Life in the Spotlight

Rachel Jablonski has worked as the secretary for Aylesworth Elementary School for six years now, but had been working at the school since 2006 as the school nurse. When she was in high school, Jablonski wanted to be a nurse and studied nursing at Ivy...

Stephanie Naumoff has been the Home School Advisor at Wallace Aylesworth Elementary School since January of this year. Naumoff was born in Arkansas and while she went to school in Lombard, Illinois, she hails from Phoenix, Arizona. Before working at...

A long time resident of Portage, Mary Martinez took the lessons she learned from her own mother, and it sparked a passion. She changes lives every day with her work in the hospital.  “Her success was all heart and hard work. I learned so much...

Alicia White has worked at the Portage Township Schools as a behavior specialist for three years now. She grew up in Portage and went to Portage High School. White went on to attend Purdue University, majoring in health and human sciences with a...

Carrie Biggs always knew that she wanted to be a teacher. Born in Seoul, Biggs was adopted and raised in Portage where she played school with her friends, which is how she came to find her life’s calling. Today, Biggs has been a title one teacher...

Deonadrae “Dre” Brumfield has been with the Portage Youth Basketball for three years and is now a board member. Brumfield grew up in Gary where he went to Roosevelt High School and later studied Criminology at Indiana State University on...

Ben Schoettel has served the past couple of years as the executive pastor at Real Life Community Church, but his journey to this spot has not been typical. Originally from Milwaukee, Schoettel worked in building trades. However, he felt a calling...

Chris Nantz has been doing tattoos for nearly 30 years. He first started while he was in college majoring in English and minoring in art. When Nantz got his first tattoo kit, he did a tribal on one of his friend’s forearms, and the rest is history....

Originally from Bardstown, Kentucky, Shelby Huff has spent the last three years in Portage making Texas Roadhouse a welcoming environment. It was that kind of environment that made her decide to work with them long term. “I've been with Texas...

David Shepherd is about to start his 27th year teaching at Neighbors’ Educational Opportunities High School and Adult Education in Portage. A late bloomer, Shepherd decided that he wanted to change directions in life after obtaining an initial...