Published:
Black Hawk College faculty members Jacob Pender and Isaac Stewart recently received the Golden Apple Award from the college’s Phi Theta Kappa chapter at the Quad-Cities Campus.
During the honor society’s Fall 2025 Induction Ceremony, the Golden Apple Award was presented to:
- Jacob Pender, instructor of information systems – nominated by Nicklaus Doran
- Isaac Stewart, associate professor of biology – nominated by Kendall Vincent
Each fall and spring semester, PTK students at the Quad-Cities Campus are asked to recommend faculty or staff members for the Golden Apple Award.
Congratulations to both of these outstanding faculty members!
About the recipients
Jacob Pender
Nicklaus Doran & Jacob Pender
Pender “nearly single-handedly teaches the entire ITS program at BHC and does so passionately,” Doran wrote in his nomination.
Pender’s lectures are “high energy and he engages with the class well” and he “is the driving force behind the Black Hawk College IT Society (BITS) club,” Doran wrote.
Isaac Stewart
Isaac Stewart & Kendall Vincent
“Isaac Stewart has supported me in my academic journey in every way a teacher can,” Vincent wrote in her nomination.
While teaching “he keeps us engaged and makes learning genuinely fun” and “he never hesitates to offer extra help.”
“Beyond being an outstanding instructor, he is simply a great human being,” she wrote.