College Credits: Commencements Held, Spring Dean's Lists Released

LEMONT, IL — We're sharing the news of all the major higher education accomplishments of area students. Send your submissions to andrea.earnest@patch.com. Students from area towns like New Lenox, Homer Glen, Lemont, Frankfort, Lockport and Mokena are celebrating accomplishments throughout the semester, including graduation, end-of-year academic achievements, Dean's List recognitions and more.

The following information was provided by Merit Pages News:

Students named to Kennesaw State's Spring 2021 President's List, Dean's List

Lorenzo Caputo of Mokena was named to the Kennesaw State University President's List for the Spring 2021 semester, one of more than 4,800 students earning the honor.

To achieve this honor, each undergraduate student must have completed at least 9 semester hours with a term grade point average of 4.0.

Andrius Lelis of Lemont was named to the Kennesaw State University Dean's List for the Spring 2021 semester, one of more than 6,600 students to earn the honor.

To achieve this honor, each undergraduate student must have completed at least 9 semester hours with a term grade point average of 3.5.

Spring 2021 Graduates At Iowa Wesleyan University

Iowa Wesleyan University recognized its 92 May graduates, including Justin Klug of Lockport. Iowa Wesleyan University held an in-person commencement program for all May 2020, August 2020, December 2020, May 2021, and August 2021 graduates on May 1.

Krista Nauseda Receives Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Degree

Krista Sue Nauseda of Lockport, received a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from Lincoln Memorial University-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine (LMU-DCOM) in Harrogate, Tennessee, on May 15.

Nauseda received her Bachelor of Science degree from Grand Valley State University. She will continue her medical training in an internal medicine residency at Prisma Health-University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Greenville, South Carolina. Nauseda is also a member of the Sigma Sigma Phi Honorary Osteopathic Service Fraternity. She is the daughter of Sue Asher and Steve Nauseda.

The DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine is located on the campus of Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee.

Elizabeth Principe earns a spot on the Dean's List at Coastal Carolina University

More than 2,100 undergraduate students at Coastal Carolina University were named to the Dean's List for the Spring 2021 semester, including Elizabeth Principe, a Management major from Lockport.

Students who make the Dean's List have achieved a grade point average between 3.5-3.99 for the semester.

Sarah Scarnavack of Mokena named to the Dean's List at Lehigh University

Dean's List status, which is awarded to students who earned a scholastic average of 3.6 or better while carrying at least 12 hours of regularly graded courses, has been granted to Sarah Scarnavack of Mokena in the spring 2021 semester.

Lehigh University is in Bethelehem, Pennsylvania.

Dean's, President's Lists Students Named for UA Spring 2021 Term

A total of 11,813 students enrolled during the spring 2021 term at The University of Alabama made the Dean's List with academic records of 3.5 or above (on a 4.0 scale), or the President's List with academic records of 4.0 (all A's).

The UA Dean's and President's lists recognize full-time undergraduate students.

Students recognized include:

Madalyn Casto of New Lenox was named to the Presidents List; Ellie Degroot of New Lenox was named to the Presidents List; Olivia Kirchman of New Lenox was named to the Deans List; Ennis Lange of New Lenox was named to the Presidents List; Madeline Mccastland of New Lenox was named to the Deans List; Madeline Melde of New Lenox was named to the Deans List; Christa Moore of New Lenox was named to the Deans List; Marie Moore of New Lenox was named to the Presidents List; Grace Otto of New Lenox was named to the Presidents List; Josephine Schmitt of New Lenox was named to the Presidents List; Hannah Slater of New Lenox was named to the Presidents List; Jonathan Stiglic of New Lenox was named to the Presidents List; Amanda Baird of Frankfort was named to the Deans List; Emma Barnard of Frankfort was named to the Deans List; Gehrig Batson of Frankfort was named to the Deans List; Allyson Chavez of Frankfort was named to the Presidents List; Susan Doody of Frankfort was named to the Presidents List; Jayna Enguita of Frankfort was named to the Presidents List; Nicholas Everhart of Frankfort was named to the Presidents List; Madison Glatz of Frankfort was named to the Presidents List; Jenna Grabinski of Frankfort was named to the Presidents List; Abigail McCreary of Frankfort was named to the Presidents List; Alicia Pearson of Frankfort was named to the Presidents List; Paige Sackman of Frankfort was named to the Deans List; Anna Vander Kooi of Frankfort was named to the Presidents List; Sophia Bonoma of Mokena was named to the Deans List; Nicholas Finn of Mokena was named to the Deans List; Colin Hobert of Mokena was named to the Deans List; Jonathan Muller of Mokena was named to the Presidents List; Madelyn Osowski of Mokena was named to the Deans List; Joshua Perch of Mokena was named to the Presidents List; Tyler Shipley of Mokena was named to the Presidents List; Lauren Franceschini of Mokena was named to the Presidents List; Samuel Brody of Homer Glen was named to the Deans List; Emily Conway of Homer Glen was named to the Deans List; Marianna DiDiana of Homer Glen was named to the Deans List; Emma Drew of Homer Glen was named to the Deans List; Jacqueline Maka of Homer Glen was named to the Presidents List; Colby Putman of Homer Glen was named to the Deans List; Katelyn Winge of Homer Glen was named to the Deans List; Jenna Jarsombeck of Lockport was named to the Deans List; Gianna Klug of Lockport was named to the Deans List; Allison Polinski of Lockport was named to the Presidents List; Matthew Sheely of Lockport was named to the Deans List; Addison Winter of Lockport was named to the Presidents List; Rachael Josepher of Romeoville was named to the Presidents List; Hope Conway of Lemont was named to the Deans List; Emma Lynch of Lemont was named to the Deans List and Natalie McCastland of Lemont was named to the Deans List.

Elmhurst University Holds 2021 Commencement

Elmhurst University graduates of the Class of 2021 took part in a series of on-campus, in-person Commencement ceremonies. A ceremony for graduate students was held on May 21, and three ceremonies were held on May 22 for undergraduate students.

The following local students earned degrees:

Sara Zaksas, of Mokena, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders; Juliana Bobak, of Lemont, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration; Kailyn Hmura, of Lemont, graduated with a Master of Education in Teacher Leadership; Jordan Urbanick, of Lemont, graduated with a Master of Science in Nursing in Nursing Master Entry; Brooke Janeczek, of Homer Glen, graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders; Elizabeth Walaszczyk, of Homer Glen, graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Biology; Katherine Pacetti, of Homer Glen, graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Psychology; Christopher Binder, of Frankfort, graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology; Kayli Benak, of Frankfort, graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing; Patrick Evans, of Frankfort, graduated with a Master of Business Administration; and Alex D'Ortenzio, of Frankfort, graduated with a certificate of completion from the Elmhurst Learning and Success Academy (ELSA).

Maya Renfro named to University of Rhode Island Spring 2021 Dean's List

The University of Rhode Island announced that Maya Renfro of Homer Glen and Angeleena Rivera of Frankfort were been named to the Spring 2021 Dean's List.

More than 7,000 students were named to the Spring 2021 Dean's List, representing nearly all of Rhode Island's cities and towns, all six New England states, New York and New Jersey, and many other states and countries.

To be included on the Dean's List, full-time students must have completed 12 or more credits for letter grades which are GPA applicable during a semester and achieved at least a 3.30 quality point average.

Area Students Graduate from Knox College

Jason White of Mokena graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Financial Mathematics and Economics, Samantha Weithers of Frankfort graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in creative writing, Michael Cepolski of New Lenox graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in educational studies and physics, and John Downey of Lockport graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English literature and educational studies from Knox College on June 5.

Knox College is in Galesburg.

Justin Jensen named to Missouri State University's spring 2021 dean's list

Each semester, students at Missouri State University who attain academic excellence are named to the dean's list.

For undergraduate students, criteria include enrollment in at least 12 credit hours during the spring semester and at least a 3.50 grade point average (on a 4.00 scale).

Justin Jensen of Lockport made the list. Jensen was among more than 5,000 students named to the spring 2021 dean's list.

Local Students Recognized by Slane College of Communications and Fine Arts

Bradley University's Slane College of Communications and Fine Arts announces its 2021 Spring Semester awards for its outstanding students.

Local students recognized include:

• Morgan Grajewski of Frankfort, a Studio Art major, was awarded the Outstanding Student in Printmaking Award.
• Allison Plourde of Frankfort, a LAS ENG CR major, was awarded the Sigma Alpha Iota Scholastic Award. Plourde was also recognized by Bradley University's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Plourde was awarded the Global Scholar Award.

Bradley University is a private university in Peoria.

Lewis University Students Honored on 2021 Spring Dean's List

Just over 1,500 students were honored on the Lewis University Dean's List for the 2021 spring semester. To be eligible for this honor, students must have completed a minimum of 12 credit hours during the semester with a grade point average of at least 3.5 and with no "D" or "F" grades.

Honored students include:

Roberto Arevalo of Mokena, Bradley Clemmer of Mokena, Sophia Davis of Mokena, Lisa Demas of Mokena, Courtney Germany of Mokena, Paula Grata of Mokena, Munir Haleem of Mokena, Devin Kybartas of Mokena, Danielle Mikos of Mokena, Sean O'Reilly of Mokena, Lauren Ramsey of Mokena, Nicoletta Salvatore of Mokena, Paige Sanders of Mokena, Taylor Schaefer of Mokena, Anthony Sciortino of Mokena, Larissa Alves of Lemont, Christopher Bafia of Lemont, Cristian Davila of Lemont, Odete Garmute of Lemont, Mitchell Gembara of Lemont, Kritika Goyal of Lemont, Laura Hunter of Lemont, Dominik Jablonski of Lemont, Tyler Kowalczyk of Lemont, Emily Krivograd of Lemont, Nicholas Lassak of Lemont, Julia Lesnicki of Lemont, Matas Maleiska of Lemont, Melek Mante of Lemont, Tanner Mathias of Lemont, Gabrielle McGlynn of Lemont, Christian Mietus of Lemont, Matthew O'Malley of Lemont, Morgan Page of Lemont, Andrea Papiernik of Lemont, Nicole Poljack of Lemont, Claudia Poltorak of Lemont, Paul Rogers of Lemont, Valdas Simanauskas of Lemont, Natasha Skorusa of Lemont, James Small of Lemont, Shanika Spraggins of Lemont, Emily Stoch of Lemont, Tian Tasso of Lemont, Michael Tuzim of Lemont, Jacob Urban of Lemont, Kathy Wilczek of Lemont, John Zabilka of Lemont, Bryan Avalos of New Lenox, Noah Bolanowski of New Lenox, Cassidy Brow of New Lenox, Paul Buldak of New Lenox, Nina Demma of New Lenox, Carmelina Disabato of New Lenox, Amanda Doran of New Lenox, Abigail Dudeck of New Lenox, Griffin Ebel of New Lenox, Faustina Farrell of New Lenox, Aiden Fifer of New Lenox, John Flynn of New Lenox, Gianna Francone of New Lenox, Taylor Gugliuzza of New Lenox, Sean Klosowski of New Lenox, Savannah Klozik of New Lenox , Nicole Koschnitzki of New Lenox, Jenna Lack of New Lenox, Ashley Macica of New Lenox, Courtney Mahalik of New Lenox, Jennifer Mehorczyk of New Lenox, Norman Paz-Ramirez of New Lenox, Luciano Petrongelli of New Lenox, Steven Plane of New Lenox, Isabel Raleigh of New Lenox, Victor Rosas of New Lenox, Emma Ruback of New Lenox, Cori Seguin of New Lenox, Constance Senese of New Lenox, Luke Siepak of New Lenox, Sara Siepak of New Lenox, Erica Sparano of New Lenox, Eric Wesel of New Lenox, Tayler Wollek of New Lenox, Hannah Yep of New Lenox, Noor Abdelrahman of Frankfort, Matthew Bennett of Frankfort, Bradley Burton of Frankfort, Nicholas DeBello of Frankfort, Timothy Dee of Frankfort, Austin Erick of Frankfort, Joel Feddes of Frankfort, Elza Gashi of Frankfort, Aviree Hourigan of Frankfort, Joshua Lara of Frankfort, Lucas Nakvosas of Frankfort, Daniel Osysko of Frankfort, Hannah Pivaronas of Frankfort, Veda Prestamer of Frankfort, Arnulfo Pulido of Frankfort, Ethan Randolph of Frankfort, and Lucas Robertson of Frankfort.

Lewis University is in Romeoville.

Hannah DeFronzo makes Carthage College dean's list for spring 2021

Carthage College has named Hannah DeFronzo of Lemont to its dean's list for academic excellence during the spring 2021 semester.

Dean's list honors are accorded to Carthage students who achieve a minimum 3.5 grade-point average while carrying at least 14 credit hours during a semester.

Graduates from Carthage College

With a few safety-driven modifications, Carthage gave the Class of 2021 a one-of-a-kind sendoff that preserved as much of the traditional graduation celebration as possible. At assigned times over two days, graduates took the ceremonial stage walk as guests cheered them on.

Graduates included: Kendall Bellone of New Lenox, Conrad Bolster of New Lenox, Eleanor Cichowski of Lockpor, Caroline Barkauski of Frankfort, Elizabeth Toppett of Frankfort, and Andrea Kozak of Mokena.

Matthew Becker Graduates from University of the Sciences

Matthew Becker of Lockport was among the graduates recognized during University of the Sciences' 200th commencement celebration, a virtual event, held on May 26.

Becker graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BS in Physics and a minor in Mathematics. He is a member of Alpha Chi, National College Honor Scholarship Society.

University of the Sciences is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.