Life in the Spotlight

Jewel Hernandez is a teacher of applied skills at Portage Township School Corporation, a mother of three, and a pet owner. “I am 33 years old. I have three beautiful children, Andrew 11, Henry 6, Judie 3, and three cats, Lola, Lumi, and Luna. I...

A Northwest Indiana native, a mother, and a leader, Jessica McRobert spends her time giving back to the community through the gift of youth sports. As the first-ever female President of Portage Jr. Miss Softball (PJM), McRobert has excelled at...

“I grew up, born and raised here,” Portage native Alyssa Tampier said. “I went to elementary school here, middle school, and high school. During my college experience, I stayed local.” Tampier has always been a “Portage kid” at heart....

From a young age, Dessa Kelley always knew she wanted to be a teacher. While others would be outside playing, Kelley would have her textbooks in her hand, picturing herself as a teacher. Not only was Kelley drawn to being an educator, but she was...

Despite enduring extreme adversity and poverty early on in her life, Cecilia Ballard’s faith in God has kept her pushing through every new battle that she encounters. Growing up near the north side of Chicago, Ballard and her family lived...

According to Fegely Middle School teacher Carrie Kietzman, teaching middle school math seems like her life calling. However, it took a while for this Hobart native to learn that.   Although “teacher” would always come up on Kietzman’s high...

Charlotte Hernandez is a lifelong Portage resident who continues to give back to the Portage community as a 6th grade reading teacher at Fegely Middle School. Graduating in 2005 from Portage High School, Hernandez originally started a career path as...

Rachel Calderone isn’t originally from the Region, but she loves to call Northwest Indiana home. As an alumnus of Hanover Central High School, Calderone first moved here at the beginning of her high school career and hasn’t looked back since. As...

Portage High School Orchestra Director Annelise Rhoda has her parents to thank for the career that she loves as a music teacher. They encouraged her to follow what she loved, and being a music teacher has been her dream since she was a...

Portage resident Larry Darnell is committed to each aspect of his life. It started when he married his wife 53 years ago and moved to the area. Now, he's working with his wife to crush their weight loss goals through the nonprofit Take Off Pounds...