Best & brightest

• Joe Cohodes of Arlington Heights graduated in June from Northwestern University in Evanston. He was named to the dean's list for the spring quarter of the 2008/2009 academic year. Cohodes is a graduate of John Hersey High School.

• Nicole Eberhard, daughter of Richard and Terri Eberhard of Arlington Heights and a freshman at Drake University in Iowa, was named to the dean's list for the spring 2009 semester. She is an education major.

• Jeremy Eberhard, son of Richard and Terri Eberhard of Arlington Heights, won the Concerto Competition for the second year in row at DePauw University, in Indiana. He played the Korngold Violin Concerto in D major the Finale. He also won the John and Esther Browning Memorial Prize awarded to an outstanding pianist or violinist completing the junior year at DePauw.

• Brittany Anne Kubis, daughter of Ken and Jan Kubis, Lake Zurich, graduated from Indiana University with honors. She received a bachelor of science degree in nursing and was inducted into Sigma Theta Tau International, an honors nursing sorority.

• Sara Morgenthal of Wheeling received a bachelor's degree with a major in nursing during Millikin University's commencement ceremony May 17, at the Decatur Civic Center.

• Richard Niesen, son of Richard and Jeanne Niesen of Buffalo Grove, was named to the dean's list at Carthage College, Kenosha, Wis., for the spring 2009 semester. He will be a senior at Carthage College.

• Maxwell Tracy of Northbrook was among 50 University of Vermont students recently initiated into the Alpha Alpha Psi chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the national history honor society.

Tracy is a senior majoring in history and anthropology and minoring in Spanish.