Elmhurst University alum wins funding for film
After directing her first film – which centers on a woman’s life list – Elmhurst University alum Alyssa De Jesus likely was thrilled to be able to check something off on her own list.
De Jesus was named a winner in a nationwide contest for independent filmmakers that allowed her film “40 Before 40” to stream on Tubi and got a financial boost from Kickstarter.
The film, with a screenplay written by her mother based on her own life, celebrates the director’s family as well as her alma mater. Several scenes were filmed at Elmhurst University, including Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel, and current students and alums had roles behind and in front of the camera. De Jesus served as director and co-star for the movie.
De Jesus runs her Chicago-based film company, Dream Team Production, with her mother, Vilma Llaguno, and “40 Before 40” is the first feature-length film the company tackled. It was filmed in 2024 and became part of the FilmStream Collective, which supports independent film projects with financial backing and distribution.
Voters league hosts discussion of ‘Abundance’
Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson’s book “Abundance” will be discussed by the League of Women Voters of the La Grange Area from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 26 at the La Grange Public Library, 10 W. Cossit Ave.
Copies of the New York Times bestseller are available online or at the library’s front desk. The event is free and open to the public.
The league is a political organization that doesn’t oppose or support candidates or political parties; instead, it encourages active and information participation in government. Information is at www.lagrangearealw.org.
Triton College nursing students get ‘pinned’
Triton College in River Grove recently honored nine nurses during a pinning ceremony that included their family and friends.
The nurses are Brianna Diaz, Candie Daniel, Andrea Lee, Itati Reyna, Juliemar Flores, Vanessa Valdes, Nicole Blachowski, Cecilia Meza-Covarrubias and Marialy Morales. Receiving the pin, which is shaped like a pyramid, means the students who earned their associate degree in nursing can take the National Council Licenses Examination for registered nurses.
Nursing students and faculty planned the ceremony, which featured a class video, student remarks and recognition of incoming and outgoing Student Nurse Association members. The nurses also recited the Nightingale Pledge, named to honor modern nursing founder Florence Nightengale, which connects prospective nurses to nurses in the past.
“We always invite the new grads to stand up along with any nurses that are in the audience, and we recite the pledge in unison,” Cheryl Davis, nursing faculty member, shared in a news release. “It’s a powerful, meaningful moment for everybody.”
Pastor, community activist gives talk on King at Frick Center
Someone with a personal connection to Martin Luther King Jr. will speak at 4 p.m. Feb. 18 in the Founders Lounge at the Frick Center at Elmhurst University, 190 Prospect Ave.
The Rev. James Shannon, who was baptized by King when he was 12, will present “The Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.” as part of this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Intercultural Lecture at the university.
The Montgomery, Alabama, native, now pastor of Peoples Community Church in Glen Ellyn, was a public school teacher in Chicago and has served for 25 years on the Leadership Council for Metropolitan Open Communities – one of the first fair housing organizations in the country at its founding in 1966 as part of King’s Chicago Freedom Movement, according to a news release..
Shannon trained more than 4,000 real estate agents on fair housing laws and practices and directed more than 500 workshops for homebuyers. He has been a full-time pastor since 2013 at the church, which he founded in 2007, and served on the Glenbard District 87 school board.
The talk is free but reservations are encouraged by visiting elmhurst.edu/Cultural.
Japanese art takes center stage at talk
The Nineteenth Century Charitable Association Monday Enrichment Series will turn its attention to Contemporary Japanese Art at the Art Institute of Chicago at 1:15 p.m. Feb. 16 in the second-floor ballroom at 178 Forest Ave. in Oak Park.
Janice Katz will talk about the latest exhibit, “Radical Clay,” which focuses on women ceramic artists from Japan, as well as acquisitions made during her time at the museum. The Art Institute has been both acquiring and displaying Japanese art since the 1950s.
The program is free and open to the public, although donations are welcome. It’s part of a “Japanese themester” funded by a grant from the Toshiba International Foundation. For details, visit www.nineteenthcentury.org.
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