Rachael E. Greco, of Batavia, Ill., and Nicholas A. Collar, of Deerfield, Wis., were named the recipients of the 2017 Distinguished Senior Awards. This honor is bestowed each year to one woman and one man from the graduating class, recognizing extraordinary leadership, service, academic performance, and embodiment of the University’s mission of preparing students
for lives of significance and service.
Rachael Greco, a business and economics major, co-leads North Park’s chapter of International Justice Mission, raising awareness about human trafficking. She’s also a Fellow for the Future of the Carnegie Council Global Ethics Network, working under Dr. Ilsup Ahn to raise awareness on campus about selected global ethics issues. When she’s not participating in these responsibilities, she works part time and also volunteers at the Vietnamese Association of Illinois, teaching English to Vietnamese immigrants.
Rachael says that her “experience with the faculty is hands down the best experience I’ve had at North Park. I owe it to the faculty here for helping me construct the path that’s leading me in a direction I am genuinely so excited about.”
Nicholas Collar, a biology major, has worked in clinical lab research at Swedish Covenant Hospital, and he was a Hugh Edmondson Research Fellow at the UC Davis Medical Center. For several years, Nicholas travelled to rural parts of Honduras to bring adequate medical care to the local residents in need. When Nicholas wasn’t doing lab research or serving, he was a teaching assistant in North Park’s science department, or working under Dr. Drew Rholl as a microbiology assistant.
Nicholas has had wonderful opportunities to work alongside North Park’s accomplished faculty. One year, he met Dr. Jeffrey Nelson two mornings a week in the Cadaver Lab to dissect Rush Medical College cadavers. “Utilizing this non-class related resource was one of the most significant learning experiences I’ve had at North Park.”