. Michael Rooke. “He is a fine representative of CT State Community College students, and we are thrilled to see his hard work and achievements recognized.”
A current resident of Torrington, Lawson plans to graduate from CT State Northwestern May 2026 and will transfer to a four-year institution to study filmmaking.
