Best & Brightest

• Brigid C. Somodji of Gurnee, a senior majoring in education at Saint Xavier University, Chicago, was named to the dean's list for the spring 2007 semester for maintaining a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 out of 4.0 and being enrolled for a minimum of 12 credit hours.

• Shayna Mortensen of Lindenhurst graduated May 19 from Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights.

• Lynda Goldsmith of Grayslake recently received a doctorate in physical therapy from the Simmons College School for Health Studies in Boston, Mass.

• David Rietzke of Lake Villa was one of 60 students nationwide chosen for an internship in the U.S. Department of Labor's summer program in the nation's capitol. Rietzke, a senior majoring in economics at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, was selected from a pool of more than 1,300 applicants.

Throughout the course of his internship in the department's Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management, Rietzke worked closely with staff members who provide leadership and policy guidance in support of the President's Management Agenda.

• Brennan Drew, son of Amy and Steve Drew, Gurnee, and Anthony Mercurio, son of Tammy and Michael Mercurio, Spring Grove, took part in one of four orientation and registration sessions for incoming first-year students at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. The Summer Orientation, Advising and Registration days are held so students can become familiar with college requirements, meeting with advisers, registering for classes and completing necessary paperwork.

• DePaul University in Chicago announced the following local students graduated last summer at the 108th commencement. Local students, their honors and degrees include:

Grayslake: Philip Lenczycki, English; Stefan Hofer finance; Laura Lipsky, history; Timothy Soriano, history; Christine Jolley, information systems; and Matthew Bing, law degree ; and Alan Lenczycki, law degree.

Lake Villa: Joanne Jedele-Hughes, educational leadership.

Lindenhurst: Edgar Tecun, finance; Timothy Gutierrez, marketing; and Brian Kulcsar, marketing.

Round Lake: Anna Gorbach, information systems; and Laura DeBartolo, language literacy and specialized instruction.

• The University of Wisconsin-Madison announced the following local students received bachelor's degrees at the May 2007 spring commencement ceremonies.

Antioch: Ashley Ellen Myers, English.

Grayslake: Elizabeth Rose Woodward, English.

Gurnee: David A Grosskopf, construction administration.