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Triton College alumnus 和 artist 亚伦Canino of Hillside felt nothing but pride presenting David B. 吉林, mayor of River Grove, with two pieces of artwork on Tuesday, March 14, 2023.

Canino’s painting of the iconic Gene 和 Jude’s hot dog st和 is nostalgic to him. He also created a collage of several River Grove well-known l和marks, including The Thirsty Whale, River Grove Fire Department 和 Brunswick Zone. 

“I did a substation amount of research to identify the best businesses 和 municipalities to represent in my art,” explained Canino. “In my opinion, 'Gene 和 Jude’s' is the most well-known l和mark in River Grove.”

Canino has made a career of selling his architectural artwork to communities within Triton’s district, such as Broadview, Rosemont, 梅尔罗斯公园, Proviso Township, 五月wood 和 Hillside, 等.

成长的过程中 in Hillside, he became interested in art at an early age. While a student at Proviso West High School, Canino was encouraged by his art teacher, Jerry Jenkins, to get involved in a local art show.

“That art show experience made me want to pursue a career in art,” 他说. “I realized that I really enjoyed drawing architecture. It became my inspiration.”

汤姆Catalano of Crossville, Tenn., is the author of 10 poetry books, ranging in genre from humorous to religious, two books of short stories 和 a book of witty quotes. 超过9,000 books sold, Catalano feels grateful to Triton College for helping him find his passion.

Catalano grew up in Elmwood Park 和 graduated from Elmwood Park High School in 1973. He explained that he was shy, introverted 和 wasn’t a part of the “in” 人群. Having a lot of teenage angst, he began writing poetry in high school to release his emotions 和 feelings.

“I really started writing creatively in high school,他说. “I still didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. I thought about attending law school.”

After graduating from Elmwood Park High School, Catalano attended Triton College from 1973 to 1974.

在卫, he was enrolled in the Kaleidoscope Program, which required all students to keep a journal. Catalano noted that journaling became a daily habit for him, stating that he enjoyed writing about his thoughts 和 feelings.

“Journaling became a routine that trained me to write every day,” 他说.

Catalano graduated from Aurora College in 1977 和 then took a few graduate classes at Northern Illinois University (NIU). He decided to go into marketing because he felt he would “burn out” if he pursued writing as a full-time career, 然而,, he still wanted to utilize his creative talents.

“If you put your heart into your job 和 give your best effort,re will be steppingstones,” 他解释说.

Catalano moved up the marketing ladder, eventually retiring from Curry Supply Co., a truck manufacturer in Pennsylvania. After retiring as director of marketing, he knew he wanted to pursue his writing full time.

Catalano’s works, Jelly in My Belly, 押韵s For Kids, 押韵s For Teens 和 Nicholas The Santa Story, are poems for kids. 押韵 & Reason, Verse Things First, Poetry 'N Motion, Poems For His Glory, I Dig Mud & 黄色的血 和 Witty Words of Wisdom are poems 和 quotes for teens 和 adults. The Edge of Imagination 和 高大的故事 & Short Stories are short fiction books for teens 和 adults. His most recent book, Funny 押韵s 关于 Life!, is a collection of funny poems about honey-do projects, getting older, procrastination, 和 love 和 marriage. It is written for adults.

“I have a wide variety of interests when it comes to poetry,” 他说 of the diversity of his books.

Catalano self-publishes his books but has them all professionally edited. All his books can be purchased on Amazon, in major bookstores or on his official website. Books purchased on his website are autographed by him.

When he isn’t writing or promoting his books, he enjoys fishing 和 spending time with his wife of 37 years, 佩吉. The couple have three daughters, Anna, 32; Emma, 28; 和 Elizabeth, 23.

“This is the legacy I want to leave behind,” 他说.

To learn more about Catalano or to purchase his books, visit tomcatalano.com.

Ryan Greenwood (left) pinned a badge on his father, Deputy Chief James Greenwood, at a River Forest Village Hall meeting on Monday, 2月. 13. Greenwood’s daughter, Madolyn Greenwood, excitedly looked on. 

Triton College alumni James Greenwood was appointed deputy chief of the River Forest 警察 Department on Wednesday, 2月. 1, 2023. His celebration continued in front of friends, family 和 residents at the River Forest Village Hall on Monday, 2月. 13, 2023.

“I feel a sense of loyalty 和 pride in my work,” said Greenwood.

Greenwood grew up in Franklin Park 和 attended Passow Elementary School, Hester Junior High School 和 East Leyden High School, graduating in 1992. He then attended University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 和 studied political science 和 l和scape architecture.

While a student at U of I, Greenwood was assigned to work in the 警察 Department. His duties included checking campus buildings 和 providing transportation for students at night.

“I admired the work that the officers did 和 realized over time that it was my passion,” 他说. “I decided to change education paths.”

Greenwood decided to attend Triton College to study criminal justice. He graduated in 2001, earning his associate degree.

“Triton offered the coursework I was interested in,” 他说. “The classes were affordable 和 the instructors in Criminal Justice Administration were all active professionals in the fields of criminal justice or law.”

In 1997, Greenwood began his career with the River Forest 警察 Department, working his way up the ranks from patrol officer, 侦探, 中士, 侦探 中士, patrol comm和er 和 now deputy chief.

Greenwood furthered his education by earning a bachelor’s in business administration from Benedictine University in 2010, graduating Magna Cum Laude. He attended the Northwestern University School of 警察 Staff 和 Comm和 in 2018, earning the Kreml Leadership Award, selected by fellow law enforcement professionals in the course.

“Receiving the award was an honor, especially coming from a group of people that were just as deserving of the award,” 他指出.

He has plans to graduate in fall 2023 to earn a master’s degree in public administration from Northern Illinois University.

As the new deputy chief, Greenwood wants to ensure that the department continues to offer great services to the community 和 to support members of the department in their daily work.

In addition to being a police officer, Greenwood is a member of the West Suburban Chiefs of 警察 Association.

Greenwood 和 his wife Jill have two adult children, Ryan 和 Madolyn. Ryan is a student at Arizona State University 和 is studying supply chain management. Madolyn is a student at Benedictine University 和 is studying pre-medicine. 

Michaleen “Micki” Lewis is committed to helping organizations achieve their vision. Currently the senior organizational development consultant with computer technology corporation, 甲骨文, Lewis began her postsecondary education at Triton College, earning an associate degree in Ophthalmic Technology. 

While gaining the technical proficiency needed to succeed in the eye care field, Lewis described other ways community college prepared her for life-long learning.

“Triton College helped develop my communication skills,” 她说. “The college developed a higher level of patience in me 和 built my skillset towards underst和ing people.”

As Lewis continued her career path, so did her education. She completed a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership 和 a master’s degree in management 和 organizational behavior from Benedictine University, as well as professional certifications in coaching 和 talent development.

Lewis, who grew up in Unincorporated Leyden Township, graduated from St. John Vianney School 和 West Leyden High School, both located in Northlake, Ill. She was introduced to eye care as a career option while participating in West Leyden’s summer healthcare work program.

学生 at Triton College have benefitted from Lewis’ expertise, both as a faculty member 和 guest speaker. 

Gary Linden is the museum curator of the Chicagol和 Combined Veterans Museum in River Grove. He credits Triton College for giving him the tools to achieve his dreams.

“I feel like I truly made a difference in the world,他说. “I learned so much at Triton College that helped me get to where I am today.” 

Linden grew up in River Grove 和 graduated from Rhodes School in 1966, East Leyden High School in 1970 和 then Triton College in 1972. After graduating from Triton, he worked a few different jobs, but realized he wanted to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a police officer. In December 1973, Linden became a member of the River Grove 警察 Department as a reserve officer when was he was 21.

In October 1978, Linden became a full-time police officer for the River Forest 警察 Department. During his career, he was a patrol officer 和 then was promoted to 中士 on July 17, 1997. He retired on Nov. 7, 2002. During that time, he was also an evidence technician, juvenile officer, field training officer 和 foot patrol officer in River Forest.

“I received 11 letters of recommendation, 14 unit citations, eight honorable mentions 和 in 1989, I received Officer of the Year. In 1996, I won the Cook County Sherriff’s Medal of Merit,他说.

As a River Forest 中士, Linden said he had to do a lot of administrative work as well as serving the public. He feels that his business degree from Triton College prepared him well for his role as 中士. 

Linden became the museum curator for The Chicagol和 Combined Veterans Museum in 2月ruary 2021. As a museum curator, 他说 he enjoys interacting with the public when they enter the museum.

“One of the most important lessons I learned from my time at Triton College is to always treat people with dignity 和 respect,他说.

When it comes to Linden’s dedication to preserving the legacy of veterans, 他指出 he gets inspiration from all the American veterans who sacrificed so much for our freedom.

“We live in the greatest country in the world,” he exclaimed. “We have veterans to thank for that. Veterans should always be honored 和 respected. In this museum,ir legacy can be remembered for generations to come. They are the real heroes.”

Other than working at the museum, Linden’s passion is writing. He has published numerous articles for toy magazines such as Collecting Toys, Plastic Figure & Playset Collectors 这本书 Marx Western Playsets.

When not working at the museum or on his writing, Linden enjoys spending time with his niece 和 nephew, 和 great nieces 和 nephews.

Italo Muralles of Chicago is proud of his many accomplishments in both his life 和 career. However, he admits that getting to where he is today wasn’t always easy. 

Muralles was born in Guatemala 和 immigrated to Chicago when he was 9 years old. He grew up in a very religious home 和 attended Gordon Tech High School (now DePaul College Prep). His life seemed to be going according to plan until one fateful evening.  

“I was driving with my family on Christmas night in 1979. We were hit by a drunk driver,” 他解释说. “My sister’s fiancé was killed. He was a medical student visiting from Guatemala. My sister never married after that because she had lost the love of her life.”

Due to the trauma of the accident, it was hard for Muralles to focus on college. 当时, he was working for Jewel-Osco 和 was encouraged by the company to work his way up without a bachelor’s degree. After several years of being employed there, Muralles realized he didn’t want to miss out on precious moments with his wife Lilly 和 daughter Sara, by working nights 和 weekends.

“I decided to make a career switch 和 began working at Eaton Tripp Lite, which is a manufacturing company,” 他说. “I worked my way up to vice president of International Operations 和 Business Development. After working at Tripp Lite for 25 years, I knew I wanted to resign from my position 和 finally pursue my passion for l和scape design.”

Muralles’ wife encouraged him to work towards a degree in horticulture at Triton College. Taking her advice, Muralles said he instantly fell in love with the school, students 和 faculty.

现在, at age 60, Muralles feels he is finally on the right path.

After receiving an internship with the Franklin Park Park District, Muralles’ bosses quickly became impressed with his creativity 和 work ethic.

Muralles was hired as a full-time employee 和 was also asked to oversee North Park’s Children’s Nature Center as a project manager when funding becomes available. In the meantime, he will graduate from Triton with a degree in horticulture applied sciences.

He expressed that he is passionate about his new career path 和 doesn’t have any plans to retire. He hopes to work for as long as his health allows him.

“I loved the support Triton gave me,他说. “It opened up so many doors. The teachers are good at what they do. The counselors were always available to help. Triton improved my life.”

When Muralles is not working, he enjoys spending time with his family. He is very proud of his daughter Sara, who graduated from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. She is currently doing her residency in Martinez, California.

Bulmaro “Bull” Saavedra of Morton Grove is the owner of Hay Caramba!, a Mexican restaurant in Park Ridge. With a successful business under his belt, many would think Saavedra achieved the embodiment of the American Dream. However, Saavedra’s road to success has not always been smooth.

Saavedra grew up in Mexico in a small town called Los Sauces, Guerrero. 成长的过程中, he struggled in school 和 wanted to move to the United States, eventually immigrating to Chicago in 1973. Once in Chicago, he began working for St和ard Grinding & 制造行业. Co., a machinery business located in Skokie.

“St和ard Grinding sent me to Triton College 和 enrolled me in the Machine Tool Technology Program to learn how to run machinery,” 他解释说. “当时, I hardly spoke any English, so going to Triton taught me a lot. It was an amazing school experience.”

Saavedra married his wife Josephine in 1975, 和 soon after, began thinking about starting his own business, his lifelong dream. Making this dream a reality, he opened his first restaurant in Chicago, in 1986. By 1989, Saavedra found himself no longer working full time, but spent all his time at the restaurant.

In 1991, Saavedra 和 his wife decided to open a restaurant in Park Ridge called Hay Caramba! Recently celebrating the 30-year anniversary of their opening, Saavedra noted that Hay Caramba! serves several of their old family recipes, with the fajitas being Saavedra’s favorite.

“During the p和emic, we stayed open for carryout, so our business was still able to thrive,他说. “We are grateful that we enjoy a lot of support from the community.”

现在, as a successful restaurant owner, Saavedra 和 his wife enjoy serving customers 和 making them happy.

“Hospitality is a wonderful way to connect with the community 和 share in their celebrations of life,他说.

Although the job can be challenging, since they must sacrifice nights 和 weekends, Saavedra feels it is worth the hard work they have put into their restaurant. He’s grateful that Triton College gave him the foundation 和 tools to run 和 open a successful business.

When Saavedra is not working, he enjoys relaxing with his family 和 traveling. Saavedra 和 his wife Josephine have two adult children, Michael 和 Marlene, who work at the restaurant with their parents.

Maryna Salkovski, Ph.D., a 2014 Triton College graduate, is inspired by entrepreneurship, diligence 和 coffee. 

“I believe in working hard, having fun 和 meeting a lot of great people along the way!” she expressed. 

Salkovski is the founder 和 CEO of Bean Bar, a coffee vending machine company with a high-end product. Bean Bar serves high quality hot drinks, such as cappuccinos, hot chocolate 和 lattes, 和 has a machine that’s open for business in the Triton College 图书馆.

“Bean Bar offers delicious, healthy, on-dem和, high quality espresso drinks,” 她指出. “It’s ideal for any college or university student 和 staff alike!” 

Salkovski, born in Ukraine, immigrated to the United States when she was 6 years old. She grew up in River Grove, attended East Leyden High School 和 worked in the community at Goody’s Fast Food (located in River Grove). After East Leyden, she was accepted into the Scholar’s Program at Triton College. She knew she wanted to attend Triton which she felt was a “perfect fit from every angle.” 

“I liked how student oriented Triton was 和 I exp和ed my experience in the Scholar’s Program. The location 和 price were perfect, 和 the faculty were very welcoming 和 helpful,” 她解释说. 

After Salkovski graduated from Triton, she attended Elmhurst College, where she received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry 和 graduated Summa Cum Laude. She continued her education at the University of Illinois at Chicago studying autophagy 和 received a doctorate degree in chemistry from The Aldrich Lab. 

Salkovski said the idea for Bean Bar came when visiting her husb和’s home country of Bulgaria. S他解释说 that in Bulgaria, coffee vending is ubiquitous 和 believed people back home would enjoy the convenience of a coffee bar while studying or working. 

“My husb和 Tihomir 和 I are coffee aficionadas 和 wanted to bring this concept to the states,” 她指出. “We found a manufacturer from overseas 和 the rest is history.” 

After purchasing a coffee vending machine, Salkovski 和 her husb和 took to their lab (aka their kitchen) 和 spent several months perfecting different coffee recipes to make sure every drink is delicious, healthy 和 made with the cleanest ingredients. After finetuning the recipes, Salkovski came up with the name Bean Bar 和 the slogan “We Bean Business”. They are in the process of getting both trademarked. 

Salkovski explained that after a lot of emails, Triton College was kind enough to give her the opportunity to install a Bean Bar machine in the 图书馆. The 图书馆 has since created a “图书馆 Café” where students can get a cup of coffee from Bean Bar, relax 和 read a magazine while they take a break from studying. 

“We are forever grateful to Triton College,” 她说. 

In the future, Salkovski wants to exp和 to other locations, such as schools, businesses 和 airports. The goal is to grow the business nationwide 和 create a line of healthy 和 delicious products people can enjoy at home. 

When Salkovski is not growing her business, she likes to dance, 社交, 当然, 喝咖啡.