2007 Recipients
Brittany Sproat Crain
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI ’11
Major: Bachelor of Arts in English, specialization in Language and Linguistics
Miami University, Oxford, OH ’14
Major: Master of Art Speech-Language Pathology
Associations: UWM Student Member of National Speech-Language Hearing Assoc.
Honors: Recipient of Ohio Speech Language Hearing Assoc. Graduate Student of the Year ’13
Recipient of two-year Graduate Assistantship, Miami University
Published: Music Listening Behavior, Health, Hearing and Otoacoustic Emission Levels. International Journal of Environmental Public Health, July 2014
College Students’ Personal Listening Device Usage and Knowledge. International Journal of Audiology, December, 2014.
Sports: Member of UWM Club Softball team; participated in soccer, basketball, volleyball and softball intramurals.
Volunteer: Badger Volunteer Tutor, Member of UWM Colleges Against Cancer.
Favorite Memory of College: “My favorite memory of college was senior year at the night football game vs. Ohio State. My friends, family and I spent the day tailgating and then went to the game that evening, which happened to be the ESPN game of the week. The Badgers, who were the underdogs, were able to pull off a victory and we all stormed the field. The excitement and energy in the stadium that night was absolutely electrifying. I also greatly enjoyed my time studying abroad in Spain in the spring of 2011.”
Internships: University of Illinois at Chicago medical Center, student speech pathology intern in neurosurgical ICU and inpatient rehabilitation units; Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, student speech pathology intern; Fairfield North Elementary, student speech pathology intern.
Career: Brookside Care Center, Kenosha, WI. Speech Pathology Clinical Fellow.
NNHS: Looking back upon high school, I feel that Naperville North prepared me exceptionally well to transition into college and eventually the working world. The outstanding academic reputation, diverse extracurricular offerings and phenomenal teaching and coaching staff made heading off to college relatively seamless. Nonetheless, what stands out most to me about my time at NNHS was the sense of community and the friendships that I made. High school and then college truly flew by and now that many of my high school friends have moved all over the country, I look back warmly on some of the football games, dances or bonfires I spent hanging out with my friends. I am certain that many of the friendships I formed during those four years will last a lifetime.
Currently Brittany resides in Milwaukee, WI
“Being a recipient of the Rob Koranda scholarship is undoubtedly one of my proudest accomplishments. The values on which the scholarship is based including community service, leadership, passion and integrity continue to motivate me to reach my full potential in both my personal and professional life. What’s more is that for me, the scholarship becomes even more meaningful each year as I am able to participate in the golf outings and meet more of the many people that Rob impacted. The Koranda family’s remarkable ability to turn a tragedy into this scholarship foundation truly allows Rob’s zest for life to inspire new students and touch new lives each and every year.”
Michael Salkeld
Illinois Wesleyan University '11
Major: Bachelor of Science in Economics and Business Administration (Specialization Finance)
Current: Senior Associate (Consultant) in Insurance at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Married to wife, Caitlin, for 5 years who I met in college (Illinois Wesleyan University). Currently live in Chicago, IL - just bought our first condo!
Volunteer: Junior Achievement – Earn Your Future, Chicago. Visiting Chicago public schools to educate youth about finances, budgets, spending.
The scholarship has been a constant reminder to challenge myself to do more socially, in the community and professionally. We all worked so hard throughout high school to build a resume and portfolio that enabled us to be considered for such an honor as the RAK scholarship, and the scholarship has challenged me to sustain that drive well beyond the high school years. As important as it was then to constantly challenge ourselves to extend our abilities and push beyond our perceived limits, it is arguably more important now to use the skills we have developed in our respective fields to be better friends, better members of our communities and leaders in our industries.
NNHS: The RAK scholarship is truly a 4 year experience. While the nomination, interview and selection process occurs during Senior Year, the resumes and brand that we are all carefully evaluated on begins during Freshman Year. Everyday we stayed late after practice, stayed up late to study or finish a project, and made it a priority to set aside time to help out in the community taught us the importance of hard work, discipline and putting others above ourselves. The ability to connect with others and build strong relationships, all while making sure we finish every drill, read every page and find time for others is what makes so many recipients special. During the first three years of high school, I did these things because my parents wanted me to, but once the RAK scholarship selection process started, I realized that these habits the scholarship values and rewards are the same habits that people need to be successful in college and the rest of our lives. Winning the RAK scholarship helped validate the commitments and choices I'd made throughout high school and also served as the reinforcement and reminder I needed to approach college and work with the same habits I developed and embodied while in high school.
“We might be in a different arena or institution now and our goals might be different than winning a game or getting an “A” on an exam, but the qualities and skills that we hear describe each new recipient are the ones that will be needed to succeed professionally, in our community and within our families after graduation While watching a Naperville North High School basketball game or listening to the introduction of the new recipients at each Rob Koranda Scholarship annual golf outing, I am reminded that this award is not a one time achievement. It is an absolute incredible honor to be named a Rob Koranda award recipient, but it is also a responsibility to continue to deliver the same impact in all of the future arenas of our lives.”