Northern Indiana is full of people working hard every day to make their communities a better place. Since 2011, GreatNews.Life has been putting the spotlight on the people spreading this positivity in the Region with our Life in the Spotlight series. New articles are published every Wednesday, so be sure to check back often to learn more about the stories of great people doing great things in Northern Indiana.
Philip Hahn is a retired schoolteacher living in the Region. He was not born in the Midwest, though, as he grew up and went to high school in Westfield, Massachusetts. What initiated his journey to this area was his decision to attend Valparaiso...
Director of the Porter County Expo Center and Fairgrounds Lori Daly was born in Valparaiso. When she was in kindergarten, she moved with her family to Plymouth, Indiana, where she graduated from high school. Next up was her stop at Purdue University...
Jessica Witherspoon is a mom, wife, community member, and perhaps most critically, an activist. She currently serves as the liaison for two branches of the State of Indiana’s government, in Vocational Rehabilitation and as part of the Department of...
The world of education is made up of many winding avenues that lead to vastly different experiences because of what’s found along the way, allowing students to learn from all kinds of educators. One such educator happens to be Laci Earle, who lives...
Marissa Barnes’ career is rooted in humble beginnings. While she was studying in college, her summer job consisted of selling windows and doors. Nowadays, she’s moved on to bigger and better things. Barnes graduated from the prestigious Kelley...
After finishing her undergraduate studies, Melissa “Missi” Erdelac returned to school in order to get her graduate degree, which later led to the acquisition of a teaching license. She and her husband both lived and worked in Colorado for some...
Jeffrey Doebler, director of music and bands at Valparaiso University (VU), has been teaching in Indiana for 31 years now. Although he’s been influencing numerous music teachers in the Region for decades, he actually grew up in Palatine,...
With the earlier stages of her schooling taking place in Evansville, Indiana, Jenny Thurner hasn’t always called the Region her home. An outsider no more, she now resides in Valparaiso. After making the move to the area for good, she works as a...
Matt Murphy, the current mayor of Valparaiso, has been serving in his position for four years now. This title fits him well as he’s resided in Valparaiso for most of his life, growing up on Franklin Street. His life really has become one big cycle...
Though born in New Jersey, Kelly Barnes, a physician assistant at Lakeshore Bone & Joint Institute, spent the end of her childhood and emergent teenage life stomping around the grounds of Valparaiso. It’s where she attended high school but not...
