Life in the Spotlight

Jess Buetow is a young man who recently graduated from Michigan City High School (MCHS), where he maintained a commitment to service and thrived academically. Despite growing up far from Michigan City, moving from his hometown of Saginaw, Michigan to...

Brenda Mecchia knows what it’s like to be a Region native through and through. She grew up in Merrillville, graduated from Merrillville High School and is now an employee of the Town of Merrillville. For the past five years, Mecchia has been the...

Arriving in the United States as a child, Juan Constantino had to navigate the challenges of undocumented life. His determination and ambition led him to become the executive director of La Casa de Amistad, where he advocates for those of the...

Catherine Cole's journey into teaching began with a leap into the unknown. After graduating from Michigan State University, she secured her first job as a second-grade teacher in the small town of Eaton Rapids, Michigan, and settled into married life...

Life often takes us down unexpected paths. This is true for Brynn Kleist, who began a journey to become a forensic scientist but ended up becoming an educator for at-risk and non-traditional students. Growing up in La Porte, Kleist spent her freshman...

When two women with a love for baking happened to discuss their passion during a work shift at Starbucks, the pop-up bakery The Baking Beans was born. Loren Huff and Breanna Webb opened their local baking business just two months after that...

Kindergarten is a whimsical time in every child’s journey where a teacher molds a foundation for a lifetime of learning. Jody Greer, a beloved kindergarten teacher at Crisman Elementary School, knows the importance of cultivating a conducive...

It’s not common that one can spend their afternoon experiencing a simulated space mission, but the folks at Challenger Learning Center of Northwest Indiana (NWI) can make it a possibility. Lara Bates, the executive director, is the driving force...

Growing up around a family-owned small business, Jeff Rea developed a deep understanding of business operations and acquired valuable skills. This experience became significant throughout his career, culminating in his current position as president...

The golf industry is a field that is stereotypically dominated by men, yet Jill McCoy has cemented herself as a prominent figure in Northwest Indiana’s golf scene. McCoy grew up just outside of West Lafayette in a farming community and began...