Student Awards
Every year, Paris Junior College recognizes students who represent the very best of who we are — in the classroom, on campus, and in our community. Below are the awards our students can earn, what it takes to be considered, and what receiving one can do for you.
What It Means to Be a PJC Award Recipient
Being named a PJC award recipient isn't just a nice moment at a ceremony — it's a credential. It's real, resume-worthy proof of leadership, involvement, and academic standing that employers and transfer institutions notice.
Recipients can:
- List the award under “Honors & Awards” on a resume or LinkedIn profile
- Reference it in scholarship and transfer applications
- Be featured in local and hometown media coverage
- Be recognized on PJC's social media channels
- Speak to it in interviews as a concrete example of leadership and involvement during college
PJC Homecoming King & Queen
A campus favorite, Homecoming King and Queen celebrate the students our fellow Dragons admire most. PJC Homecoming generally takes place in early November.
Who can be considered:
Any student with at least 30 completed credit hours at PJC and a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher.
How it works:
Students nominate their classmates, and the student body votes. The Homecoming King & Queen are announced at the home basketball game played the week of homecoming at Hunt Center. The King receives a plaque and crown, and the Queen received a plaque, crown, and a bouquet of roses.
Mr. & Ms. PJC
Mr. & Ms. PJC recognizes students who bring both academic strength and genuine involvement to campus life.
Who can be considered:
A minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA and involvement in two or more activities or organizations (athletics may count as one).
How it works:
Faculty and staff nominate students, and the student body votes among the nominees. Mr. & Ms. PJC are announced in the Spring semester (February or March) at a home basketball game in Hunt Center. The winners receive a plaque, and the female winner received a bouquet of flowers.
End-of-Term/Year Program Awards
Developed with Faculty Senate, these awards recognize outstanding students within their own program or department — because excellence looks different in the nursing program than it does in welding, and each deserves its own spotlight.
Who can be considered:
One recipient is selected per program or organization, based on grades, leadership, and merit.
How it works:
Faculty within each program vote to select their award recipient.
Distinguished Service Award
The highest honor PJC gives to a student in a given year, presented each spring at Commencement.
Who can be considered:
The recipient pool is drawn from every student nominated that year for Homecoming Court, Mr. & Ms. PJC, and the End-of-Term/Program awards — recognizing that this award celebrates a body of work, not a single moment.
How it works:
A committee selects the recipient from the pool of students from all of the award celebrations.
Eligibility & Conflict of Interest
Applies to all award nominations: A nominator may not nominate a student who is their spouse, child, stepchild, or other dependent, or a member of their immediate household. By submitting this nomination, the nominator attests that no immediate family or household relationship exists with the nominee that would present a conflict of interest.