Lauren Khanano wins the 2024 Davee Scholarship
"Growing up, I never liked history," says Lauren Khanano, a first-year History major. For Lauren, hating history made good sense.
Khanano's family are Syrian war refugees, part of the Assyrian minority in that wartorn country. Indeed, her mother's village was completely demolished by ISIS not too long ago. History was painful, something to forget. The family fled to the United States, seeking political asylum and a new start. Only when a lawyer asked a young Lauren to testify on behalf of her mother did Lauren learn the power of history in creating narratives that teach us who we are.
She immediately revised her opinion of history, leading her to choose it over Political Science as her major at UIC.
Lauren is the 2024 winner of the Davee Foundation Scholarship for high-achieving History and English undergraduates. The award, established in 2019 and named after Adeline Barry Davee and Ruth Dunbar Davee, reflects the benefactors’ generosity and love for the disciplines of History and English. Each of those Departments awards one Davee scholarship a year. Winners receive the full cost of attendance at UIC until graduation for up to five years and must maintain at least a 3.0 GPA.
When Lauren, who works thirteen hours a week at Chipotle and takes constant care of her eight-year-old brother, heard the news about winning a Davee, she was overwhelmed. "I was sitting with my [older] sister and we both started crying," she said.
"The Davee signifies to me that people trust the younger generation to become powerful people in the world," she said. "It feels really good to see that people believe in you."
Lauren graduated from Von Steuben Metropolitan High School and lives with her parents in Rogers Park. "The northside is pretty chill," she insists. At Von Steuben, Lauren developed a College Club for aspirational high school students while also participating in the Politics Club, the Art Club, and a leadership class mentoring underclassmen. She also took AP World History with Patrick Hafeli, and he taught her to love world history, something that holds true to this day. "One good teacher changes everything," she said.
"I love the pre-1400s Middle East," she said, confessing to how her own personal journey can influence the subjects we study.
She's now enjoying her time at UIC. "I like it a lot," she reports. "I'm getting a lot from the people here. The professors want me to succeed, and the other students make me feel welcome."
She's currently taking two history classes, "World History" and "The History of Chicago." In the future, with the benefits of the Davee Scholarship, she hopes to study abroad, most likely using the French language she's currently learning.
But she hasn't forgotten why she initially fell in love with history. After graduation, Lauren wants to use her History degree to go to law school, to become an immigration lawyer just like the one who helped her mom years ago. "I'm really motivated," she said, "and delighted the Davee will open opportunities for me to do the things I want to improve the world."