Life in the Spotlight

Ever since she was a child, Leticia Duvnjak had been raised to be kind and help others when they needed it. That has carried into her career as a nurse manager of cardiac rehab at Community Hospital in Munster, Indiana. “I've been a nurse for 30...

Julie Zasada, executive director of the Cedar Lakes Historical Association, is originally from Bloomingdale, Illinois. Zasada attended college at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Illinois, where she majored in business management. Zasada and...

David Klamen, dean of the school of the arts at Indiana University Northwest (IU Northwest), lives in Chicago, Illinois. Klamen got his bachelor’s degree at the University of Illinois in Champaign Urbana, where he studied studio arts as well as...

Julie Wendorf, director of the Crown Point Community Library, began working at the library back in 2010 as a part-time reference assistant. In 2013, Wendorf went back to college to earn her master’s in library science at Indiana University–Purdue...

Jennifer Gilbert, co-owner of Gilbert’s Candy and Confections in Chesterton, Indiana, resides in Portage, Indiana with her husband and two children.  Gilbert majored in journalism and graduated from Northwestern University in 2005. Upon...

Dr. Shawn Naranjo credits his mother and other influential women in his life for his decision to become an obstetrician and gynecologist. “My father died when I was young, and I’m very close with my mom,” Naranjo said. “I've had a lot of...

For Mike Reinhart, one of the directors at M&M Productions and Ross Music Theatre, musical theater has played a big role in his life. Mike Reinhart got his start in the theater when he was only eight years old, the first show he was in being...

Alexa Ryan has been fascinated with the transformative power of fashion and hairstyling since she was young.  “I was a huge fan of the fashion industry, so that jump started everything,” said Ryan. “The more time I spent around it, the...

For Nathan L. Nicholson, art has been a passion for as long as he can remember. Nicholson is a digital specialist for the Evangelical Covenant Church and a multidisciplinary artist. He resides in Gary, Ind. with his wife of almost 10 years and two...

For Nathaniel T. Jones, choral and handbell director at Lake Central High School, teaching music was never a question. Jones has had a lifelong fascination with music thanks to his mother. As an elementary school music teacher for the School City of...