After earning a Masters in Social Work from UIUC, Kevin McNicholas ’03 has worked as a school social worker in Southern Illinois for the past 19 years, where he lives with his wife and 3 children. In addition to practicing as a social worker, Kevin does a great deal of public speaking, specifically on the topics of social emotional learning and staff self-care and wellness. Kevin will be presenting at the AASW National Conference in San Diego this February, and also frequently collaborates with Mindful Practices in Chicago. The highlight of this partnership is the Summer Summit, when 250 principals, teachers, and support staff convene for a week-long SEL conference and wellness retreat. Kevin also founded the professional organization Mental Health First Responders Network, which is a state-wide network of professionals offering resources and monthly continuing education opportunities.

Congrats Kevin!

Amanda Donahue ’03 and her husband Tyler spoke with students at Corpus Christi Catholic School in Bloomington about her husband’s birthmark and her new children’s book titled Tyler’s Purple Arm. Read the full article here.

Amanda (Hill) Donahue ’03 wrote a children’s book called Tyler’s Purple Arm. It is a heartwarming story about a little boy with a birthmark. It will be released on November 8, 2022 in both paperback and hardcover. Presales of the digital eBook have already made it an Amazon best seller! Tyler’s Purple Arm has come in first place in the categories of Children’s Social Situation Books as well as Children’s Nonfiction People and Place. She is thrilled to share this book with teachers, parents, libraries, and doctor’s offices and is hoping this book finds its way into the hands of kids everywhere, birthmark or not. You can read more at Amanda’s website found here.

Katie Kikos ’03 was named assistant principal at M.J. Cunningham Elementary School in Joliet, Illinois. You can read more here.

Andrew Schneider ’03 is the choreographer of »remains«, a show commissioned by Sasha Waltz & Guests, which premiered on March 12, 2020, at Radialsystem in Berlin. The show was only performed once before Berlin theatres were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the show was remounted in August 2021 and March 2022. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Andrew is an award-winning performer, writer and interactive-electronics artist creating original works for theater, dance, sound, video and installation.

Sara Ingram ’03, an experienced toxic tort and product liability lawyer, joined law firm Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP, as a partner and member of its litigation group, in February 2022. Sara brings experience in the management of high-volume and complex litigation to her new role. Throughout her career, she has implemented unique strategies to reduce large inventories of cases, reduce settlement values and defense costs, and limited the frequency of naming in new suits for some clients. Sara has been named to Law Bulletin Publishing Company’s list of “Illinois Emerging Lawyers” since 2015.