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Hometown: Springfield, Illinois

Undergraduate Institution and Major: University of Illinois at Springfield, Bachelor of Psychology (Clinical and Counseling)

Graduate Institution and Major: University of South Carolina, Master of Arts, Criminology and Criminal Justice

University of Illinois Springfield senior political science major Miguel Valente, 21 of Chicago, a specialist in the Illinois Army National Guard, continued to advance his college education, while being deployed to Texas as part of the Southwest Border Mission.

Valente worked with UIS professors, who made special accommodations to help him learn remotely, and the UIS Office of Military and Veterans Affairs to continue earning his UIS degree while deployed from Oct. 11, 2020 to Nov. 5, 2021.

The University of Illinois Springfield men’s soccer team has the most wins in school history since moving up to the NCAA Division-II level in 2009.  

They now have a bigger goal in mind — reach the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history. 

A U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report found 201,000 Illinoisans left their jobs in August alone.

But here in Sangamon County, the unemployment rate went from 5.9% in August to 4.9% the next month.

People working in the local job market say things have gotten much better, but we still have a long way to go.

Dr. Kenneth Kriz, a Public Administration professor at University of Illinois Springfield, says the unemployment rate doesn’t necessarily capture the whole picture.

Family Pride Laundry in Springfield has a new spin for its customers: a children's library.

The idea of turning a corner of the laundromat into a place where youngsters can read originated with Amanda Brown, a 20-year-old student at University of Illinois Springfield.

"I was just really attracted to it because I love working with kids. And I thought this would be a perfect way to be able to help the community," said Brown, who is studying elementary education and communications.