TOP 10 (#7) Dr. Charlene Dukes: How education leads to the White House
October 3, 2011
Wendy Thompson
Editor-in-Chief
Limelight, Top 10 Most Interesting People 2011
On September 21, 2011, when President Barack Obama assembled representatives from 15 of the best community colleges in the United States, Dr. Charlene Dukes, president of Prince George’s Community College (PGCC) was included on the list of invites. Her college, located in Largo, Maryland, was the only institution in the state to receive the high honor. Walking into the White House to meet with the president was a [...]
Top 10 (#1) Jeni Stepanek: Teaching courage, sharing Mattie’s hope
October 2, 2011
Wendy Thompson
Editor-in-Chief
DC Spotlight TV, Living the Life, Top 10 Most Interesting People 2011
When Jeni Stepanek looks back over her life, it’s often difficult to reflect on the past. On June 22, 2004, her fourth child, Mattie, lost his lifelong battle with a rare neuromuscular disease. As a result of the disease, Mattie relied on a ventilator to breathe and a wheelchair to get around. He would have been 21 years old on July 17 of [...]
Top 10 (#9) Kevin B. Chavous: “Get involved, get out there and try to change it”
October 1, 2011
Wendy Thompson
Editor-in-Chief
DC Spotlight TV, Metro Link, Top 10 Most Interesting People
When Kevin B. Chavous remembers his childhood, he notes that it was peppered with the typical activities and milestones experienced by most children. Yet Chavous says his early years growing up in the Hillcrest section ofWashington, D.C. had significant moments that will forever impact the way he lives his life today. One such memory involves his father, Kevin P. Chavous, who is currently a children’s [...]
Top 10 (#8) Congressman Chris Smith: How human rights became his value system
October 1, 2011
Wendy Thompson
Editor-in-Chief
The Nation, Top 10 Most Interesting People
Over thirty years ago, a young Chris Smith could never have fathomed the long journey down the road that would lead to the House of Representative in Congress. As a boy growing up in New Jersey, he had an affinity for boats and his greatest aspirations were to be a Navy man or work for the Coast Guard. Yet fate had visions unimaginable to the Jersey youngster.
Today, Congressman [...]
The Top 10 Most Interesting People in the Washington, D.C. Metro Area in 2011
October 1, 2011
Wendy Thompson
Editor-in-Chief
Top 10 Most Interesting People 2011
The Top 10 List of the Most Interesting People in the DC Metro Area is out. The DC Spotlight hopes our readers enjoy these fascinating stories. Congratulations to our winners!
1. Jeni Stepanek 6. Helga Luest
2. Evan Moss 7. Dr. Charlene Dukes
3. Michael Mattocks 8. Congressman Chris Smith
4. John Prendergast 9. Kevin B. Chavous
5. Anne Kaiser 10. Randy Edsall
Top 10 (#10) Randy Edsall: New coach, new uniforms, new era at University of Maryland
Photos: DC Spotlight Newspaper
October 1, 2011
By Jordan Schatz
Reporter/News Writer
Sports Leader Board, Top 10 Most Interesting People 2011
Maryland football has a new sheriff in town. In January, the University of Maryland and its football team (9-4 last season) hired Randy Edsall, the former head coach of the University of Connecticut and the mastermind behind a resurgent Huskies team that won the Big East in 2010. Edsall grew up roughly 70 miles from College Park, Maryland and welcomes the opportunity to coach [...]
Top 10 (#3) Michael Mattocks: Discovering a brother and the good life after homelessness
October 1, 2011
Ines Rivera
Investigative Reporter
Living the Life, Top 10 Most Interesting People 2011
Michael Mattocks relaxes in his living room chair as his wife, Nikki (a.k.a.Tinika) and five boys walk out the door one by one and head to the market. Enthusiastically, he takes a moment to brag about his sons’ football status and reports: “My seven-year-old son’s team beat [them] 20 to nothing. Gaithersburg Wolfpack! Our nine-year-old had a game yesterday. They won 19 to nothing. We [...]
Top 10 (#4) John Prendergast: How a homeless boy taught him to live
September 30, 2011
Wendy Thompson
Editor-in-Chief
Limelight, Top 10 Most Interesting People 2011
As John Prendergast cautiously approaches a podium to speak at his many engagements, his uncertainty does not reflect his lack of confidence. Instead, Prendergast must time his approach to the podium to coincide with the end of the speaker’s roster. The roster is a list of his many accomplishments. The extensive list begins with his Enough Project, which he co-founded to end genocide and crimes against humanity.
Name-dropping is [...]
TOP 10 (#6) Helga Luest: Coming out of darkness, fighting for victims of violence
September 30, 2011
Ines Rivera
Investigative Reporter
Limelight, Top 10 Most Interesting People 2011
Upon entering Helga Luest’s home, a collage hangs on a wall as though it were a greeting. There’s a childlike element in the cut-out eyes and exaggerated nose, contrasting colors and even the story written on its back. Luest points out that it’s created by a survivor of violence and trauma. The collage is both a symbol of the healing process and a representation of the human [...]
Top 10 (#2) Evan Moss: Leaping past epilepsy to best-selling author
Photos: DC Spotlight Newspaper
October 1, 2011
By Jordan Schatz
Reporter/News Writer
Limelight, Top 10 Most Interesting People 2011
Evan Moss isn’t your ordinary seven-year-old. Lately, Evan, who lives with his family in a quiet Alexandria, Virginia neighborhood, has been the talk of the D.C. metro area and the feature of major news articles and magazine profiles since the July publication of his book, “My Seizure Dog.” The book became a national best-seller on Amazon.com.
Written and illustrated by Evan, the book tells the story [...]
Top 10 (#5) Md. Delegate Anne Kaiser: Shattering barriers for gays, fighting for youths
Photos: DC Spotlight Newspaper
October 1, 2011
By Jordan Schatz
Reporter/News Writer
Limelight, Top 10 Most Interesting People 2011
As an elementary school student in Montgomery County, Anne Kaiser vividly remembers the day her principal had the student body watch the movie “Free to Be You and Me”. As the Maryland Delegate representing Montgomery County’s 14th district, Kaiser — an openly gay rights activist — creditsthat monumental film as the stimulus to her eventual journey to the Maryland State House. Today, she chairs the [...]