DuPage Children’s Museum president receives Lifetime Achievement Award
Andrea Ingram, president and CEO of the DuPage Children’s Museum in Naperville, was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award on May 2 at the Chicago Council on Science and Technology’s Science in the City Gala.
The event celebrated leading Chicago-area scientists, innovators and business leaders, who were recognized for making significant impacts in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields.
Ingram received the Lifetime Achievement Award for outstanding contributions in advancing the public understanding of science and technology.
Ingram, a former vice president of education at the Museum of Science and Industry, has been an advocate for STEM learning throughout her career, officials said.
“I am honored and thrilled to have been recognized by leaders in the Chicago STEM ecosystem,” Ingram said. “There is no more important time to be doing this work — to encourage and facilitate the understanding and the importance of science, how to be creative and what it means to all of our lives.”
Naperville-area high school seniors win National Merit Scholarships
Several Naperville area students were among 2,500 students nationwide selected to receive a $2,500 National Merit Scholarship in the second round of this year’s program.
The recipients were chosen from a pool of more than 15,000 finalists in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program, a news release from the National Merit Scholarship Corp. said.
Candidates were reviewed a variety of criteria, including academic record, difficulty of subjects taken, grades earned, scores from the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, contributions and leadership to their school and community, an essay and a recommendation letter from a high school official.
The local winners are:
Naperville North High School: William Anderson, of Lisle, who plans to pursue a career in law, and Naperville residents Ashwin Balaraman, who plans to study computer science; Pramithi Kandalai, who plans to a career in medical research; Yikai Liu, who plans to study computer science; Krishna Pothapragada, who plans to study quantitative analysis; Matthew Ru, who plans to study computer science; and Bryce Shen, who is pursuing a banking career.
Naperville Central High School: Eric Gu, who plans to study mechanical engineering, and Harry Yu, who will pursue a career in academia. Both are from Naperville.
Neuqua Valley High School: Mohammad Fazalul Haque, who plans to study computer science, and Shivam Purohit who will pursue a career in finance. Both are from Naperville.
Makin’ Strides for Strays walk, fest to benefit A.D.O.P.T. Pet Shelter
The Makin’ Strides for Strays 5K walk and family fest, which will benefit the A.D.O.P.T. Pet Shelter, will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, June 2, at the North Central College Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium, 455 S. Brainard St.
The event, which is A.D.O.P.T.’s longest-running fundraiser, has raised money for more than 30 years to provide care for the shelter’s pets and place more than 30,000 animals into homes, organizers said.
The 5K walk through residential areas will be followed by a festival with food, beverages, music, family activities, entertainment and games. Food trucks will be on site. Kid-friendly events, such as balloon twisters and face painters, are planned and pets are welcome.
Admission to participate in the walk is $40 per individual or family. There is no fee to attend the fest.
For more information, go to makinstrides2024.funraise.org.
Naperville student one of five Presidential Scholars from Illinois
Naperville resident Sai Peddainti, a student at Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora, was one of five students from Illinois named U.S. Presidential Scholars.
Peddainti is one of only 161 high school seniors nationwide to receive the honor.
The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars selects students based on academic success, excellence in the arts and in technical education, essays, school evaluations and transcripts, and a demonstrated commitment to community service and leadership, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Education.
Bbout 3.7 million students are expected to graduate from high school this year. Of those students, more than 5,700 candidates qualified for the distinction, the release said.
Two students from each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and U.S. families living abroad are chosen for the honor as well as 15 chosen at-large, 20 scholars in the arts, and 20 scholars in career and technical education.
The program was created in 1964 and has honored more than 8,200 top performing students.
