College credits: Buffalo Groves Biagi graduated from NEIU with honors

BUFFALO GROVE, Ill. — We’re tracking all the major higher education achievements of area students. Send your submissions to [email protected].

Biagi graduated from Northeastern Illinois University

JoAnna Biagiof Buffalo Grove, graduated magna cum laude from Northeastern Illinois University on May 10 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She is a 2017 graduate of Buffalo Grove High School.

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Miami Junior earns prestigious Phi Beta Kappa Society honor

Mollie Duffy, of Buffalo Grove, has a busy schedule heading into his senior year at the University of Miami. Duffy, an advocate for civic engagement, will take on a new role as secretary of government relations for the Associated Student Government during the 2024-2025 academic year. She will also focus on voter rights and education ahead of this fall’s election.

First, though, the public administration major will travel to Washington, D.C., in June for an education conference as one of 20 students nationally selected as Public Service Key Scholars by Phi Beta Kappa Society. The Key into Public Service Scholar program honors a select group of liberal arts and sciences students who demonstrate an interest in careers in local, state, and federal government. Duffy will team up with a mentor at the conference, which will be held June 19-23.

“I’m really excited,” Duffy said. “That’s the best part: not only meeting other students interested in public service, but also meeting mentors and interacting with people who are pursuing careers in public service.”

Duffy first gained motivation for civic engagement while she was at Stevenson High School. His time in Miami increased this passion. She was the first Miami student to join the Oxford League of Women Voters, interned at the U.S. Department of Transportation, and is a member of the Transformative Justice Coalition. Duffy also organized the Democracy Bus, a project that helped Miami students vote early on the Butler County Board of Elections. For her efforts, Duffy was featured in a German documentary on democracy in America, broadcast on ARD, a public service broadcaster. She recently committed to a summer internship with the Democratic National Convention Committee in Chicago, as well as an internship with the ACLU of Ohio as an Action Team Intern of campus.

“She has become very well known nationally and even internationally for the work that she does,” said Zeb Baker, executive director of the Honor College of Miami. “Mollie is very committed to the component of a liberal arts education of applying what she learns in the classroom to the world beyond the classroom.”

Baker said Duffy was the first Miami student to win the Key into Public Service Scholar award.

“Mollie has been an extraordinary leader during her tenure here,” Baker said. “She sincerely believes in providing everyone with the broadest possible opportunities to participate in the democratic process.”

Each winner receives a $5,000 undergraduate scholarship. The researchers were selected from more than 700 applications. A 2023-2024 Geoffrion Family Undergraduate Fellow at the Humanities Center, Duffy is also a tireless advocate for voters’ rights.

“It’s important that people not only have the resources to go out and vote, but also that they understand what they’re voting on,” Duffy said.

For her Key into Public Service Scholar application, Duffy wrote an essay about Pete Buttigieg, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation who motivated Duffy to seek an internship at the U.S. Department of Transportation.

“Pete Buttigieg’s journey in public service, starting at the grassroots level, has been truly inspiring to me,” Duffy said. “I’m excited to learn more about what a career in public service could look like for me and how I could take the knowledge learned at the upcoming conference in Miami and implement it in my work l ‘next year.”

— Merit Page News

Qualich Graduates from McKendree University

Jason Michael Qualichof Buffalo Grove, graduated magna cum laude from McKendree University with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies.

— Merit Page News

Vandrevala inducted into Phi Kappa Phi honor society

Annamarie Vandrevala, of Buffalo Grove, was recently initiated into the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective multidisciplinary collegiate honor society. Vandrevala was initiated at DePaul University. Vandrevala is one of approximately 25,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation only and requires chapter nomination and approval. Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors are eligible for membership.

— Merit Page News

UW-Whitewater Announces Spring 2024 Dean’s List

The following Buffalo Grove students have been named to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Dean’s List for the spring 2024 semester.

• Dana Feldstein
• Rebecca Howard
• Caitlyn Plüger

These students have demonstrated their academic abilities by achieving a grade point average of 3.4 or higher in a single semester.

— Merit Page News

Frankel graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University

Brandon Frankel, of Buffalo Grove, graduated May 11 from Ohio Wesleyan University. Frankel graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Frankel majored in financial economics and politics and government.

— Merit Page News

Yun named to SNHU president’s list

Daniel Yun, of Buffalo Grove, has been named to the Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) President’s List for Winter 2024. Winter terms run from January through May. Full-time undergraduate students who have achieved a minimum GPA of 3,700 and above for the reporting period are named to the President’s List. Full-time status is achieved by earning 12 credits in each 16-week term or in paired 8-week terms grouped in fall, winter/spring, and summer.

— Merit Page News

Jakosalem part of conference title, NCAA bid for UW-Whitewater softball

Juliann Jakosalemstudent in mathematics from Buffalo Grove, is a member of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater softball team, which won the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament championship this weekend for the 11th time in program history, at the top of the league, to punch his ticket to the NCAA. Division III tournament, which begins this week.

— Merit Page News