“I’ve seen the passion and the gifts in our youth and young adults,” said Torres, who was named president of Asociación Latina de la Iglesia del Pacto Evangélico (ALIPE) for the ECC in May. “However, I’ve also seen the lack of access. So many of our young people are navigating life without the spiritual, educational, or professional opportunities they need to grow.”

He knows about these barriers firsthand and feels a strong responsibility to tear them down and build up opportunities for those affected. For instance, he knows the value of a good education.

“But I also know what it costs, not just financially, but emotionally and culturally. For many in our community, pursuing higher education means stepping into spaces that don’t always understand or affirm their identity. My work gives me the chance to help bridge that gap. I want Covenant Latino leaders to feel seen and supported, whether through new resources, scholarships, or meaningful representation.”

As part of his work at ALIPE, Torres hopes to break down language barriers by hiring more bilingual church leaders. In his role at Covenant Living, Torres said he has learned how to develop young leaders, and summers spent at Covenant camps have taught him how to reach young people early in their spiritual journeys.

Torres said North Park also played a huge role in his journey, with one of his professors providing resources to the youth group he led, allowing them to attend a winter church camp.

“That kind of support meant a lot. It was personal, rooted in relationship, and shaped the way I do ministry today,” said Torres, who is married and the father of a one-year-old daughter. “I truly don’t think I’d be where I am without the connections I found through North Park and the ECC.

In addition to his work with ALIPE, Torres is an award-winning videographer who creates films for North Park and other clients.

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At its May commencement ceremony, NPU presented SVF with its Nyvall Medallion for Outstanding Service, which recognizes individuals and institutions who have served NPU’s campus with exceptional distinction and is named after North Park’s founding president, David Nyvall.

“While other schools have relationships with universities worldwide, the NPU-SVF union is built on a lasting agreement to establish long-term relationships between our students,” said Professor of Theatre Chad Eric Bergman, who helps coordinate the NPU-SVF partnership. “One of NPU’s core personality traits is hospitality, one it shares with SVF. In that way, our schools are naturally great friends.”

To underscore the bond between the schools, a group of North Parkers traveled to Sweden last May for a reunion trip. The group, comprising program alumni and their families, spent 12 days traveling across Denmark and Sweden, with a three-day stop in Jönköping, the hometown of SVF.

The North Park-SVF College Line Exchange Program is the longest continuous international exchange program between the United States and Sweden. At the commencement ceremony, the Nyvall award was presented by Bergman to Saga Olsson, a graduating senior and Swedish national who came to North Park as an SVF exchange student.

Bergman said one of the program’s goals moving forward is to make it affordable for every student.

“There’s an energy about SVF and NPU that’s exciting,” Bergman said. “I’m looking forward to the next 50 years.”

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The grant, issued to NPU in November 2024 by IBHE’s End Student Housing Insecurity grant program, funded a staff position and food pantry, according to Skyy Barney, NPU’s student care coordinator.

The position, HOUSE (Housing and Opportunities that are Useful for Student Excellence) liaison, works directly with students experiencing homelessness or precarious living situations. It’s often difficult to recognize such students, according to Kate Danielson, founder and director of Foster Progress, a Chicago-based group that helps foster children go to college.

“These students might be staying on friends’ couches or asking to stay on campus over breaks,” Danielson said. “Or they might avoid conversations about home or family or mention money stress or unstable transportation. They also often lack a fixed, adequate nighttime residence and experience food insecurity.”

Students who qualified to benefit from the grant included those who self-disclosed their unstable housing or those transitioning out of foster or state care. Faculty, staff, and peers could also refer students.

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They discussed their unique position at North Park, where Surridge held Nevergall’s position before his hiring. Nevergall emphasized that he sees that as an asset: “The relationship capital [the president] has built over the years—it is her superpower, and it opens doors.”

Reflecting on her various positions throughout her career, President Surridge said, “Even as I think about what our institutional challenges are now, I am filing through my memory thinking about generous alumni and friends who may resonate with a particular need.”

Read more at .

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Dahlgren, who also has a Master of Business Administration from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, has more than 30 years of leadership experience spanning banking, technology, nonprofit, and training sectors, the association said in a statement. His background includes steering organizations through transformative initiatives, including market expansion, strategic partnerships, and operational turnarounds.

“I am honored to join the National Restaurant Association at such an important time in the industry,” said Dahlgren. “I am excited to work with a talented team … Together, we’ll drive innovation and support operators in building resilient, future-ready businesses.”

Read more at .

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The fee-based group classes will be offered Saturday mornings on NPU’s campus and promote understanding of musical concepts, develop fine and gross motor skills and competency, and encourage social belonging through peer-learning experiences. Parents attend all classes and assist with home practice. Demonstration days for families will happen on the final days of each term.

Classes begin on September 6 and will be taught by NPU Collaborative String Pedagogue, Professor Jennifer Dunne, who has performed at every major concert venue in Chicago with dozens of professional music organizations.

“The NPU CMA provides a unique opportunity for the local youth to work with a university professor in our state-of-the-art facilities,” Dunne said. “Musical education allows students to attain skills of concentration and develop a sense of high self-esteem and experience the joy of music.”

Classes, which meet weekly for two 15-week terms, are open to any pre-college-age student interested in beginning to study violin or those who have been playing violin but are looking for another opportunity to hone their skills in a group setting.

Learn more and register here.

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Named in honor of Nobel laureate Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the yearlong program uses an interdisciplinary approach to address unmet health needs in Chicago’s underserved neighborhoods.

Roehl’s project will focus on improving quality of life for cancer survivors through mindfulness-based self-care planning. In partnership with the University of Illinois Chicago Cancer Center, she will lead educational classes and provide participants with digital tools to set meaningful, personalized goals as they navigate survivorship. She plans to graduate from NPU in 2026.

“I chose to focus on a project that would strengthen cancer survivors’ sense of well-being to help create personalized roadmaps for self-care in conjunction with mindfulness,” Roehl said, adding that lifelong emotional stress is part of any cancer diagnosis. “The consequence of psychological stress negatively impacts survivorship, and this is magnified in communities with high socioeconomic deficits.”

“����vlog�ٷ����’s mission is to prepare students for lives of significance and service,” said Mary Shehan, NPU’s graduate nursing programs director. “The Schweitzer Fellowship is an exceptional opportunity for Victoria to utilize the city of Chicago as a platform for learning and service.”

Shannon Sweetnam, spokeswoman for the Schweitzer Program, said Roehl was selected from a competitive pool of 100 applicants with backgrounds including art therapy and public health.

For 29 years, the Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellows Program has provided a platform for graduate students in health-related fields. The program has provided more than 130,000 hours of community service to more than 150 Chicagoland community service organizations.

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“With more than two decades of experience in continuing medical education, strategic leadership, and instructional design, Beth brings a wealth of driving innovation in healthcare learning environments,” an ASGE spokesperson said.

Before joining ASGE, Hayson held positions at the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, most recently as associate executive director, continuing education, meetings, and exhibitions. She has also worked for Advocate Lutheran General Hospital and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.

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“I’ve seen firsthand how frustrating it can be for patients to wait weeks or even months for a dermatology appointment,” Lepp said. “We’re dedicated to addressing patients’ concerns immediately, allowing them to receive the care they need without unnecessary delays.”

Lepp, who also has an undergraduate degree from Indiana University Bloomington, has 16 combined years of nursing experience in dermatology and emergency medicine. Her practice will meet the growing demand for quick-care dermatology services.

Read more .

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In 2020, she partook in the Discovering Healthcare Careers internship at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, where she shadowed doctors and nurses. That internship opened the door for many other internships in which she participated through the Mentorship & Workforce Development at Lurie Children’s, including INSPIRE2 Student Nurse Mentoring Program, which connects nursing students from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds with mentors.

But that’s not where Román’s story at Lurie Children’s began.

The daughter of Mexican immigrants, Román chose nursing as a career when she saw how kindly her parents were treated by the staff at Lurie Children’s when she was there as a patient herself.

“What really caught my attention was the way every worker was kind and helpful to my parents, who are Hispanic and—at the time—didn’t speak much English,” she said.

Currently, Román works as a student nurse assistant at Lurie Children’s and plans to work in pediatric nursing, where she hopes to inspire other Hispanic kids to pursue a medical career.

“When children see doctors or nurses with their skin tone, it’s inspiring to them—it’s inspiring even to me now,” she said.

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