Schaumburg woman earns national recognition

By Norrine Twohey

ntwohey@dailyherald.com

• Schaumburg native Lauren Perri was announced as the National Law Enforcement and Firefighters Children's Foundation scholarship recipient. Perri, who received the scholarship in recognition of her exceptional leadership, community service and scholastic achievement, is a sophomore at Arizona State University, majoring in secondary education for biological sciences. She was one of 32 students from across the country to receive the award, which is based on academic merit and financial need. The scholarship recipients are all children of a law enforcement officer or firefighter who was killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty. Perri's father was a member of the Schaumburg Police Department. He was disabled in the line of duty in January 2000.

• U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Dov Sapkauskas, son of Paul Vysnia and Deima Vysnia of Elk Grove Village, graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas. The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness and basic warfare principles and skills. Sapkauskas graduated in 2012 from Elk Grove High School and earned a bachelor's degree from Western Illinois University, Macomb, in 2016.

• Cook County Investigator Anthony Colquitt was presented with the Fraternal Order of Police State Lodge's Act of Valor Award. Colquitt was recognized for his act of heroism on Aug. 13, 2017. While off duty, Colquitt pulled an injured driver from his vehicle after noticing gas leaking from the tank moments before the vehicle burst in to flames. The award recognized Colquitt's "selflessness, personal courage and devotion to duty."

• Andrew Tieng, a Niles resident and student at Oakton Community College was selected to represent Illinois community colleges at the Lincoln Academy of Illinois Student Laureate Convocation. The Lincoln Academy's Abraham Lincoln Civic Engagement 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 in addition to one community college student. This is the first time an Oakton Community College student was selected to represent Illinois community colleges at the Lincoln Academy of Illinois Student Laureate Convocation.

Gov. Bruce Rauner, Lincoln Academy president and first lady Diana Rauner welcomed all the students and awarded each with a medal of Lincoln, along with a scholarship honorarium and certificate of merit.

A sophomore studying economics and engineering at Oakton, Tieng hopes to continue his studies at either Harvard, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, University of Illinois at Chicago or Loyola University Chicago.

• Send your 'Neighbors in the News' items to Norrine Twohey at ntwohey@dailyherald.com.