Elizabeth Poli was a genetics major in her junior year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison when she decided to branch out and volunteer at a local children’s hospital. As she helped out with sick children and their worried families, it all clicked for the Park Ridge native, and upon graduation, she applied for and was accepted at the University of Chicago’s prestigious Pritzker School of Medicine. “I initially thought I would pursue a Ph.D. and do research in a lab,” Poli explains, but a more hands-on career path beckoned. That path became even clearer during her third year of medical …

Scott Aiello’s theatrical journey has tested his determination in many ways. After spending years on the Chicago theater scene making great first, second and third impressions on producers and peers alike, he decided to pack his bags and move to the East Coast. He didn’t follow the path of the starving artist, though. Aiello was accepted at Juilliard, the most prestigious theatre school in the country. And less than a year after he graduated, the industry is already taking notice. Aiello began his journey after graduating magna cum laude from Loyola University in Chicago with a degree in philosophy. He …

Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen and Innocent World are just some of Emma Bottari’s inspirations in the fashion world. But the budding designer wanted to do more than just create beautiful clothing. And so, immediately after graduating with a BFA in fashion from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, she launched her own internet-based enterprise, www.industrialkitty.com. Dedicated to showcasing “Fancifully quaint fashions for those looking to drift through a metamorphosis of dreamy elegance,” her website features designs that spring directly from the mind, hand and heart of Bottari. With whimsical names like Little Bear, Piano Keys, Cream Bow and …

Twenty-eight-year-old Chicago native Dan Fleming definitely chose the path less traveled when he signed up in July 2011 for a 27-month stint in the Fiji Islands as a part of the Peace Corps. The son of Mark Fleming and Jo-Marie Frigo, he was a recent graduate of the University of New Mexico at the time with a degree in construction engineering. Instead of diving right into the job market, Fleming chose to immerse himself in a completely different culture while reaching out to help his fellow human beings. “In the two years we’ve been out here, we’ve experienced a small …

For the last five years, Fabrizia Felella has walked past the Fred Astaire Dance Studio on Michigan Avenue each day on her way to and from work. Her curiosity piqued, she finally mustered the courage to walk through the doors, and she hasn’t looked back since. A dedicated ballroom dancer in her spare time, Fabrizia has competed on the regional and national level, bringing home a host of trophies along the way. None of this would have been possible without the world-class instruction she has received from Fred Astaire Dance Studio (www.fredastaire.com). A relative newcomer to ballroom dancing, she has …

Giancarlo Iannotta and Julie D’Agostino’s friendship was destined to happen. As a matter of fact, both of their fathers immigrated to Chicago in the 1950s by way of Castel San Vincenzo, which is in the Molise region of Italy. By the early 1990s, the families settled on South Street in Elmhurst, Ill., and both have been members of the Saint Stephen and Saint Vincent Society. Giancarlo, a filmmaker and 2011 graduate of Columbia College, has known Julie since birth, and both have been inseparable for just as long. But what makes their bond unique is that Julie was born with …

Iliana Incandela is a well-known voice throughout the Chicago-area Italian-American community. Her powerful presence on stage keeps an audience in awe of her vocal delivery and beauty. Incandela was named the Columbus Day Queen in 2010, and is incredibly grateful for the support she has received from the community. She’s also a recipient of a 2010 David Award from the IANU Foundation, which further raised her profile. On August 30, Incandela took her game to a whole new level, treating the audience in a taping at the Vic Theatre to a powerhouse version of Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain,” …

In the weeks and days leading up to the general election, America will be roiled by a host of debates, from the domestic economy and foreign policy to immigration, the environment and beyond. Playwright and law student Tony Fiorentino has seized that moment, using the stage as a sounding board to share his thoughts on such issues while continuing to cultivate his political and legal interests. Fiorentino’s eighth play, “The Feast,” will open on Oct. 16 at Prop Thtr., and the timing of the production couldn’t be better. “The play is about the healthcare system in the United States,” Fiorentino …

Joey Cacciatore is no stranger to real estate development. In fact, he eats, sleeps and breathes it. Having shadowed his father in the industry as a teenager, he now proudly advances the legacy of Jos. Cacciatore & Co. as the creator of Lacuna Artist Lofts in Pilsen. “In the dictionary, ‘lacuna’ means ’empty.’ This was my vision,” states Cacciatore, whose father purchased the former macaroni factory in the mid-1980s. In the two years prior to its opening as Lacuna in 2011, Cacciatore Jr. transformed the space into a thriving creative community that allows artists in every medium to rent space …

Colorful, multi-faceted and driven are three qualities that describe Maryann Pisano. A 2010 graduate of Dominican University in River Forest, Pisano is a pioneering young woman who lives life on the cutting edge of the internet. A recipient of a bachelor’s degree from Dominican with a major in journalism and minor in English, she is currently balancing the demands of an internet magazine that she founded with her reporting duties at TribLocal and Pioneer Press. Pisano began her ambitious writing career at a very young age. “When I was 3 years old, my mom would always read books to me. …