Top Row (L-R): Dario Castañeda and Cindi-Marie Willoughby Bottom Row (L-R): Helen Hurry and Maciej PadowskiAttend the Distinguished Alumni Awards event to celebrate this year's honoreesDes Plaines, Ill (Aug. 30, 2024) - Oakton College invites the community to celebrate its four newest Distinguished Alumni on Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. at the Des Plaines campus,1600 E. Golf Road. The award presentation and reception will recognize the honorees for their exceptional contributions to creating just and thriving communities, which align with Oakton’s Vision 2030 strategic plan.
Dario Castañeda A member of the class of 2008, Dario Castañeda studied political science and philosophy at Oakton. After earning a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, Government, and Philosophy from Loyola University Chicago in 2011, he obtained his Juris Doctor from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 2015. As a highly regarded immigration attorney, Castañeda founded N400 Harbor Immigration Law and has gained significant experience in both private and government sectors, specializing in family-based and employment immigration law. He is an active consultant for the Mexican Consulate in Chicago and Miami and a dedicated member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), where he serves on various committees and frequently speaks on immigration issues. Castañeda has been featured in the Chicago Tribune and on local radio stations.
Helen Hurry An alumna of Oakton’s class of 2007, Helen Hurry graduated with a pre-major in Social Work after immigrating from Belize. Her involvement in Oakton’s TRIO Student Support Services program made her a role model for her peers. Helen completed an internship at Family Focus in Evanston, later becoming a full-time family advocate. In this role, she has worked tirelessly to help families reunite with their children, earning widespread appreciation for her compassionate approach. Hurry plans to retire from Family Focus in June 2024 but will continue her advocacy work remotely with a similar program in Denver while also dedicating time to community service in Florida.
Maciej Padowski Maciej Podowski, class of 2010, began his academic journey at Oakton before transferring to Columbia College to complete his bachelor's degree. He later earned a Doctor of Osteopathy degree from Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences and completed his residency in Emergency Medicine at Midwestern University. As the emergency department's medical director at Ascension Saint Joseph in Elgin, Padowski has made significant contributions to the medical field, including research on hypothermia therapy and lung cancer screening. His commitment to compassionate care and community service is evident in his founding of a free “pop-up” medical clinic in Elgin and his volunteer efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cindi-Marie Willoughby Cindi-Marie Willoughby, a recipient of the Ray Hartstein-Brunswick Educational Excellence Scholarship, graduated from Oakton in 2003 before pursuing her degree in Applied Clinical Psychology at the University of Illinois Chicago and earning her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology in 2010. Willoughby has extensive experience in treating mood disorders, anxiety, trauma-spectrum disorders, and more. Since 2012, she has been an adjunct professor at the University of Arizona Global Campus. In 2015, she founded the Willoughby Center for Behavioral Health, LLC in Park Ridge, where she provides training for clinicians and offers sliding scale and pro bono services to ensure accessible quality care. Her commitment to diversity and inclusion has made a lasting impact in the field of clinical psychology.
