Palatine woman on winning team in Moot Court contest

• Palatine native Lauren Darwit was on the Chicago-Kent College of Law team that won the National Moot Court Competition's Region VIII tournament held Nov. 14-15, at Marquette University Law School in Milwaukee. Darwit, along with her partner, Angelo Christopher, went undefeated for the entire tournament. After prevailing against teams from Southern Illinois University, Marquette, the University of Chicago and Loyola University Chicago, they faced off against a second team from Loyola to win the final round. Chicago-Kent and the second-place Loyola team will join 28 teams from 14 other regions for the national finals in New York, Feb. 9-12. Darwit, a Fremd High School graduate, earned a degree in communication from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is a third-year student at Chicago-Kent.

• Bob Ingraffia was chosen to fill the vacant trustee seat on the Elk Grove Township board. Ingraffia has more than 45 years of experience in public service, including nearly a decade as a schoolteacher, and in leadership positions at the regional superintendent's office for Chicago and suburban Cook County. He retired in the summer of 2013 from his career in education, and has been an Elk Grove Township resident for 29 years. He currently resides in Mount Prospect with his wife of 45 years. The couple has two grown children and five grandchildren. Ingraffia's term will expire in May of 2017.

• Pathway Senior Living, LLC, headquartered in Des Plaines, named Mike Jacksic director of operations for New Business. Jacksic has over 23 years experience in the senior living industry, most recently serving as the divisional vice president for Assisted Living Concepts. He served in the U.S. Army and then became a Licensed Practical Nurse before working his way up to various key management roles in the industry. Jacksic will play a key role in furthering Pathway's mission to create life-enriching environments where seniors can lead engaging, meaningful and purpose-filled lives.

• The Illinois Music Educators Association annually selects the most talented musicians from across the state to attend a three-day IMEA conference as all-state participants. The students rehearse with their ensembles and perform at the end of the conference. Thousands of student musicians vie for this prestigious honor. This year, 14 Fremd High School students were selected to perform in the band, orchestra and choirs. The selected students and their ensembles are: Choir: Lauren Berryhill, Angie Cornwell, Quinn Jackson, Ben Mathew; orchestra: Sarah Akutsu, Andres Carrero, Nathan Du, Joshua Kim, Brian Lin; band: Julia Cai, Melinda Coleman, Cameron Harro, Andy Hong, Bruce Liu.

• Gabrielle Vitel of Elk Grove Village was chosen to serve as a member of the Diversity on Campus organization at Ashland University, Ashland Ohio. The Diversity on Campus organization exists to promote awareness and understanding of different cultures on campus to promote an all-inclusive campus environment. Vitel, a fashion merchandise major, is the daughter of Marlena Vitel of Elk Grove Village. She is a 2012 graduate of Elk Grove High School.

• Send your 'Neighbors in the News' items to Norrine Twohey at ntwohey@dailyherald.com.