2014-2015 Northwest Suburban Leadership Team
Dhivyaa Anandan, Palatine High School
Hometown: Palatine
Class: Senior
Parents: Anand and Lakshmi Anandan
Sponsor: Alonso Ramirez, counselor
Community service: Co-founded Maatram Foundation to eliminate gender roles in India by fundraising for young girls to get proper educations; collects money for education of underprivileged children in India; volunteers at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital; volunteers with the nonprofit Chicago Tamil Sangam to raise money and cultural awareness; volunteers teaching dance to children.
Personal statement: It has become clear to me that making a valuable contribution to society through philanthropy is the difference between a mundane life and a meaningful one. Establishing Maatram Foundation has inspired me to achieve happiness by giving, and I know that it will spark the dreams of other young girls to aspire for something larger.
Sponsor's endorsement: She exemplifies everything you want in a student leader. Her commitment to improving her life and the lives of others is humbling.
Katherine Andraschko, Barrington High School
Hometown: Deer Park
Class: Senior
Parents: Nancy and Paul Andraschko
Sponsor: Jill Bauer, volunteer coordinator
Community service: Student president of Go Beyond Barrington, nonprofit that goes beyond fundraisers to make personal connections to people in need; on the Operation Snowflake leadership team, promoting drug awareness; student affiliate to Barrington Youth and Family Services; mentor for Best Buddies Lunch Buddy program.
Personal statement: Not only have I learned life skills through volunteering, but volunteering has also given me an essential feeling: energy. As a leader it is my job to get the group energized, excited, and invested in the endeavor at hand. This is something I have been able to do with ease because of the amount of joy volunteering brings me.
Sponsor's endorsement: Katie embodies the combination of leadership and volunteerism to a degree I have never before seen in 13 years of working with teens. She mobilizes her peers and inspires them to be better by her positive and generous attitude.
Isabel Chan, Wheeling High School
Hometown: Arlington Heights
Class: Senior
Parents: Richmond and Teresa Chan
Sponsor: Sandra Chico, teacher
Community service: President of Wheeling Public Action Club, initiating drives, fundraisers, service projects; involved in student council-based school and community activities; St. Edna Peer Minister, Bible Camp volunteer and lector; cleaned and painted a church and gardened, fixed and painted a home for an African refugee family; teacher's assistant and activity leader for Taiwanese Cultural Leadership Organization.
Personal statement: Volunteering has allowed me to make friends with people I normally wouldn't meet back home. By seeing through different people's perspectives, I have become a more accepting and open-minded person.
Sponsor's endorsement: Isabel is a gifted and talented student who takes her responsibilities to heart and seeks to improve the world around her through direct action and by role-modeling such attitude and behavior to her fellow students. She is wise beyond her years and understands we are all endowed with talents and abilities to make this world a better place for the less fortunate.
Allison Cochran, Wm. Fremd High School
Hometown: Inverness
Class: Senior
Parents: Lloyd and Maureen Cochran
Sponsor: Tony Tosh, counselor
Community service: Small group leader and co-director of Operation Snowball, organizing drug education training sessions and speakers; executive member and manager of PR for Spanish Club; mission trip to St. Louis, doing yard work and repainting houses; peer minister for Holy Family Parish, assisting the adult catechist preparing high schoolers to make their confirmations; retreat leader and keynote speak for Kairos, a Christian retreat for juniors and seniors.
Personal statement: I strive to enlighten those around me to how similar each of us is to one another because, despite our differences, we are all woven together by a million invisible threads that help us to form deeper communities. All we have to do is embrace them.
Sponsor's endorsement: She is the most genuine, perceptive, engaging and values-driven young person I have had the privilege of knowing. Beyond the classroom, her service-minded outlook, initiative and passion have culminated in a host of accomplishments at our school and the community.
Michael R. Einig, Conant High School
Hometown: Schaumburg
Class: Senior
Parents: Dominice and Raymond Einig
Sponsor: Richard Bauer, counselor
Community service: Organized 'Hike for Heroes' that raised $3,200 to build Garden of Gratitude at Hines VA Hospital Fisher House; recruited letter writers for Honor Flight veterans; collected donations for homeless vets; made tribute film on 10th anniversary of 9/11; volunteers at Friendship Village; involved in more than 40 Scout projects; led his Scout troop to two 'Troop of the Year' honors; Schaumburg police Peer Jury.
Personal statement: In working with veterans, I've learned that no matter what path you take you must challenge yourself to always be the best "you" and inspire others to do the same. My leadership experiences (tell me) I should do everything possible to change the world for the better. It's my way to say thank you to those veterans who fought so selflessly for me.
Sponsor's endorsement: Michael is a very gifted, very talented student who transcends cliques, ethnic groups and stereotypes to inspire others to do great things.
Leena Khoury, Maine West High School
Hometown: Des Plaines
Class: Senior
Parents: Jihan Khoury
Sponsor: Principal Audrey Haugan
Community service: Student leader for Voice For the Nameless, organizing a community domestic violence seminar; organized 1 Billion Rising Flash Mob against domestic violence; volunteers with pet therapy, the Peterson Garden Project, Feed My Starving Children, shelving books; vice president of Principal's Leadership Team; student leader of Warrior Pride.
Personal statement: I have been fortunate to have the most loving and supportive mother and a well-rounded, enlightening education. Thus it is my goal to use it to advocate for those around me. I have learned this through volunteering, and I am very grateful for the opportunities that have been given to me to discover my innermost passions.
Sponsor's endorsement: Leena is one of the best and brightest students I have ever met. She exemplifies what we want in all of our students - to do well, be involved, help others and make a difference. She has done all of those things at our high school, and I am thankful and proud to know her.
Caitlin Nagle, Hersey High School
Hometown: Arlington Heights
Class: Senior
Parents: Catherine and William Nagle
Sponsor: James Miks, English teacher
Community service: Peer tutor during lunch periods; summer tutor for 'at-risk' incoming freshmen; four-year volunteer for Special Olympics as coach and mentor; Sunday school teacher and music leader; Peer Jury member; Best Buddies volunteer and piloted Super Buddies program at school.
Personal statement: Not only has my volunteer work taught me important life lessons, it has steered me toward a life of helping others. From devoting endless hours to helping children with special needs, or giving my time to help teach students the importance of school, I have decided to pursue a degree in special education. Upon graduation, I hope to join the Peace Corps where I can teach students in Third World countries.
Sponsor's endorsement: Her senior class does more heartfelt community service than I have ever seen. This has much to do with (Caitlin) serving on the executive board and as student body president. She reminds us all that unconditional love can change the world. She reminds us all that life can be good.
Christopher Napier, Schaumburg High School
Hometown: Schaumburg
Class: Senior
Parents: Brian and Michele Napier
Sponsor: Darrell Robin, English teacher
Community service: Leadership role with Appalachia Service Project for two years, building/repairing homes; on the committee that advised architect and board on development of Teen Center at the Schaumburg Township Library; lead facilitator for Schaumburg Police Peer Jury; ambassador for the Make-A-Wish Foundation Illinois Chapter Ball.
Personal statement: Everyone has a certain gift or ability where they can excel, and for me it is my creative ingenuity. I truly believe the best way to give back is giving the best part of yourself, so I was determined to use my intellect and ingenuity to help others.
Sponsor's endorsement: I could spend this letter tugging your heart strings about how Chris overcame unsurmountable odds in order to live his life before it even started due to a childhood congenital disease, but I would rather share with you how Chris treats every day like it is his first - so that he can encourage empathy ... in order to improve the society in which he lives.
Olivia Romano, St. Viator High School
Hometown: Fox River Grove
Class: Senior
Parents: Matthew and Mary Ellen Romano
Sponsor: Kelly Dutmers, college counselor
Community service: Making a book to introduce children to the Infant Special Care Unit at Glenbrook Hospital, where she volunteers, to ease their fears; worked on Girl Scouts Sisterhood Project, a scrapbook of Girl Scout history; led troop in research and advertisement for project collecting 800 pounds of donations to soldiers overseas; teaches children with disabilities how to swim and paint.
Personal statement: My volunteer hours at the hospital and shadowing nurses on the Cardiac Unit made me choose the nursing profession. Nurses are so caring and do whatever they can to comfort others. I plan on continuing to dedicate my life to my passion, the service of others.
Sponsor's endorsement: The first three words that come to mind when I think of Olivia are studious, driven and responsible. She is a bright, motivated, dedicated, and driven student who also has an intuitive maturity to her.
Zohra Sattar, Bartlett High School
Hometown: West Chicago
Class: Senior
Parents: Aziz and Lubna Sattar
Sponsor: Laura Laursen, counselor
Community service: Founder of The Purple Crayon Project, which collects and donates school and art supplies to children living in domestic violence shelters; volunteers in the ER, same day surgery, reception and registration departments at Adventist GlenOaks Hospital; president of Aid To Haiti club; spends two weeks every summer in Mexico, painting houses, teaching and playing with orphaned children and fundraising.
Personal statement: I volunteer so I can help fulfill people's more immediate needs. I want to take my work a step further by acquiring a doctorate in biochemistry to create drugs that have minimal side effects so they can holistically improve a patient's quality of life. I have a wonderful life: a loving family, lots of friends and barely any problems. I have learned that not everyone is blessed the way I am.
Sponsor's endorsement: Zohra has a plethora of service, more meaningful than any I have seen in my career. It is a honor to have gotten to know her.