College Credits: Plainfield Student Camps With Geology Department

PLAINFIELD, IL — We're keeping track of all the major higher education accomplishments of students in the area. Send your submissions to emily.rosca@patch.com.

Plainfield student earns bachelor’s degree with highest GPA of his graduating class

Our son and former Plainfield North High School student Matthew Heffernan (Class of 2020) just graduated summa cum laude from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Engineering with his bachelor of science degree in computer science. He also earned the Bell Honors Award for highest GPA (4.0) in his graduating class. He is grateful for the opportunities he had at UIC and grateful for the wonderful teachers he had at Plainfield North who prepared him for success!

— Jamie Heffernan

Plainfield student 1 of 5 Coe College students to receive prestigious scholarship

Coe College student Toby Lister of Plainfield, IL has earned a prestigious Clark Merit Scholarship, which is awarded to only five students across Coe College's student body. Lister is majoring in Economics and Data Science.

The Clark Merit Award provides a scholarship equal to one year's tuition for each recipient. Awardees are selected by a committee of faculty members and a member of the Board of Trustees based on their integrity, intellect, leadership and social responsibility. The Clark Merit Awards are funded by an endowment created in 1995 by the late Coe alumnus K. Raymond Clark '30.

— Merit Pages News

Plainfield musician to perform in Symphonic Wind Ensemble

Ian Curless from Plainfield, who is studying Music Education, Instrumental Emphasis at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, has been performing in the university's Symphonic Wind Ensemble during the 2023-24 academic year.

Curless plays Euphonium for the group, which includes 44 student musicians.

UW-Whitewater's Symphonic Wind Ensemble is a select wind band performing a variety of concert band repertoire. All students are required to audition for the group.

— Merit Pages News

Augustana College students perform in Christmas concert

The Augustana College Department of Music presented Christmas at Augustana, Dec. 2 and Dec. 3, 2023 at Centennial Hall.

More than 200 student musicians took the stage to share their talents in what has become a highlight of the Augustana and Quad-Cities holiday season. Presented by Quad City Bank & Trust, Christmas at Augustana has thrilled audiences since 2008. The performance will feature the Augustana Brass Ensemble, Augustana Symphony Orchestra, Ascension Ringers, Augustana Choir, Jenny Lind Vocal Ensemble and Augustana Concert Chorale.

This year's Christmas at Augustana performers included:

• Tiah Rudolph, a senior music education major from Plainfield (60586) performed in the Augustana Choir

— Merit Pages News

Local student receives degree from Georgia Tech

Raekyong Kang of Plainfield has earned a Master of Science in Global Media and Cultures from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.

Kang was among approximately 1,725 undergraduate and graduate students who earned degrees during the Summer 2023 semester.

— Merit Pages News

Christmas Festival includes Plainfield students

To celebrate the Advent season, 175 Carthage College students participated in the Christmas Festival the first weekend in December in the magnificent A. F. Siebert Chapel. The program, with the theme "Rejoice, O World, Rejoice!" concluded with a service of light. The Christmas Festival is a long-standing tradition for the College and Kenosha, Wis. community.

Music department faculty serving as directors included James Ripley (Wind Orchestra), E. Edward Kawakami (Philharmonic Orchestra), and Margaret Burk (Carthage Choir, Carthage Treble Choir, Carthage Choral, and Lincoln Chamber Singers).

• Kinsey Bakhaus of Plainfield IL
• Rachael Jasien of Plainfield, IL

— Merit Pages News

Student from Plainfield spends nights camping in the mountains of Wyoming and South Dakota with geology department

Jake Sawin, of Plainfield (60586), was one of 16 first-year Augustana College students who visited spectacular sites and spent nights camping in the mountains of Wyoming and South Dakota on the annual Geology 105 field trip titled, "The Physical Geology of the Rockies." Students traveled from Aug. 4 to Aug. 20 before starting their academic year.

During this four-credit lab science course, students worked with Dr. Jeffrey Strasser, chair of geology department, and Dr. Michael Wolf. The two-week trip included introduction and discussion about the physical geology, environmental science, and environmental justice issues of every location visited.

The Geology 105 field trip is a course aimed at introducing students to the science of the Earth and our environment through the study of materials and processes of rock formation and mountain building in the mountains of South Dakota and Wyoming.

— Merit Pages News

Plainfield student named to PennWest fall 2023 dean's list

Congratulations to Mia Listello of Plainfield on being named to Pennsylvania Western University Dean's List for the 2023 fall semester.

Over 3,200 Pennsylvania Western University students earned placement on the Dean's List. Degree-seeking undergraduate students who achieve high academic standards are identified in accordance with the following criteria:

• The student must earn a minimum semester GPA of 3.40.
• The student must earn a minimum of 12 graded credits during the semester, not including credits by proficiency examinations, incomplete grades, temporary grades (e.g., Not Reported), or satisfactory/unsatisfactory grades.

— Merit Pages News

Bob Jones University dean’s list names Plainfield student

Ethan Wood, a Senior Engineering major from Plainfield, was among approximately 800 Bob Jones University students named to the Fall 2023 Dean's List.

The Dean's List recognizes students who earn a 3.00-3.74 grade point average during the semester.

— Merit Pages News