Our latest Roman Rockstar is Joey Letchinger ‘11, Executive Vice President at JDL Development.

Joey spent 10 years working in restaurants and food and beverage at prestigious establishments such as Graham Elliot and L20 in Chicago, and Restaurant DANIEL, Maialino, and Del Posto in New York. During this time, he simultaneously ran a wine brokerage and became a certified sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers.

Joey is a Latin “Lifer,” having grown up at Latin from JK through senior year. He views his time in the Upper School as the most impactful period of his life. It was the first time he had the freedom to explore interests beyond the core curriculum, guided by teachers who encouraged not just curiosity, but real depth of discovery.

It was at Upper School that Joey solidified his passions, curating his own independent studies centered on food, cooking, food science, and even food in literature. Through these explorations, Joey learned how to use independence to pursue passion in a focused and productive way, an approach he has carried into his professional life.

It was this drive that enabled him to make a successful career switch, as he returned to Chicago and joined the family business, JDL Development. Here he has helped develop One Chicago, North Union, and other major projects.

Joey describes his time at Latin as curious, supported, and formative. He credits Jeff Windus as one of his favorite and most influential teachers and fondly remembers the “Reindeer Games” as his favorite tradition.

We look forward to following Joey's continued success!

Congratulations to The Forum editorial staff for being recognized at the JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention in Nashville.

The convention brought together almost 4,000 young journalists from across the country who attended workshops, networked with their peers, met with industry professionals, and sat for a critique of their publication. One of the highlights was the announcement of the winners of the National Media Contests, which offer high school students "a platform to showcase journalism excellence, earn recognition and receive feedback on their work."

Latin's student newspaper, The Forum, took fifth for Best of Show in the Website category amongst a highly competitive landscape. This is the highest award the staff has ever won at the national level. In addition, the following students were recognized for their individual contributions:

• Editorial Writing: Ben L. - Excellent
• Sports Writing: Anderson M. - Honorable Mention
• Editorial Cartooning: Lyla G. - Honorable Mention
• Commentary Writing: Eli S. - Honorable Mention
• News Editing/Headline Writing/Current Events: Rohin S. - Honorable Mention

Thank you to the Journalism Education Association and the National Scholastic Press Association for providing this wonderful opportunity. We are so proud of the Forum staff and congratulate them on these well-deserved accolades!

Read and follow The Forum
Learn about the National High School Journalism Convention

Connor Kaniewski '17 is an associate at Wellington Management on the Private Placement team. After attending Latin School, he received his undergraduate degree in Economics from Wake Forest University. 

Thanks to the impact of teachers like Mr. McArthur, Mr. Kendrick, and Ms. Ross, Connor had a multifaceted experience at Latin that went beyond academics. He says that Latin laid the groundwork for intellectual development, social maturity, personal growth, and practical life skills. All of this was beneficial for his time at both Wake Forest University and the early stages of his professional career. 

When asked to describe Latin in three words, Connor replied, "growth, friendship, and academic challenges." His favorite memory is a tie between winning the state championship with the boys' soccer team and creating an MLB season prediction statistical model for his senior project. 

While at Latin, Connor participated in Roman-2-Roman, varsity soccer, varsity tennis, Roman Ambassadors, yearbook, VIDI, and Model UN. He also received the Kelly McKinnell Award for Excellence in Photography, an accolade presented to a graduating senior who shows a deep passion and talent for photography in honor of the late Kelly McKinnell '95.

As an alumnus, Connor remains highly engaged with the Latin community. He connected with senior alumni through personalized phone calls during the pandemic and has served as the chair of the Alumni Board Giving Committee since 2021.