Students of the Year named

SYCAMORE – Conor McCaskey has been certain since fifth grade where he would go to college.

Jovana Nguyen still hasn't decided on a major. And Kristin Orozco simply won't choose between staying home and raising a family or having a career. She's determined to have it both ways.

Although all three local high school seniors are at different stages in planning their futures, they share more than they differ. Throughout their high school careers, they have shared a commitment to academic achievement and community involvement.

And now they also share $2,500 scholarships after being named Students of the Year for their respective high schools in a program sponsored by The National Bank & Trust Company and The MidWeek.

Beginning in October, each month a senior from DeKalb, Sycamore and Genoa-Kingston high school is highlighted in The MidWeek as Student of the Month for their school district. The program runs for six months, and each selected student receives $100. The runners-up from each school receive an additional $250, and the Student of the Year from each school receives $2,500.

This was the 10th year The National Bank & Trust Company has co-sponsored the program with The MidWeek. After handing out $10,000 in scholarship money Wednesday night, the program has awarded $100,000 in scholarship money over the past decade.

"We are very pleased to be able to offer this investment to our community," said Tami Armstrong, vice president of marketing for National Bank & Trust Co.

Armstrong emceed the event along with Susan Springer, marketing director for Shaw Suburban Media, parent company of The MidWeek, which has sponsored the program for 23 years.

The accomplishments of all 18 seniors were highlighted during the event, and each announced their plans for after graduation before the award recipients were named.

McCaskey, of Sycamore High School, plans to major in biomedical engineering at Notre Dame, and later attend medical school to become an orthopedic surgeon.

"I had a shoulder injury my sophomore year," McCaskey said. "I've had a lot of experience with doctors, and I learned what I liked and what I didn't like."

DeKalb High School's Nguyen will attend University of Illinois, but she plans to stay undecided until she has a better feel for the specific field of study she will go into.

"I will be pursuing a career in healthcare," she said. "I just want to see what major would be the best."

Orozco, of Genoa-Kingston High School, plans to attend Kishwaukee College and later transfer to Northern Illinois University to major in electrical engineering. She hopes to be able to work from home as a consultant, so she can work and also stay home while raising a family. But she would not be opposed to working in a laboratory, perhaps helping to build an electric automobile.

"I feel it would be a moving field to get into," she said. "I'm hoping to be part of the revolution."

Runners-up for Student of the Year were Keaton Leach, Ben Dumbacher and Kim Giannoni from Sycamore, DeKalb and Genoa-Kingston, respectively.

Other Students of the Month honored during the program were Emma Majerus, Savan Patel, Katelyn Hermann and Matthew Gilmer of Sycamore; Elizabeth Jilek, Maria Gommel, Nathan Erwin and Hannah Brennan of DeKalb; and Shaina Rogers, Kip Beach, Rebecca Joos and Britni Michael of Genoa-Kingston.