Best & Brightest

The Daily Herald will no longer be taking news from colleges for this column. To have an item placed in this column, write it in publishable form and e-mail it to best&brightest@dailyherald.com. Please include the student's name, college and year of attendance, along with parents names and towns in which they live, and put "Best & Brightest" in the subject line.

John Haas, son of Bob and Mary Haas of Libertyville, received his Bachelor's degree in Business/Marketing at the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio, at the May 4 commencement ceremony.

Jeffrey E. Eriksson, son of Glen and Dana Eriksson of Grayslake, graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio on May 10 with a bachelor's degree in speech communication - organizational communication. He is a 2004 graduate of Grayslake Community High School.

Anna Snyder of Grayslake was named 2008 Northern Athletics Conference Softball Pitcher of the Year. She was also placed on the NAC All-Conference First-Team and was named Great Lakes All-Region by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. Snyder attends Aurora University in Aurora and is a graduate of Grayslake High School.

Cadet Cameron Rodgers Turner of Libertyville, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ron Turner, achieved dean's list status at the Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina in Charleston S.C., for the spring semester of the 2007-08 school year.

Daniel Beshoar of Kildeer, son of J. David and Shawna Beshoar, has been recognized for superior academic and leadership potential and accepted an appointment to attend he Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. Beshoar is a graduate of Lake Zurich High School.

Ryan A. La Valle of Deer Park received High Honors with a 4.0 grade-point-average at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. He was also inducted into the Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society. La Valle is a 2007 graduate of Carmel Catholic High School.

Andrew Koenig of Wauconda received a doctoral degree in physical therapy from the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Mich. Koenig earned his undergraduate degree from Ball State University and is a graduate of Lake Zurich Senior High School.

Katie Speckan, daughter of Mark and Holly Speckan of Vernon Hills, graduated cum laude from Winona State University in Winona, Minn., May 2 with a major in health promotion and a minor in communication studies. She was also presented with the Outstanding Student of 2008 award from the faculty.