Two people with ties to Riverside and Brookfield, who both ran unsuccessfully in the in the June 2022 primary election to be the Democratic nominee for a judicial vacancy in Cook County’s 4th Judicial Subcircuit, had those disappointments erased earlier this year.
In March, former longtime Brookfield resident Jerry Barrido was among 22 people appointed Cook County associate judges by Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans.
Barrido, 50, a Riverside-Brookfield High School graduate, had worked as an associate Cook County public defender since graduating from DePaul University Law School in 1999. On June 7, Marcia M. Meis, director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, announced that Barrido was one of 396 Illinois associate judges reappointed to serve a four-year term beginning July 1.
In April, the Illinois Supreme Court announced the appointment of Riverside resident Chloe Pedersen to the countywide Cook County Circuit Court vacancy created in 2022 when Judge Debra Walker was elected to the Illinois Court of Appeals.
Pedersen, formerly a partner in the firm Fletcher & Sippel LLC who handled employment law cases on behalf of employers and was chief legal and labor counsel for the Cook County Recorder of Deeds prior to that, was sworn in May 12. Her term as judge expires Dec. 2, 2024.
Author, author!
Jeanne Sheehan, the founder and longtime writer/producer of the Riverside Township Theater Guild, has written “Theater Kids: The One Where They All Become Friends,” a novel that follows the lives of three girls who, during a summer theater camp, come in as outsiders but leave with friends.
Local readers will recognize Riverside as the backdrop for the book, and the description of the noodle ball games in the pool and the show at the town hall should stir up a lot of memories for all who have participated in the township’s theater camps through the years.
The book is available on Amazon. Anyone who has questions can email to dr.jeanne.sheehan@gmail.com.
AAUW awards scholarships
The Riverside chapter of the American Association of University Women in May awarded $750 scholarships to a pair of Riverside-Brookfield High School seniors, to be used toward their college studies.
Brookfield resident Sarah Lindenberg received the AAUW’s STEM scholarship. She will be attending Iowa State University, studying horticultural research. The other scholarship recipient, Riverside resident Olivia Buoscio, will attend Western Michigan University, pursuing a degree in music education.
On campus
Katie Manika, the daughter of Colleen Manika of North Riverside and Jim Manika of Willow Springs, graduated from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in May.
She was also recently honored with the Dr. Erwin Small Scholarship, given to members of the Illinois student chapter of the American veterinary medical Association and Omega Tau Sigma with financial need. She will join Springbrook Animal Care center in Naperville as an associate veterinarian.
Kara Nedvar, of Brookfield, was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in architecture during commencement ceremonies on May 20 at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. Nedvar also made the 2023 spring semester dean’s list for earning a grade-point average of at least 3.5 on a 4-point scale for the term.
Zachary Veselsky, of Brookfield, was among the roughly 5,900 students awarded diplomas at the University of Alabama’s spring commencement at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa. Veselsky earned a Bachelor of Science in commerce and business administration.
Thomas Russell, of Brookfield, graduated with a B.S. in management from Millikin University the school’s 2023 spring commencement ceremonies at the Kirkland Fine Arts Center on May 21.
Katie Culloden, of Riverside, was one of 98 seniors and juniors at Emerson College in Boston inducted into the school’s Gold Key Society during an April ceremony in the Semel Theater.
The Gold Key Society is an interdisciplinary organization founded in 1962 to recognize and encourage outstanding academic achievement. Culloden, a business creative enterprises major, was among the top 5% of juniors in her class eligible for the award.
Andrew Barnes, of Riverside, earned semester honors for the 2023 spring semester at Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin, for achieving a grade-point average of at least 3.5 on a 4-point scale for the semester.
Among those named to the 2023 spring semester dean’s list at Lewis University in Romeoville for earning semester GPAs of at least 3.5 were Brookfield residents Hlay Aliotte (computer science), Alexandra Bator (aviation flight technology), Mia Hamilton (early childhood special education), William Koryzna (finance and accounting), Alyssa Krivak (nursing), Jane McLaren (secondary education and history), James Mizura (air traffic control management) and James Taylor (aviation flight management); North Riverside resident Daniela Ulloa (psychology); and Riverside resident Tiffany Cerny-Czykier (business analytics).
Charlie Buh, of Riverside, was named to the 2023 spring semester dean’s list at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, for being ranked in the top 20% of undergraduate students in his division.
Brookfield resident Emilio Pizana and Riverside resident Nathan Sanchez were named to the 2023 spring semester dean’s list at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, for achieving a semester GPA of at least 3.5.
Alexander Georgopoulos, of Riverside, was named to the 2023 spring semester dean’s list in the College of Arts and Science at the University of Kentucky for earning a GPA of at least 3.6 for the semester.
Joseph Gilhooley, of Brookfield, has been named to the 2023 spring semester dean’s list at Loyola University Chicago’s Quinlan School of Business. Gilhooley’s semester GPA was 3.9.
Kailyn Ngo, of North Riverside, was named to the 2023 spring semester dean’s list at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais for attaining a semester GPA of at least 3.5.
North Riverside resident Mia Giurini was named to the 2023 spring semester president’s list at Trine University in Angola, Indiana, for attaining a semester GPA of least 3.75. Giurini is majoring in exercise science.
