People Making News

Twin brothers Justin and Daniel Cohen, Class of 2018, graduated summa cum laude on May 20 from Notre Dame University with degrees from the Mendoza School of Business. They graduated from La Cañada High School in 2014 and will be employed by Ernst and Young of Boston and San Jose respectively.
Their younger brother, Sam Grace, Class of 2018, graduated summa cum laude from Marquette High School in Chesterfield, Missouri and will enter Middlebury College in Vermont in the fall of 2018. Sam is a right-handed baseball pitcher. Their mother, Jill Grace, graduated from Crescenta Valley High School and the family moved from La Cañada to Missouri in 2014
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Oregon State University will hold its 149th commencement on Saturday, June 16. Among the graduating students are: From Glendale ¬– Sylvia C. Chiang, doctor of veterinary medicine, veterinary medicine – DVM; Sami I. Daher, Bachelor of Science, cum laude, psychology; Armandh-Noel M. Flores, Bachelor of Science, business information systems; Ted P. Sanjeevi, Bachelor of Science, computer science. From La Cañada: Douglas R. Drugan, Bachelor of Science, computer science. From La Cañada Flintridge: Jessica A. Davidson, Bachelor of Science, human development and family sciences. From Montrose: Candice A. Koeth, Bachelor of Science, cum laude, economics.
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Liesje Howard of Glendale graduated from Northern Illinois University with a master’s degree, public administration: Public Service Law & Management.
Through its main campus in DeKalb, Illinois, and education centers for students and working professionals in Chicago, Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Oregon and Rockford, NIU offers more than 100 courses of study while serving a diverse and international student body of about 19,000. The 17 NIU Huskie athletic teams compete in the Mid-American Conference at the highest NCAA Division I level.
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The following students graduated from the University of San Diego on May 27:
Tiara Avaness of La Crescenta earned bachelors’ degrees in philosophy and business administration. She graduated summa cum laude; Dana Delaney of La Cañada earned a bachelor’s degree in visual arts and graduated cum laude; Daniel Paton of La Cañada Flintridge earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration; Kenneth Garrett Evensen of Flintridge earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental & ocean sciences; Hannah Gerald of Glendale (91208) earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and marketing; Austin Hammer of Glendale (91208) earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and economics and graduated cum laude; Dylan Sunga of Tujunga earned a bachelor’s degree in accountancy.
The University of San Diego boasts more than 8,000 students from 77 countries and 44 states and is the youngest, independent institution on the U.S. News & World Report list of top 100 universities in the United States.
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Army and Navy Academy’s 107th commencement ceremony was held on Saturday, June 2. Do Won Kim of La Crescenta and Ryan McWhorter of La Cañada graduated with the Class of 2018. Kim will be attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Daytona Beach in the fall.
Founded in 1910, the Army and Navy Academy is a private not-for-profit institution that provides an academically robust, character-based education for young men, grades seven through 12.
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Daniel Ryan Stratz of La Cañada earned a Bachelor of Arts, communication from Baylor University.
Baylor University is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas. A record number of nearly 3,000 graduates received degrees during three spring commencement exercises May 11-12 in the Ferrell Center on the Baylor campus.
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During commencement ceremonies on May 21, Lehigh University conferred 1,103 bachelor’s degrees, 402 master’s degrees and 59 doctoral degrees. Of the more than 1,500 graduates, degree recipients came from 42 states and 53 countries, majoring in 91 different disciplines.
Biannca Smissen of La Crescenta earned a Bachelor of Science in business and economics degree with a major in finance and management with honors and Caroline Raney of La Cañada Flintridge earned a Bachelor of Science in business and economics degree with a major in finance and marketing with honors
For more than 150 years, Lehigh University (lehigh.edu) in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, has combined academic and learning opportunities with leadership in fostering innovative research.
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Tufts University recently announced the dean’s list for the spring 2018 semester. Among students earning dean’s list honors from La Cañada Flintridge were Anise Applebaum, Charlotte Leis, Ryan Newquist, Katharine Pinney and Kevin Sung.
Dean’s list honors at Tufts University require a semester grade point average of 3.4 or greater.
Tufts University is located on campuses in Boston, Medford/Somerville and Grafton, Massachusetts, and in Talloires, France.
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Liam Cascelli and Elijah Eigenbrodt of Glendale earned placement on the Gonzaga University dean’s list for spring semester 2018. Students must earn a 3.5 to 3.84 grade-point average to be listed.
Gonzaga University is a humanistic, private Catholic University providing a Jesuit education to more than 7,500 students. Situated along the Spokane River near downtown Spokane, Wash., Gonzaga is routinely recognized among the West’s best comprehensive regional universities.
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Gavin Traber of La Crescenta is one of more than 800 graduates who received a diploma at Harding University’s commencement exercises May 5.
Traber received a Bachelor of Science in molecular and cellular biology.
Harding University is a private Christian university located in Searcy, Arkansas. Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, it is the largest private university in the state. Harding’s student body is made up of students representing 50 states and 54 nations and territories.
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Madison Artis and Lois Lee of La Crescenta graduated from Whitworth University. Artis graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Music – instrumental performance, magna cum laude, and named to the provost’s honor roll. Lee was awarded a Bachelor of Arts, Elementary Education, magna cum laude.
Located in Spokane, Washington, Whitworth is a private, liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian church. The university, which has an enrollment of nearly 3,000 students, offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
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Jeffrey Miller of La Cañada Flintridge earned a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and Bachelor of Science in physics from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.
Miller was among approximately 3,700 undergraduate and graduate students who received degrees during Georgia Tech’s 255th commencement exercises on May 4-5 at the McCamish Pavilion.
More than 25,000 undergraduate and graduate students are enrolled, and Georgia Tech is ranked in the nation’s top 10 public universities by U.S. News and World Report.
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Naomi Peterson of La Crescenta and Meredith Roberts of La Cañada Flintridge have been named to the University of Delaware dean’s list for the spring 2018 semester.
To meet eligibility requirements for the dean’s list, a student must be enrolled full-time and earn a GPA of 3.33 or above (on a 4.0 scale) for the semester.
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Amy Giboney of La Crescenta was named to the fall 2017 dean’s list at Samford University. Giboney is a sophomore sports medicine (HP) major.
Samford releases dean’s lists after the close of the fall and spring semesters each academic year. To qualify for the dean’s list, a student must have earned a minimum 3.5 grade point average out of a possible 4.0 while attempting at least 12 credit hours of coursework. Dean’s list is the highest academic recognition given by the school at the end of each semester.
Samford University is a nationally ranked Christian university. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th oldest institution of higher education in the United States. U.S. News & World Report ranks Samford third among regional universities in the South, and Samford is recognized as the top-ranked university in the state of Alabama in national rankings published by Forbes Inc, The Economist and The Wall Street Journal.
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Alec Richardson of La Cañada Flintridge graduated on Saturday, May 12 during Emmanuel College’s 96th commencement exercises on its campus in Boston. Richardson received a Bachelor of Arts in psychology with a concentration in developmental psychology during the ceremony.
Emmanuel College is a co-educational, residential institution with a 17-acre campus in the heart of Boston’s educational, scientific, cultural and medical communities with an enrollment of more than 2,200 undergraduate and graduate students.
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The following local students made the academic dean’s list at Azusa Pacific University: From Sunland, Courtney Bitz, Lindsey Eldredge and Natalie Garcia. From Tujunga, Kelly Fish, Megan Fish and Abigail Rickett. From La Crescenta, Gary Bondy, Matthew Manalo, Madison Newbro, Kristen Pinchbeck, Sarah Rubin and Hannah Sy. From La Cañada Flintridge, Yujin Chu, Timothy Gee, Jadon Henry and Shannon Settles. Marie Gonzalez of Montrose.
These students are honored for a spring 2018 grade point average of 3.5 or better. They are joined by 1,760 students receiving the same honor.
Azusa Pacific University is an evangelical Christian university committed to God First and excellence in higher education. With 80 bachelor’s degrees, 51 master’s degrees, 25 certificates, 12 credentials, eight doctoral programs, and two associate’s degrees, the university offers its more than 10,300 students a quality education on campus, online, and at six regional centers throughout Southern California.
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Lawrence Ku of La Cañada Flintridge has been placed on the deans’ commendation list at Gettysburg College for outstanding academic achievement in the spring 2018 semester. Students with a quality point average in the range of 3.300 to 3.599 for a semester’s work earn a place on the deans’ commendation list. Aidan Phillips, also of La Cañada Flintridge, has earned a place on the Gettysburg College dean’s honor list for outstanding academic achievement in the spring 2018 semester. Students with a quality point average of 3.60 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) for a semester’s work are placed on the College’s dean’s honor list.
Founded in 1832, Gettysburg College is a highly selective four-year residential college of liberal arts and sciences with a strong academic tradition. The college enrolls 2,600 undergraduate students and is located on a 200-acre campus adjacent to the Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania.
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Ithaca College named Erica Son of La Crescenta and Conner Wells of La Cañada Flintridge to the dean’s list for the spring 2018 semester.
Founded in 1892, Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York is a residential college dedicated to building knowledge and confidence through a continuous cycle of theory, practice and performance. Home to some 6,500 students, the college offers more than 100 degree programs.
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Danika C. Christensen of La Cañada was named to the dean’s list at Clemson University in South Carolina for the spring 2018 semester.
Christensen is majoring in biological sciences.
To be named to the Dean’s List, a student achieved a grade-point average between 3.50 and 3.99 on a 4.0 scale.
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Lauren Michelle Shilling of La Cañada was named to The University of Alabama president’s list for spring 2018.
A total of 11,347 students enrolled during the 2018 spring semester at UA were named to the dean’s list with an academic record of 3.5 or above or the president’s list with an academic record of 4.0 (all As). The UA dean’s and president’s lists recognize full-time undergraduate students. The lists do not apply to graduate students or undergraduate students who take less than a full course load.
The University of Alabama is the state’s oldest and largest public institution of higher education.
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St. Olaf President David R. Anderson, ‘74, presided over the college’s 129th commencement ceremony held May 27.
Yishu Dai of Glendale graduated with a degree in philosophy. Dai is a graduate of Glendale High School.

One of the nation’s leading liberal arts colleges, St. Olaf challenges students to excel in the liberal arts, examine faith and values, and explore meaningful vocation in an inclusive, globally engaged community nourished by tradition.
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Viviana Sandoval-Walsh of Montrose was named to the dean’s list for the spring 2018 semester at Quinnipiac University.
To qualify for the dean’s list, students must earn a grade point average of at least 3.5 with no grade lower than a C. Full-time students must complete at least 14 credits in a semester, with at least 12 credits that have been graded on a letter grade basis to be eligible. Part-time students must complete at least six credits during a semester.
Quinnipiac, located in Hamden, Connecticut, is a private, coeducational, nonsectarian institution located 90 minutes north of New York City and two hours from Boston.
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The following students earned a place on the scholastic honor roll spring term 2018 at Oregon State University.
A total of 4,261 students earned a B-plus (3.5) or better to make the listing. To be on the honor roll, students must carry at least 12 graded hours of course work.
Students on the honor roll included Sami I. Daher of Glendale, a senior studying psychology, Lucy Newcombe of La Cañada, a junior studying human development and family science and Tessa Coffey of La Cañada Flintridge, a sophomore studying nutrition.
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Jack Temple of La Cañada Flintridge was named to the dean’s list at Miami University for the 2018 spring semester.
Miami University students who are ranked in the top 20% of undergraduate students within their division for second semester 2017-18 have been named to the dean’s list recognizing academic performance.
Temple is majoring in university studies.
Considered one of eight original “Public Ivies” in the country, Miami University is located in Oxford, Ohio.
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Martin Green of La Cañada graduated with a BA in computer science from Carleton College at its 144th commencement exercises held on June 9.
Green is the child of Reginald and Margaret Green of La Cañada.
Founded in 1866, Carleton College is a national top 10, private liberal arts college in the historic river town of Northfield, Minnesota, 45 miles south of Minneapolis/Saint Paul. Carleton offers 37 majors and 15 concentrations in the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences.
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Caroline Raney and Corey Loevinger of La Cañada Flintridge and Biannca Smissen of La Crescenta who attend Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania earned placement on the dean’s list in spring 2018. This status is granted to students who earned a scholastic average of 3.6 or better while carrying at least 12 hours of regularly graded courses.
For more than 150 years, Lehigh University (lehigh.edu) has combined outstanding academic and learning opportunities with leadership in fostering innovative research.
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Wheaton College congratulated May 2018 graduate Christine Hyewon Kim of Montrose. Kim graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology.
Wheaton College graduates join a worldwide network of 45,000 alumni.
Wheaton College (Wheaton, Illinois) is a coeducational Christian liberal arts college noted for its rigorous academics, integration of faith and learning, and consistent ranking among the top liberal arts colleges in the country. For more information, visit wheaton.edu.
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Russell Marki of La Canada Flintridge was named to the University of New Hampshire’s dean’s list for the spring 2018 semester. Marki is majoring in mechanical engineering.
Students named to the dean’s list at the University of New Hampshire are students who have earned recognition through their superior scholastic performance during a semester enrolled in a full-time course load (12 or more graded credits). Highest honors are awarded to students who earn a semester grade point average of 3.85 or better out of a possible 4.0. Students with a 3.65 to 3.84 average are awarded high honors and students whose grade point average is 3.5 through 3.64 are awarded honors.