Illinois Valley Community College student Danica Scoma recently was recognized for academic accomplishment, leadership and campus and community service by the Phi Theta Kappa honor society.

Scoma received the state’s highest score in a fall scholarship competition and was named a 2026 PTK New Century Transfer Pathway Scholar. She was also selected as a 2026 All-USA Academic Team member.

Scoma received a $2,750 scholarship and New Century Transfer Pathway Scholar recognition during a luncheon on Friday, March 27, in Baltimore, Maryland. The society selects only one New Century Transfer Scholar per state. Phi Theta Kappa had more than 2,300 students from 1,400 college campuses nominated nationally.

“We congratulate Danica for receiving this prestigious scholarship, and we are honored to partner with the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation and The Coca-Cola Foundation to recognize these outstanding achievements,” Phi Theta Kappa president and CEO Lynn Tincher-Ladner said in a news release.

She will also receive a $3,000 All-USA Academic Team scholarship, medallion and will be recognized at the PTK’s Presidents Breakfast on Monday, April 13, in Seattle, Washington.

“The All-USA program is a prestigious recognition of a student’s exceptional abilities both in and outside of the classroom,” Phi Theta Kappa Foundation director Amanda Karpinski-Gorman also said in the news release. “These students are selected for their resilience, creativity, and ingenuity in tackling global and local challenges. We are incredibly proud of the individuals named to the 2026 team and eagerly anticipate the continued impact they will make.”

IVCC students have received PTK scholarships over the years but Scoma’s achievement stands out, said Phi Theta Kappa advisor Eric Schroeder. “Earning multiple distinguished awards speaks not only to academic excellence but to the determination, hard work and drive that will continue throughout Danica’s educational and professional journey,” Schroeder said in the news release.

Scoma is a peer mentor, member of the college’s soccer team and the college board of trustees 2025-26 student trustee. She intends to study global studies: communications and Spanish at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the fall.