Life in the Spotlight

Andrea Harbin has been an insurance agent for 22 years. She did not grow up expecting to be an insurance agent, but she has fallen in love with what she does. “If you would have asked me 23 years ago, I would have said there's no way,” said...

Silvia Lombardo is a student at Indiana University double majoring in international studies and atmospheric sciences. They grew up in Ogden Dunes and went to Munster High School. Now, they are interning with NASA, where they study rising sea levels....

When the offer to start a restaurant came, lifelong Portage resident Amanda Autrey took it. Autrey and her parents opened Bam Pizza Company in February 2014. Autrey had worked in the restaurant business before, and she was attending nursing school...

Nicki Buckingham, a lifelong resident of Gary, has been working at the YMCA of Portage Township for a decade. She saw that they were hiring, and she wanted to make a difference in the community. “I just knew that they were a community center,”...

Adrienne Carrol got into adult education when her grandfather-in-law suggested that she apply to be a teacher at Portage Adult Education. She became a teacher at their satellite locations in Lowell and Cedar Lake, and Carrol continued on with adult...

George Mamounas has been working at his Rosewood Family Restaurant since he was 8 years old. Born in Gary, Mamounas lived in Merrillville until the age of 10 before moving to Portage. In 1998, Mamounas became the owner of his family’s South Haven...

Shane Prance has come full circle. He coaches baseball at his alma mater, Portage High School, and just finished his first year of teaching Physical Education and Health. Prance was born in Chicago and moved to Portage where he played four years on...

Bailey Leonard, a student at Willowcreek Middle School, has liked to listen and sing along with music since she was little. Leonard auditioned for and was selected to sing as an alto as a part of the Middle School Honors Junior Choir. As a part of...

Involved would be an adjective best fitting for Portage High School Senior Melody Martinez. Outside of finishing high school, Martinez has been busy being involved with her school sports and the Portage YMCA, an involvement that was inspired by her...

Teaching preschool is a daunting task for anyone, especially when teaching students with special needs. Robin Nelson is one of the people that participate in that line of work and has been doing it for 38 years. Nelson got involved in special...