Alumni Achievement Awards
District 128 Foundation for Learning Alumni Achievement Awards, established in 2014, are presented annually to individuals who graduated from a District 128 high school at least five years prior to nomination, and who have made significant contributions, and demonstrated leadership and character in their field and to their community. Nominations are accepted on an ongoing basis and remain active for three years. The Foundation for Learning Board of Trustees comprise the selection committee.
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2025 Honorees
The District 128 Foundation for Learning is proud to announce the recipients of its 12th Annual Alumni Achievement Awards: Nicole Totoni-Melendez (LHS Class of 1995) and Nia Powell (VHHS Class of 2014). Totoni-Melendez and Powell will be honored at the Foundation’s annual fundraiser, THE BIG EVENT, on Saturday, Nov. 8 at Austin’s in Libertyville. Visit this link for complete details and to purchase tickets.
Nicole Totoni-Melendez has worked within the Lake County criminal justice system for the last 26 years. She has been an adjunct teacher for the last 18 years with the College of Lake County - Judicial Services division, where she teaches a curriculum she designed and implemented as a diversion program for the 19th Judicial Circuit Court of Lake County. Behavioral Choice Module (BCM) is a cognitive behavioral and evidence-based practice curriculum she designed to assist juveniles involved in the criminal justice system, helping them explore their negative behavioral choices, giving them the tools to break the cycle, and preparing them for a brighter future. Not only does Nicole teach this class within the Lake County court system, but also within two high schools. The modified high school addresses student misconduct to make sure students don’t continue their poor choices and end up in the criminal justice system. About 6 years into teaching, she added a track for adults within the court system, for first-time, non-violent offenders. The recidivism rate within her program is in the single digits, speaking volumes about the impact it has within the community. Overlapping this time, from 2005 to 2018, Nicole also supervised the Lake County Probation Volunteer Program. With nearly 150 volunteers of all ages and professional backgrounds, the program volunteers provided critical support and resources to clients involved in the criminal justice system, with a mission to reduce recidivism and improve their quality of life.
When Nicole is not teaching, she is running her family business, where she is the president and co-owner. She and her husband, Jose, are the proud owners of El Famous Burrito restaurant in Waukegan, IL. Their small business has served the Lake County community for nearly 28 years, providing homemade Mexican food in a welcoming environment. They love to sponsor and support charitable events within their community that promote advocacy, education, growth, and volunteerism.
This leads to Nicole’s extensive volunteerism and advocacy journey. She currently serves on the board of directors for the Hispanic American Community Education Services (HACES) organization. For the past nine years, Nicole has served as the fundraising committee chair and as a governance committee member, along with serving two years as the board president. She, along with her fellow board members, works tirelessly to support the efforts of the organization's staff and mission: To provide the expertise and navigational support for immigrants and citizens to become knowledgeable, empowered members of society.
For the last two years, Nicole has also served as a volunteer with the St. Joe’s food pantry in Libertyville, IL, where she helps stock the pantry and assist community members with bagging and carrying their groceries.
From 2005 to 2019, Nicole served with Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center as a rape crisis advocate. Her many roles included taking support line calls from survivors and community members; advocating on behalf of survivors that present themselves in the Lake County hospitals, insuring they are treated properly and provided with the best care; lastly, knowing this work can be gratifying, yet taxing in many ways, Nicole co-founded and developed a mentor program within the advocacy program that provided support to advocates.
Nicole has served in countless advocacy and volunteer roles before the aforementioned, but if you truly want to know where her humanitarian efforts began, you can look back into the LHS archives. Her journey into advocacy, social service, and volunteerism started in her junior year at LHS. She began volunteering within a collaborative program between LHS and Winchester House. The third floor of Winchester House was devoted to housing and treating chemically dependent women with their young children. She and other students from LHS would meet with the young children after school and help them with their homework or play outside, while their mothers were in treatment groups. It was then that Nicole knew she wanted to pursue a career in social services.
Nicole attended the University of Wisconsin - Parkside, where she earned two bachelors degrees in both Criminal Justice and Political Science. She has been a lifelong resident of Lake County, having lived in Libertyville for 28 of those years. Not only did she grow up in Libertyville, but she and her husband raised their three children there, who also attend LHS.
She was nominated for this honor by Tina Lowry.
Nia Powell wanted to be a veterinarian since she was three years old. She graduated from Vernon Hills High School in 2014 and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with minors in Spanish and American Sign Language from the University of Missouri (Mizzou). After graduating from Mizzou, Nia moved to North Carolina, where she received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree from North Carolina State University in May 2024.
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During veterinary school, Dr. Powell was heavily involved in her veterinary school community. She served on the executive board for the equine club. She was a student ambassador for two veterinary companies. She was an active participant in several other clubs, including the business club, the exotics club, and the internal medicine club. Additionally, Dr. Powell was deeply committed to advocacy, mentorship, and representation within the profession. As a member of her college’s Diversity Committee, she worked alongside administrators and peers to promote inclusivity and create a more supportive environment for students of color. She also used her social media platform to uplift and mentor aspiring veterinary professionals. Her leadership, involvement, and impact were recognized nationally when she was named a DVM360 Veterinary Hero: Rising Star and one of The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA)'s “10 Black Vet Med Professionals to Watch in 2023.”
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Dr. Powell’s professional interests include cardiology, emergency medicine, and exotic animal medicine. After graduation, she spent time in South Africa, where she assisted in wildlife conservation efforts, including rhino dehorning and provided care for lions, hyenas, and cheetahs. She then completed a six-month emergency medicine training program in California before returning to Chicago, where she now practices as a primary care veterinarian.
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Outside of veterinary medicine, Dr. Powell enjoys traveling (with a goal of visiting all seven continents), attending concerts, cheering on the Dallas Cowboys, and connecting with others through her Instagram page (@DrNiaDVM), where she continues to share her journey and inspire the next generation of veterinarians.
She was nominated for this honor by VHHS Social Studies Teacher Shawn Woodie.
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