Meet your fellow Inverness neighbors, the Giangreco family! David and Angeline Giangreco moved to the suburbs in 2014 from the city of Chicago, settling in the village of Inverness in 2018. Together, they have three children: Noah, Hudson and Harper.

Noah (10) is in fifth grade at Hunting Ridge in the five/six program. He loves all sports, but his favorite is swimming, and he is a swimmer on the Palatine swim team! Noah also particularly enjoys playing soccer and basketball. During his free time, he plays with LEGOs and reads too! Furthermore, Noah is an intense fan of all UNC Tarheel sports, but he can also be found watching swimming, women’s soccer and football. Hudson (8) is in second grade and attends Marion Jordon. He loves water and has been swimming on the Palatine swim team for the last two years, along with his brother, Noah. He also plays basketball and is interested in golf and lacrosse. Hudson’s favorite thing to do is to be in nature during the summertime, as well as play on the trampoline. Harper (6) also attends Marion Jordon and is in the first-grade class. She takes dance classes and loves to play in the pool and bike. In addition to sharing similar interests as her brothers, Harper has been involved with Megleo’s dance studio for the third year in a row and is currently in the acro class, which she greatly enjoys. Further still, Harper is also very artistic and loves creating LEGO structures and crafting.  Finally, Hayes, the furry member of the family, is their sweet and playful 7-month-old West Highland Terrier puppy. All of the Giangreco children absolutely adore Hayes! 

Angeline Giangreco was raised in Wadsworth, IL. She attended Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart for high school and went on to the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill for college, where she received her Bachelor of Science in biology. After college, she attended Loyola University, where she received her Ph.D. in cell biology, neurobiology and anatomy. During her time there, she researched fetal alcohol syndrome and the protective effects of antioxidants on neurons in the developing brain. After obtaining her Ph.D., Angeline went on to pursue a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Illinois Chicago, studying the effects of vitamin D on microRNAs and inflammation in prostate cancer. Further still, she also went on to teach physiology at NEIU before taking time off to be at home with her three children.  

In contrast to Angeline’s upbringing, David grew up in Kansas City, MO, and attended Marquette University for his undergraduate degree. After college, David joined the Peace Corps in Ecuador and lived in South America for two years. Following completion of the Peace Corps, he backpacked through all of Central America, and upon returning to the United States, he received his M.D. from Loyola Stritch School of Medicine, where he and Angeline met! During his time there, David completed an internal medicine residency at Loyola University Medical Center and a fellowship in rheumatology at Rush University. He is now a practicing rheumatologist with Northwestern Medicine.

The Giangreco family enjoys spending as much time outside in each other’s company in their own backyard around the fire pit, having movie nights, biking, gardening and exploring nature together. Noah, Hudson and Harper love to play together as well, making up games on the trampoline, riding bikes together and creating obstacle courses in the backyard. While Angeline spends time doing yoga every morning, Dave enjoys exercising and listening to various genres of music, actively sharing his love for music with the rest of the family.

 

When it comes to good eats, the city is the Giangrecos’ go-to place for great food. Their favorite restaurant is Irazu, and they love to eat tapas, but sadly, some of their favorite restaurants have closed down over the years. The whole family also enjoys dining at Girl and the Goat, Smoque and their favorite little dive, a Carolina fried chicken restaurant called Roost. 

The Giangrecos place great importance on their culture, and they are dedicated to learning about their history and diversity. In their free time, Ang, David and the kids try to learn about and celebrate amazing African American authors, abolitionists, artists, scientists, musicians, etc. They also read as many diverse books as they can, keeping diversity as their main focus in the art and books within and around their home. If they are traveling on vacation, the family attempts to find a place to learn about African American history in that region. Recently, on a trip to Asheville, NC, the Giangrecos visited Nina Simone’s hometown after they had spent some time learning about her. They love to travel to North Carolina, where they can spend time in the mountains, at sporting events in Chapel Hill and even at the beach only a couple hours away! In addition, they also visited the Old Slave Mart and Sullivan’s Island in Charleston, SC, where their children enjoyed learning about a piece of their history, eating their way through the town and exploring the beautiful Southern charm. Currently, they are planning a family trip to Montgomery, AL, and Selma to see the historic locations of the civil rights movement.

Community involvement is also important to the Giangreco family. As previously mentioned, ever since becoming a swim team family, both Ang and Dave are involved in the PPD swim team. While Ang is on the board, Dave volunteers as a stroke/turn official for the team. Inverness has turned out to be the perfect neighborhood for Ang and Dave to raise their wonderful family. Ever since they moved to the village, they have never felt more welcomed, and the Giangrecos plan on remaining a valued part of this beautiful and tight-knit community that we have all learned to call home.