Graduate Public Service Interns (GPSI) Graduation Breakfast and Final Send Off from OIW
UIS Student Union Ballroom
April 22, 2025This past year the Office of Illinois Works team was lucky enough to have three interns, Rajshree Hivare, Vinay Ramachandramurthy and Favour Udeh from UIS. These interns all participated in the GPSI (Graduate Public Service Intern) program. They joined the OIW team at the beginning of the school year, September 2025 and completed their year with us on May 7, 2025, as they all prepare to graduate.
Rajshree Hivare came to us with her Bachelor of Engineering, Computer Engineering and Master of Engineering, Computer Science degrees from Mumbai, India. She will be graduating with her MS in Management Information Systems. During the year, Raj focused on assisting the Pre-Apprenticeship program Grant Managers with data collection, analysis, and compliance.
Vinay Ramachandramurthy came to us with his Bachelor of Engineering from Bengaluru, India. He will be graduating with his MS in Management Information Systems. During the year, Vinay helped multiple departments within OIW utilizing his computer and networking skills to assist with platform updates. He also worked with the Career Services team to help them launch a new platform to track all ILWPP graduates.
Favour Udeh came to us with his BS in Computer Science from the University of Benin in Nigeria. He will be graduating with this MS in Management Information Systems. During the year, Favour worked directly with the OIW Deputy Director, Norman Ruano, and multiple special projects.
All of them contributed tremendously to our OIW programs during this past year and they will all be missed. They were honored at the UIS GPSI Graduation Breakfast which was held at the UIS Student Union Ballroom on April 22, 2025. During the breakfast interns from multiple state agencies were recognized along with their supervisors. Our own, Norman Ruano was nominated as an outstanding supervisor.
To the right are our interns being honored at the graduates’ breakfast, Vinay Ramachandramurthy, Rebecca Bailey – Senior Bid Credit Program Manager, and Favour Udeh at the UIS Graduation Breakfast.
Below are our interns on their last day with us as they embark on their new adventures. From left to right, Favour Udeh, Vinay Ramachandramurthy, Kathryn Macdonna, Rebecca Bailey, Blake Young, Raj Hivare, Monica Pruitt, Rosalia Boccardi and Heather Harrison.
UCA (Underground Contractors Association) 2025 Spring Showcase
Venuti’s Italian Restaurant & Banquet Hall - Addison, IL
Tuesday, April 15, 2025
The Bid Credit Team was invited to attend the UCA 2025 Spring Showcase. This event was hosted by the Underground Contractors’ Association (UCA) at Venuti’s Italian Restaurant & Banquet Hall in Addison, IL. The venue alone was quite exquisite! The Bid Credit Program received an invitation as “Honored Guest.” A formal banquet-style dinner, awards ceremony, and grand prize raffle were the featured events at this year’s event.
The showcase was also preceded by an educational seminar that ran from 4-5pm, with presentations by the Cook County Department of Transportation & Highways and the Grand Prairie Water Commission. There was a total of 43 exhibitor booths at the showcase, which was held from 5-6:30pm, followed by a dinner from 6:30-8pm. Over 200 attendees were represented by 90 different companies and affiliate organizations.