Joliet West High School, Joliet Central High School, and Joliet Catholic Academy have been holding the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce & Industry Education Committee’s Top Student Banquet for eight years now. Thanks to funders like Rotary, Kiwanis and Lions, as well as private donations, they’ve been able to continue the tradition. This year’s annual Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce & Industry Education Committee’s Top Student Banquet was held on April 20^, in the Clarion Hotel from 6p.m. to 8:30p.m.

The Joliet West top 25 senior students were Leticia Alvarez, Simone Carroll, Sean Chapman, Natalie Cortez, Kyrina Dolnak, Shane Donaldson-Curry, Kelly Doran, Noemy Escamilla, Sarah Gaydos, Alec Graff, Kyle Kopchak, Stephanie Lee, Natalie Mander, Matthew Martinez, Lauren McKay, Joshua Pearson, Faith Petersen, Allison Rodawold, Allan Roman, Margaret Spesia, Natalie Tolstych, Alex Volante, Youjia Wang, Steven Widlowski, and Tracy Wysock.

At the banquet, there were the three principals of the different schools and administrators to congratulate the contestants. The nominees were able to bring family or a friend to the banquet to share their accomplishment. The banquet provided a dinner and dessert for the families and a ceremony for the top senior students of all the schools. “It was a very formal banquet, everyone got up to a table and there was like salads and desserts,” Graff said. During the dinner, the principals called up their individual top twenty-five seniors. The principals asked for them to walk up for their awards. “They would read the bios of each students as they came up,” Graff explained. The awards received varied from certificates to plaques.

To become, one of the top twenty-five senior students you need to be very dedicated and responsible by keeping up your GPA, grades, and your activities after school like sports, clubs, community service hours, etc. Graff said, “To me GPA isn’t everything. Yeah, you can be very smart, you can be very naturally smart, but if you don’t apply yourself in other areas like sports and clubs, then I don’t think it makes you a very well-rounded student.” Graff also explained, “If you really want a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment, then go above and beyond.”

The true goal in life isn’t getting a certificate for being smart or having a bunch of friends; the real goal is to be the best version of you possible.