Northwest Suburban Leadership Team honorable mentions
Priyal Amin
William Fremd High School
Hometown: Hoffman Estates
Class: Senior
Parents: Mr. and Mrs. Rashmi Amin
Sponsor: Mary Schagrin, counselor (retired)
Community service: Raising $2,000 to buy an Automatic External Defibrillator for Children's Advocacy Center; Service Over Self executive board member junior and senior year; student mentor, works with freshman students each day to ease transition to high school (group also raised more than 1,000 boxes for local food pantry). National Honor society; selected to Jefferson Awards team, which recognize Fremd students for volunteerism.
Rishi Arora
Schaumburg High School
Hometown: Schaumburg
Class: Senior
Parents: Raj and Cookie Arora
Sponsor: Darrell Robin, English teacher; director of debate
Community service: Organized Cancer Crasher Crew, and collected $600 in two years for the Relay For Life. Organized, with the help of coaches, public debates on national issues that were open to the community and District 211 personnel. Midwestern University Career Explorers Program for Pharmacy intern; Student-2-Student eighth grade shadow program; Shelter Inc. Thrift Shop volunteer.
Avni Bavishi
Hoffman Estates High School
Hometown: Hoffman Estates
Class: Senior
Parents: Amit and Aesha Bavishi
Sponsor: Sean Armstrong, teacher
Community service: National Honor Society president; for her Girl Scouts Gold Award led more than 20 volunteers in 150-plus hours of service to renovate a Down syndrome awareness center in Hoffman Estates. President of Scout Troop 40113. Volunteer at St. Alexius Medical Center; volunteered more than 400 hours in four years. Student trustee and board member of the Schaumburg Township District Library; vice president of STAND, in charge of making videos, pamphlets and posters to spread awareness about genocide in Darfur; group raised more than $2,000 for refugees.
Laurel Clarkson
Harvest Christian Academy
Hometown: Barrington
Class: Senior
Parents: Thomas and Doreen Clarkson
Sponsor: Jill Nolan, English teacher
Community service: Mission trips to North Carolina, Haiti and Texas; Awana Cubbies leadership; junior high ministry; mentor program
Jenna Cronin
East Leyden High School
Hometown: Franklin Park
Class: Senior
Parents: John and Antoinette Cronin
Sponsor: Gwen Tagtmeier, English teacher
Community service: Teen coach, Leyden Bears cheerleading; co-organized a breast cancer awareness football game that involved ordering T-shirts and socks with all proceeds going to cancer research. Volunteer at the annual fashion show fundraiser for the National Association of Down syndrome. Organize morning lineup of the Franklin Park Fall Fest parade. A lead ACCESS mentor; plan and run activities for classroom of freshmen.
Parth Dalal
DuPage County Leadership Team winner
Glenbard North High School
Hometown: Carol Stream
Class: Senior
Parents: Haresh and Neena Dalal
Sponsor: Robin Craig, guidance counselor
Community service: Carol Stream Youth Council, oversaw food drive; volunteer in Central DuPage Hospital west surgery department; Carol Stream Steering Committee, teenage representative helped plan for a recreation building and pass the referendum; American Cancer Society Relay For Life fundraiser; Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Conference participant.
Sonia Doshi
Lake County Leadership Team winner
Adlai E. Stevenson High School
Hometown: Long Grove
Class: Senior
Parents: Dipak and Ginni Doshi
Sponsor: Brett Erdmann, community service coordinator
Community service: As president of the National Honor Society, led club to organize blood drives and charity fundraisers like Spirit Fest, which raised $20,000 for CASA of Lake County. Freshman mentor in Talented Young Mathematicians program; Model United Nations Help for Haiti campaign; planted trees in a rundown section of Cincinnati; helped organize a religious Midwest Youth Convention.
Ryan Erdmann
Palatine High School
Hometown: Palatine
Class: Senior
Parents: Steve and Deb Erdmann
Sponsor: Michael Hernon, counselor
Community service: Three years as a FIRST Lego League Robotics Team mentor and coach for sixth-graders; after doing PowerPoint and running the soundboard for St. Peter Lutheran Church services for a couple years, organized the Creative Video Team and has begun training younger volunteers to help. Leads the tech crew efforts for St. Peter's vacation Bible school; PADS volunteer at Our Saviour's; squad leader for the youth usher team at St. Peter.
Alex Kessler
Lake Park High School
Hometown: Medinah
Class: Senior
Parents: Steve and Heidi Kessler
Sponsor: Christine Ward, counselor
Community service: As National Honor Society president has organized, overseen, recruited help for more than 50 activities since last May; Trinity Lutheran Church audio/video crew member; organized a Camp Earth community service event promoting awareness of Huntington's disease; Helped fellow student with an Eagle Scout project repainting blacktop games at a local elementary school.
Andrew Leja
St. Viator High School
Hometown: Mount Prospect
Class: Senior
Parents: Walter and Laurie Leja
Sponsor: Principal Eileen Manno
Community service: Volunteered with Peacebuilders initiative; led volunteers to collect 1,000 books to create an English reading program in Belize. Quartermaster for Boy Scout troop; led project to develop three gardens, two benches and redid a gravel path to create a prayer garden. Freshmen and Quest Retreat leader; YMCA Leader in Training for three years. Class treasurer, helped lead fundraiser.
Michael Lilien
Barrington High School
Hometown: Barrington
Class: Senior
Parents: Thomas Lilien; Linda Rothnagel
Sponsor: Matthew Gelon, science teacher
Community service: Tutored students at Grove Elementary; volunteered doing research over the summer with a nonprofit legal aid program; helped distribute textbooks this past summer; route director and registration assistant for Walk With Israel raising money for social service agencies and projects in Israel.
Connie Liou
James B. Conant High School
Hometown: Elk Grove Village
Class: Senior
Parents: Scott Liou; Anna Liao
Sponsor: Principal Timothy Cannon
Community service: Plays violin for patients at Manor Care Rehabilitation Center, helps with Sunday services, crafts and bingo games. Has coordinated school fundraisers for local and global issues — specifically, initiated sale of Hope for Haiti wristbands and organized fundraiser for Little City Foundation. Team leader for Feed My Starving Children. Through National Honor Society, fundraises, coordinate school events and tutors students. Coaches young string ensembles; organizes performances at nursing homes and hospitals.
Thomas McKenna
Rolling Meadows High School
Hometown: Arlington Heights
Class: Senior
Parents: John and Kathy McKenna
Sponsor: Katie Page, National Honor Society sponsor
Community service: Small group leader for four-day student-run religious retreat Kairos. Part of a team that leads small groups in his parish's Youth Ministry program through activities and discussions. Annual Catholic Heart Work Camp mission trip to impoverished areas in the U.S., doing yard work, painting, helping in a soup kitchen, etc. At Camp U-Nah-Li-Ya helps counselors manage campers ages 12-13.
Austin Menzia
John Hersey High School
Hometown: Prospect Heights
Class: Senior
Parents: Tim and Genie Menzia
Sponsor: Scott Casagrande, band director
Community service: Section leader and band president, helping incoming freshmen learn to play and march; facilitating auditions, helping run band festival attended by more than 40 schools. Leads school business club DECA, conducting fundraisers for Epilepsy Foundation and others; ran a fundraising project that combines his DECA chapter with the grass-roots organization KIVA. National Honor Society officer; helped on several Eagle Scout projects for friends; Service Over Self Club.
Kelsey Nicpon
Wheeling High School
Hometown: Arlington Heights
Class: Junior
Parents: Patty and Jim Nicpon
Sponsor: John Kritek, business teacher
Community service: Has volunteered 10 years for Timothy's Ministry, cooking meals, collecting toiletries and clothing for homeless in Chicago. President of Wish Upon A Wildcat club, Wheeling High School's partnership program with Make-A-Wish Foundation that raises money to grant wishes to sick children who live locally. Youth soccer coach with the ACES Elite Soccer Association; Relay For Life team captain, committee member, and in charge of entertainment.
Aakash Patel
Barrington High School
Hometown: South Barrington
Class: Senior Parents: Vikram Patel and Pragna Patel
Sponsor: Thomas Bredemeier, computer science teacher
Community service: Volunteers at the Barrington Area Library three hours a week, answering questions from both patrons and librarians regarding computers and technology.
Julie Patel
James B. Conant High School
Hometown: Roselle
Class: Senior
Parents: Jitendra Patel
Sponsor: Talbott Behnken, Student Council adviser
Community service: Volunteers with patients at Alexian Brothers Rehabilitation Hospital; president of Student Council senior year, chaired Homecoming Week junior year; co-founder of HEROES (Helping Everyone Respect Others and Expect Safety), a safe haven for kids who are bullied; president and secretary of Health and Medical Careers Club; National Honor Society.
Alexander Rogers
Elk Grove High School
Hometown: Elk Grove Village
Class: Senior
Parents: Steve Rogers and Kathy Rogers
Sponsor: Joseph Bush, social science teacher
Community service: Has joined the Ron Santo Diabetes Walk seven years straight to raise money to cure diabetes. Sacrifices his hair every year for St. Baldrick's fundraiser for cancer research. Has helped serve and prepare food at My Brother's Kitchen weekly for three years. Involved with the annual Cancer and Autism Awareness walk; this year he will plan it. Food drive at EGHS.
Connor Rueb
Wauconda High School
Hometown: Lake Barrington
Class: Senior
Parents: Katy Rueb; Chris Rueb
Sponsor: Alan Willhoit, teacher and coach.
Community service: Helped reactivate the Future Business Leaders of America chapter at Wauconda High School; currently president of the 150-member club. Through FBLA he picked apples for a local food pantry; cleaned an animal shelter for Make A Difference Day and cleaned yards. Tutors math and volunteered for the Wauconda Triathlon.
Abhiram Sanka
Lake County Leadership Team winner
Adlai E. Stevenson High School
Hometown: Buffalo Grove
Class: Senior
Parents: Hari Sanka, Rani Sanka
Sponsor: Dave Eddy, student activities coordinator
Community service: Involved with Operation Click, encouraging students to embrace safe driving habits and the can collection drive for Vernon Township Food Pantry; Student Leadership Advisory Council liaison to administrators; on the Jefferson Award Student Leaders Committee, which recognizes individuals who have demonstrated exemplary community service.
Elizabeth Sheehan
Prospect High School
Hometown: Arlington Heights
Class: Senior
Parents: T.J. Sheehan, Deborah Sheehan, Jeff Reinke
Sponsor: Lyn Scolaro, Italian teacher, student council adviser
Community service: Involved in church services at St. Raymond's de Penefort Church since fifth grade. Over the years, helped Altar Serving Program grow; trained to be a Eucharistic Minister and a lector. Teen leader for church retreats, help with confirmation, and reconciliation. Nurses' assistant for nine weeks in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Northwest Community Hospital.
Joanna Stankowicz
Wheeling High School
Hometown: Mount Prospect
Class: Senior
Parents: Frank and Kathy Stankowicz
Sponsor: Jason Kopkowski, physical education/health teacher
Community service: In April will be going on a medical mission with Baptist Medical and Dental Missions International to assist doctors and dentists both pre- and post-op. Relay For Life team captain and recruiter; participant for five years. Recognized with a bronze medal for service.
Josie Suchecki
Rolling Meadows High School
Hometown: Rolling Meadows
Class: Senior
Parents: Bill and Maureen Suchecki
Sponsor: Todd Hatfield, coach, class sponsor, teacher
Community service: As a cheerleading coach, choreographed routines and attended practices, games and competitions for all four years of high school; more than 640 hours dedicated to coaching cheerleading. Worked the concession stand to help raise money for the National Honor Society, basketball team, and class council.
Andrew Unander
Maine West High School
Hometown: Des Plaines
Class: Senior
Parents: Mr. and Mrs. James Unander
Sponsor: Principal Audrey J. Haugan
Community service: Camp counselor to 10-12 junior high boys at Silver Birch Ranch, a Christian camp in Wisconsin. Part of the setup crew and production team for North Maine Community Church, a “portable” church his family helped found. Band Slam volunteer at South Park Church, helping to set up and tear down the stages, lights, speakers. Honor guard for Maine West senior honors assembly and commencement ceremony.
Amber White
East Leyden High School
Hometown: Schiller Park
Class: Senior
Parents: Dorrene and Matthew White
Sponsor: Mark Reeves, science teacher
Community service: Working toward her Girl Scout Gold Award with a project on bullying: Ran a retreat-style activity last spring with junior high Girl Scouts, teaching them how to handle bullies and cyberbullying in particular. On a committee at the Franklin Park Ice Arena that coordinates a food and coat drive every year; every year she volunteers to sing in the seasonal choirs for Advent and Lent seasons at St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church.