Best & brightest

• Jakub Bialasiewicz of Prospect Heights graduated, at the conclusion of the 2008 fall semester, with a bachelor of arts degree in international relations from the College of Arts and Sciences at Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa,

• George Cotseones of Des Plaines, received his white coat at the White Coat Ceremony at Lincoln Memorial University-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine, Harrogate, Tenn. The White Coat Ceremony is designed to mark a student's entrance into medical school.

• John R. Endler, son of John and Marilyn Endler of Arlington Heights, was named to the dean's list for the fall quarter 2008-09, at Ohio Northern University. Endler is a pharmacy major.

• Ashley Ray of Elk Grove Village was named to the dean's list at Eureka College, Eureka, for the fall semester of the 2008-09 academic year. The sophomore special education major is the daughter of Robert Ray of Elk Grove Village and a 2007 graduate of Elk Grove High School.

• Stephen Rossi, son of Tony and Teri Rossi of Buffalo Grove, a 2008 graduate of Wheeling High School, was named to the dean's list at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Rossi was also honored with membership in Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society.

• Charles Weiss of Buffalo Grove, graduated from Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa, at the conclusion of the 2008 fall semester with a bachelor of science degree in psychology from the College of Arts and Sciences.