2012 Student Press Release

The Lincoln Academy of Illinois
Old State Capitol * Springfield, IL 62701 * (217) 785-5030 * FAX (217) 523-9792

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Student Laureates CONTACT:
October 29, 2012 Julie Kellner
(217) 785-5030
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Student Laureates to be honored by Lincoln Academy November 3

Ceremony at Old State Capitol recognizes the top student from each college and university in Illinois

SPRINGFIELD – The Lincoln Academy of Illinois will honor outstanding senior college students and one student from among all of the community college students in Illinois during the annual Student Laureate Convocation at 11 a.m. Saturday, November 3 the Old State Capitol State Historic Site in Springfield.

The Lincoln Academy’s Student Laureate Awards are presented for excellence in curricular and extracurricular activities to seniors from each of the four-year, degree-granting colleges and universities in Illinois. At the Student Laureate Convocation, each will receive a Student Laureate Medallion, along with an honorarium check and certificate of achievement. This event will mark the 38th year that students have been honored by the Academy.

“These students have exhibited a personal commitment to excel as seen by their remarkable academic accomplishments,” said Thomas S. Johnson, Chancellor of the Lincoln Academy, who added, “They serve as role models to other Illinois students. With hard-working and dedicated young leaders such as these, Illinois and the rest of the nation can look forward to a bright future.”

Student Laureate Hailey Michelle Gehlbach of Lincoln College will speak on behalf of all the Laureates. The invocation will be delivered by Dr. Miriam Pride, President of Blackburn College. The Sangamon Woodwind Consort will provide music, and a luncheon at the Illinois Executive Mansion will follow the Student Laureate Convocation.

The Lincoln Academy, unique among the 50 states, was established 48 years ago to honor Illinois’ most distinguished citizens with the state’s highest award, the Order of Lincoln. The 49th Annual Convocation and Investiture of Laureates of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois will take place Saturday, April 13, 2013 at Augustana College in Rock Island.

STUDENT LAUREATES
SCHOOL STUDENT HOME TOWN

Augustana College	Astrid Tello-Rodriguez	Milan, IL
Aurora University	Monica Delorio	Naperville, IL
Benedictine University	Heriberto Diaz	Chicago, IL
Blackburn College	Shawn Eric Watkins	Virden, IL
Bradley University	Cecil Blutcher	Olympia Fields, IL
Chicago State University	Stephanie Michelle Sanchez	Chicago, IL.
Columbia College	Jessica Lee Egan	Nashotah, WI
Concordia University	Katrina Elyse Brundage	Red Bud, IL
DePaul University	Caitlin Conway	Chicago, IL
Dominican University	Edgar Nieto	Mundelein, IL
Eastern Illinois University	Jaclyn L. Carstens	Toulon, IL
Elmhurst College	Jessica K. Wadleigh	Geneva, IL
Eureka College	Douglas Owen Collins	Coupeville, WA
Governors State University	Katherine Rhea Baggarly	Chicago, IL
Greenville College	Ross Baker	Fisher, IL
Illinois College	Joshua Walters	St. Charles, MO
IL Institute of Technology	Robert M. Morrison	Owasso, OK
Illinois State University	Nancy Jean O’Neill	Algonquin, IL
Illinois Wesleyan University	Daniel Kenny	Barcelona, Spain
Judson University	Matt Langton	Marengo, IL
Knox College	John Salvatore Cusimano	Tinley Park, IL
Lake Forest College	Lauren Nicole Levinson	Northbrook, IL
Lewis University	Emily A. Keene	Hebron, IN
Lincoln College	Hailey Michelle Gehlbach	Roanoke, IL
Loyola University	Alexandra Vecchio	Belleville, IL
MacMurray College	Derek Alan Crouch	Chatham, IL
McKendree University	Matthew B. Ernst	Peoria, IL
Millikin University	Jamiahus D. Walton	Peoria, IL
Monmouth College	Michelle M. Hutchison	Galesburg, IL
Morton College	Brenda Bedolla	Cicero, IL
National-Louis University	Willie Powell	Maywood, IL
North Central College	Maria Elizabeth Gommel	Malta, IL
North Park University	Shadae Gatlin	Chicago, IL
Northeastern Illinois Univ.	Kathryn Cherry	Glenview, IL
Northwestern Illinois Univ.	Amalia Namath	Chicago, IL
Northern Illinois University	Wayne Duerkes	Somonauk, IL
Olivet Nazarene University	Jameson Dwight Forshee	Grand Blanc, MI
Principia College	Shelby Ann Lemons	Carmel, IN
Quincy University	Lauren M. Stephans	Batavia, IL
Rockford College	Brittany Adelle Salvador	Oregon, IL
Roosevelt University	Carina I. Balan	Arlington Heights, IL
St. Xavier University	Darryl Phillip Brown, Jr.	Matteson, IL
Southern IL U. – Carbondale	Brock Edward Kabat	Scheller, IL
Southern IL U. – Edwardsville	Jessica Colleen Thompson	Troy, IL
The University of Chicago	Nancy Pantoja	Chicago, IL
Trinity Christian College	Adam Perez	Racine, WI
Trinity International University	Elisabeth Speckhard	Cottage Grove, MN
Univ. of IL – Chicago	Kenneth Matthew Thomas	Midlothian, IL
Univ. of IL – Springfield	Elizabeth Kelly	Carlinville, IL
U of I – Urbana/Champaign	Benjamin Martin Miller	Boody, IL
Univ. of St. Francis	Jessica Lynn Nayder	Mokena, IL
Western Illinois University	Lauren N. Armstead	Auburn, IL
Wheaton College	Hilary Elizabeth Dirks	Bloomington, IL

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