Lewis University

Lewis University Cyber Defense Club placed first in the Presentation Skills and Policy Proposals" award category at the Atlantic Council's Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge in Austin, Texas. The annual competition challenges students from around the world to develop policy recommendations in response to a hypothetical cyber catastrophe. The club has participated in the event for over five years, giving students unique, firsthand experiences with real-world cybersecurity scenarios. The team consisted of Lewis undergraduates David Simeone, Nabeel Ahmed, Uzair Khan, and Andy Valdez. They were coached and accompanied by Matthew Kwaitkowski. Lewis University's Cybersecurity program offers a technical curriculum that prepares students to communicate valuable data, recover from cyber threats, and anticipate hackers' attacks - similar to the scenarios students faced in the Strategy Challenge.

Exploring the life and mission of St. John Baptist de La Salle through visits to historically significant sites that shaped his legacy was what Lewis University students on a Social Justice Pilgrimage focused on during their January 1-14 travel study program in France. The pilgrimage, led by Venus Wozniak, associate director of mission and ministry, and Dr. Jennifer Buss, professor of education, began in Paris, where students visited Saint-Sulpice Church, the site of St. John Baptist de La Salle's seminary formation. Then, they traveled to Reims, De La Salle's birthplace, including Reims Cathedral, where he carried out his early ministry. Their journey concluded in Parmenie, a significant retreat site De la Salle visited during a difficult period, and ultimately decided to continue his mission. The students who participated in the program included Ariana Barajas, Maria Esparza, Gabriella Filipponi, Sofia Haro, Augusta Harris-Patel, Karen Hernandez, Joseph Holly, Adam Ligenza, Sofia Ramos, Ramiro Regalado, Jisela Rosas, Olivia Sawickis, Gabriel Spears, Ayleen Waldrop, and Micah West. St. John Baptist de La Salle was a French priest and the founder of the De La Salle Christian Brothers. Renowned for his revolutionary commitment to accessible education, he was later named the patron saint of teachers. His educational mission centered on empowering students and providing quality education. It continues today through Lasallian schools serving communities in more than 80 countries worldwide. Lewis University is one of those, as it is sponsored by the Christian Brothers of the Midwest. Lewis University is a modern, enterprising, Catholic university with a growing student enrollment from GED through doctoral level programs. As part of the global Lasallian network of 65 universities, Lewis is known for preparing graduates who impact the world for the better. Visit www.lewisu.edu for further information.

"This is a fun way to complete some general education courses and have a new adventure," Alexis Anderson, an Air Traffic Control Lewis University student, reflected about a recent Italy Travel Study Trip. Anderson was among the 10 students who took part in the January Term trip: Alexander Cruz, Gustave Gareth, Brianna Hall, Keira Johnson, Ethan Klug, Megan McPherson, Johary Montano, Donovan Marsh Pierce, and Tom Saji. In addition to meeting a few core curriculum requirements, the experience jump-started a life of travel for most of the students. Saji, a Computer Science student, mentioned that the journey accomplished something he'd been eager to do. "I wanted to explore Rome and learn more about its culture." The group visited several historical landmarks, including the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence and Michelangelo's iconic sculpture David. Their path was navigated by Steve Nawara, chair of Political Science, and Dennis H. Cremin, chair of History. For more information about travel study, contact Christopher Swanson, director of Study Abroad swansoch@lewisu.edu. Lewis University is a modern, enterprising, Catholic university with a growing student enrollment from GED through doctoral level programs. As part of the global Lasallian network of 65 universities, Lewis is known for preparing graduates who impact the world for the better. Visit www.lewisu.edu for further information.

Lewis University music industry student Ava Pesavento was awarded a Lamond GenNext Award from the National Association of Music Merchants. This competitive award honors college students who demonstrate excellence in the field of music, encompassing performance, business, and event technology, among others. Honorees receive a complimentary badge to attend the NAMM Show, as well as a stipend to help offset expenses for travel to The NAMM Show from January 20-24, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. Founded in 1901, the NAMM Show is the premier trade show for music products and sound technology. As an award recipient, Pesavento will participate in professional development sessions, networking events, and special gatherings, and will also have access to the tradeshow floor to explore exhibits featuring music products, professional audio, and live event technology. The Lamond GenNext Award supports students enrolled in a two- or four-year college, university, or technical program who are preparing for a career in the music, sound, and entertainment technology industry.

The Senior Capstone Art Exhibition will take place May 2-12 at the Wadsworth Family Gallery on Lewis University's Romeoville campus. The exhibit will be free and open to the public from 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. daily. The Lewis University students featured in the exhibit include Orla Clasby, Laila Husseini, Maha Muhammad, Drew Orr, Linsey Jeanne Pelekoudas, Abdurrahman Qureshi, and Rebeca Sanchez. The biannual art show coincides with the capstone course, Senior Project. The course challenges graduating students to put their newly acquired skills and understanding of art to the test by participating in a professional exhibition experience. The Department of Art and Design manages the Wadsworth Family Gallery events, which include Lewis University student shows, local and regional artist shows, annual high school exhibits, faculty shows, academic-based exhibitions and cultural and religious-based art shows. More information is available about the Art Gallery and exhibits by contacting Natalie Swain, Art Gallery coordinator, at swainna@lewisu.edu.

"Trouble in Mind," by Alice Childress, will have performances on October 3-5 and October 9-12 at Lewis University's Philip Lynch Theatre in Romeoville. The first weekend performances are at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, with a 2:30 p.m. matinee on Sunday. The second weekend performances are at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, with a 2:30 p.m. matinee on Saturday and Sunday. The show's running time is approximately 75 minutes. The "Trouble in Mind" cast features the following Lewis University students: Ellen Johnson, Oliver Philippian, Joseph Parker, Keimari McMichael, Hanna Hale, Devin Kenebrew, Robert Fudala, Keane Morgan, Robert Burbridge. Ticket purchases are $13 for an adult and $12 for students and seniors. Ticket purchases can be made online with a credit card on the PLT Website at www.lewisu.edu/plt.

"Kodachrome" written by Adam Szymkowicz, will have performances on February 14-16 and February 20-23 at the Philip Lynch Theatre at Lewis University in Romeoville. This play is recommended for audiences aged 13 and older. The first weekend performances are at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, with a 2:30 p.m. matinee on Sunday. The second-weekend performances are at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, with a 2:30 p.m. matinee on Saturday and Sunday. Ticket purchases are $13 for adults and $12 for students and seniors. Lewis University students pay $3 with an ID. The running time of the show is approximately 90 minutes. No intermission will be held for this production. Ticket purchases can be made online with a credit card on the PLT Website at www.lewisu.edu/plt. Click the "buy tickets" link. The box office will be open the hour before the performance.

Just over 1,700 students were honored on the Lewis University Dean's List for the 2024 Fall Semester. To be eligible for this honor, students must have completed a minimum of 12 credit hours during the semester with a grade point average of at least 3.5 and with no "D" or "F" grades.

Just over 1,300 students were honored on the Lewis University Dean's List for the 2023 Fall Semester. To be eligible for this honor, students must have completed a minimum of 12 credit hours during the semester with a grade point average of at least 3.5 and with no "D" or "F" grades.

Eight students mentored by Lewis Mathematics faculty presented their research in August at Mathfest, the second-largest annual mathematics conference in the world, and the annual meeting of the Mathematical Association of America in Indianapolis. Mathematics major Zachary Campbell won the Janet L. Andersen Award for Undergraduate Research in Mathematical or Computational Biology and was awarded one of MathFest's Outstanding Poster Awards. Sulyok mentored Campbell in his presentation, "Mathematically Modeling Recurrent C. difficile Infections in Long-Term Care Facilities." Stephenson and Sulyok co-advised mathematics majors Chuckie Gentile and Mackenzie Welsh and data science and computer science double major Nuvia Hernandez, who presented "Development of Agent-Based Models for Evaluation of Precision Nutrition Interventions through a Socioeconomic Lens." Mathematics majors Philiffe Tebalan and Evan Burns, who Harsy mentored, also presented their work, "Graph Theoretical Modeling of Self-Assembling DNA of the Double Cone Graph." Harsy also mentored Kaitlyn Buck, a mathematics major from the University of Texas at Austin, and Rawdah Abdullah, a Dominican University mathematics major. Buck's poster presentation, "Multi-Dimensional Graphs Modeling Self-Assembling DNA Nanostructures" was honored with one of Mathfest's Outstanding Poster Awards. Abdullah's presentation, "Optimal Tile-Based Self-Assembly of DNA Using Graph Theory," was funded by the PUMA STEM program.

One of Lewis University's student teams earned first place at the 2024 Association of Colleges of the Chicago Area (ACCA) Calculus Competition. The winning team consisted of Benyamin Bamburac, Ruben Franchini and Leonardo Ramos. Lewis University's second team, who earned 12th place, included Mackenzie Welsh, Chuckie Gentile and Tyler Ranieri. The ACCA Calculus Competition typically sees 35 teams compete with other ACCA teams by completing short answer and multiple-choice questions within 90 minutes. The ACCA is a consortium of 15 private liberal arts colleges that promotes collegiate education in biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, physics, psychology, sociology/anthropology, and business/economics.

Lewis University student athletes were honored for their academic excellence on April 22, as 368 student-athletes received Br. David Delahanty Awards at the Convocation Hall located on the Romeoville Campus. The Delahanty Award recognizes Flyers who have maintained a high GPA while balancing the demands of athletics and academics. The Delahanty Awards are presented in three tiers based on cumulative GPA. Bronze Medallion (3.25 - 3.499 GPA) Silver Medallion (3.50 - 3.749 GPA) Gold Medallion (3.75 - 4.0 GPA) Br. David Delahanty, FSC, served as President of Lewis from June 1982 until his untimely death in October 1987. A personal advocate of physical fitness, Br. David encouraged Lewis students to achieve excellence not only in the academic sphere but also in the athletic arena. Following his death, several members of the Lewis' athletic teams inquired if they could wear black armbands to mourn the popular president. After much consultation, it was decided that Br. David would have preferred a tribute to athletes based on their academic achievements. The first ceremony took place in 1988.

Undergraduate degree recipients gathered with loved ones on December 16 for the Lewis University Undergraduate Commencement Ceremonies on its Romeoville campus. Offering the Lasallian Address, Bachelor of Nursing recipient Catherine D. Fiori urged her fellow degree recipients to be lifelong learners. "Our world changes so rapidly but the one thing that remains consistent is the power of education," Fiori said.

Lewis University's College of Nursing and Health Science student, Anna Faveron,

Lewis University students studying physical, social and behavioral, and life sciences presented work at the 56th annual Associated Colleges of the Chicago Area Student Symposium on April 13 at Lewis University in Romeoville. The Associated Colleges of the Chicago Area (ACCA) symposium allowed students to present their research to their peers studying In the Chicago area. ACCA is a consortium of 14 private liberal arts colleges offering educational experiences that help students organize and share their knowledge and discoveries.

Sixteen new Resident Assistants as well as three Residence Life Coordinators were added to Lewis University's growing Residence Life team this fall. The university casts a wide net, searching for the best and brightest individuals from all corners of the world in hopes of creating a vibrant and supportive living community that transcends borders and celebrates cultural diversity. The new team members bring unique perspectives and a wealth of experiences to the residence halls. The RAs will serve as mentors, friends, and leaders, helping residents navigate the exciting journey of college life. The three new Residence Life Coordinators each have a distinct background and passion for creating an inclusive and enriching living environment. They will play a pivotal role in shaping residence life programs, providing guidance to RAs, and ensuring residents feel at home on the Romeoville campus.

Reducing disease spread in healthcare settings, firearm safety education, and creating more efficient semiconductor manufacturing processes are just a few of the research topics undertaken by 13 Lewis University students this summer. The biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, engineering, and physics undergraduate students participated in the Dr. James Girard Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE). The collaborative experience includes working one-on-one with a faculty mentor, and offers an experiential learning environment that accelerates their research careers, with many students presenting their outcomes at conferences and/or via publications.

The Lewis softball team won its league-best 11th Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament Championship after defeating Maryville in the semifinals then Indianapolis in the championship game on May 7.

Morgan Jennings, a Lewis University history major with minors in theology and Arabic, has been named the Lockport Woman's Club/ Pat Darin intern.

The Lewis University men's cross country team finished in second place at the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships at Principia College Cross Country Course hosted by McKendree University. The Flyers were denied their bid for a third straight crown when they finished with 36 points finishing behind first time champion University of Illinois Springfield who finished with 35 points. The team race came down to the closest score in GLVC Cross Country Championships history, a record previously held by Lewis in 2004 when they knocked of Southern Indiana by 2 points, and Southern Indiana who knocked off Wisconsin Parkside in 2015 by 2 points as well.