Best & Brightest

•Ashley Mastandrea, daughter of Terry and Murlene Mastandrea of Lake Zurich, earned recognition on the dean's list after completion of her freshmen year at Illinois State University, Normal. She was also invited into the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, an organization that recognizes freshmen and sophomore student scholars with proven leadership and service. This recognition followed Mastandrea's 2006 award of the General Assembly Public Affairs Scholarship provided by Senator William Peterson which was based on similar criteria.

•Anna-Louise Dow of Lake Villa earned academic honors during the spring 2007 semester at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in Kenosha. Dow received Dean's List honors for maintaining a grade point average of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale.

•Christie F. Hacket, daughter of Jill and Frederic Hacket of Wauconda, was named to the spring semester dean's list at Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi, for obtaining a 4.0 GPA. She also received an Academic Achievement Scholarship, University Honors Scholarship and a scholarship from the Southwestern Fastener's Association for the fall of 2008. She is a member of the honors program and the Gamma Phi Beta Sorority. Hacket graduated magna cum laude in 2006 from Mundelein High School.

•Melanie L. Hacket, daughter of Jill and Frederic Hacket of Wauconda, was named to the spring semester dean's list at Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, where she is a junior majoring in accountancy. Hacket is a 2002 magna cum laude graduate of Mundelein High School.

•Meredith Amburn of Round Lake Park earned academic honors during the spring 2007 semester at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in Kenosha. Amburn received Provost's List honors for maintaining a grade point average of 3.8 or higher on a 4.0 scale.

•Mark Patterson of Johnsburg earned academic honors during the spring 2007 semester at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in Kenosha. Patterson received Dean's List honors for maintaining a grade point average of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale.

•Erin Ober, daughter of William and Marcia Ober of Vernon Hills, earned a bachelor of arts degree magna cum laude in anthropology and psychology June 10 from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis. Ober also was named to the 2006-07 dean's list for maintaining a minimum 3.4 grade point average. She is a 2003 graduate of Adlai E. Stevenson High School.

•Brent Barry of Lake Bluff, a student majoring in natural resources at the University of Vermont, Burlington, was named to the dean's list for the spring 2007 semester for earning a grade-pint average of at least 3.3.

•Mariko Brown and Katie Giacchetti, both of Gurnee, earned academic honors during the spring 2007 semester at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in Kenosha. Brown and Giacchetti both received Dean's List honors for earning a grade point average of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale.

•Heather Darling and Amber Pierce, both of Lindenhurst, earned academic honors during the spring 2007 semester at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in Kenosha. Darling and Pierce both received Dean's List honors for maintaining a grade point average of 3.8 or higher on a 4.0 scale.