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ANNANDALE, Va. (April 8, 2019) – Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) student, Ons Ameur, received the 2019 Virginias Collegiate Honors Council Emerging Honors Scholar of the Year Award at the Virginias Collegiate Honors Council (VCHC) Spring Conference on April 6 in Harrisonburg, Va. The honor is given to the best and brightest emerging Honors students who have completed 54 or fewer credits at a post-secondary institution.

This award recognizes a student who has shown extraordinary potential as a rising academic, and who embodies the scholarship, character, and ambition associated historically with honors students and the VCHC.

Ameur was born in Tunisia, North Africa, and due to her father’s job in the foreign service and her parent’s love of travel, she was exposed to diverse cultures from a very young age. Her family’s trips throughout the world influenced her to be open-mind and adapt to new settings. Ameur’s first visit to the US was as a child. She credits her parents for showing her and her brother all the exciting opportunities available in the US, which influenced her to return years later as a college student. “NOVA is a diverse place. Many of my professors refer to it as ‘The United Nations’,” said Ameur. “It is the diversity that allows you to be who you are at the College and thrive. The Honors program engaged me and presented me with many new challenges.”         

The topic of Ameur’s winning essay is tapping into her brave and daring inner self while staying true to herself and her values along the way. “Today, I am not afraid to speak my mind and share my thoughts despite their uniqueness,” stated Ameur. “Today, I know how much potential I hold inside of me. Today, I know that I am a leader.”  

Ameur triumphed over students from all across Virginia, including those from four-year schools. During the conference, she gave an energetic presentation aimed at inspiring other students in their Honors journeys, and explained how NOVA taught her to be bold! 

Her next academic goal is to transfer to Georgetown University to study International Affairs. When Ameur first came to the US, she wasn’t confident in expressing such a dream. Today, she plans on making that aspiration a reality. “The person that I have become today doesn’t have doubt or fear in them,” said Ameur. “I owe that to my parents and my best friend who have believed in me and encouraged me along the way!”

Story Contact: Kristen Simmons | ksimmons@nvcc.edu

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Northern Virginia Community College is the largest institution of higher education in the Commonwealth of Virginia and one of America's largest community colleges. NOVA enrolls more than 75,000 students at its six campuses in Alexandria, Annandale, Loudoun, Manassas, Springfield and Woodbridge, and through the Extended Learning Institute. For more information about NOVA and its programs or services, call 703-323-3000 or visit the College's website, www.nvcc.edu.