• Berry student Victoria Sokolove was named one of two rising sophomore 2011 Synovus Scholars. Sokolove is a resident of Ball Ground. With the award, the biology major will be able to pursue research, internships, service or work projects. Students work under the guidance of professors to create and present a research project of their choosing. Sokolove plans to use the award to further
her research on the bovine leukemia virus with Assistant Professor Dominic Qualley of the chemistry department.
• Several local students graduated from the University of Georgia, in Athens. From Woodstock: Joshua David Angelucci, bachelor of science; India Lachelle Christie, bachelor of arts in journalism; Elizabeth Lauren Brock Evans, master of business administration; Chelsea Dorian Howell, bachelor of science in agriculture; Carolyn Lee Skeean Griffin, specialist in education; From Ball Ground: Barbara J. Chickner, master of education; Dana Joyce Wilson, bachelor
of science in family and consumer sciences; From Canton: Jackson Taylor Harris, bachelor of arts; Carley Breana Harrison, bachelor of science; Melissa Susan Pritchard, master of business administration; Juana Vieta, master of science; From Waleska: Joshua Brannon
Hitt, master of agricultural leadership.
• The following area residents graduated from Mercer University. From Acworth: Stephanie P. Flores earned a master of arts in teaching in early childhood education from the Tift College of Education; from Canton: Kimberly L. Otwell earned a master of education in early childhood education from the Tift College of Education; Quinton A. Granville earned a master of arts in teaching in middle grades education from the Tift College of Education; Wanda L. McDowell earned a bachelor of applied science in organization leadership from the College of Continuing and Professional Studies; and from Woodstock: Kerrie A. Rebman earned a master of arts in teaching in early childhood education from the Tift College of Education; Angela W. Weldon earned a master of arts in teaching in early childhood education from the Tift College of Education.
• University of Evansville student Patricia Anderson, of Woodstock, went door-to-door at Halloween to collect canned goods for the Tri-State Food Bank. Anderson, a member of Phi Mu sorority, who is majoring in psychology, was one of 72 UE students who participated in the third annual Trick Or Eat, sponsored by UE Greek Life. Spreading out across neighborhoods near UE’s campus, the group collected approximately 700 cans in two hours.
• Kelsey Schlabra, an employee of the Bojangles’ owned by franchise group Trickum Ops, Inc., in Woodstock, has been named a recipient of a $1,000 academic scholarship honoring Bojangles’ co-founder Jack Fulk, who passed away last year. Ten scholarships were presented this year. The scholarships are available to all Bojangles’ teammates and their immediate family members. Bojangles’ selected 24 finalists from the applications submitted, and the top 10 were selected at random from the pool of finalists. Each of the $1,000 scholarships awarded this month will be used toward tuition for the academic semester that began this month.
• Several local students were recently inducted into Reinhardt University’s chapter of Beta Beta Beta, a national college honor society. New members include: Jessica DeLay, a sophomore biology major from Woodstock, Betsy Lawson, a junior biology major from Woodstock, and Jacob Roberson, a senior biology major from Canton.
• Kristy L. Williamson, a resident of Canton, has earned an associate in science in nursing from Excelsior College in Albany, N.Y.
• Christian Farrar, a Sequoyah High School student, was awarded first place at the statewide judging of the Fire Safety Essay Contest entitled “Protecting Your Family from Fire,” which was sponsored by Georgia Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner Ralph Hudgens’ office. Christian’s work was displayed at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center Awards Luncheon in Forsyth, at which he was awarded a $100 savings bond and various prizes.
• Spencer Jameson, a junior information technology major from Woodstock, was named to the spring 2011 dean’s list at Trevecca Nazarene University, in Nashville. This honor is given to students who have achieved a minimum 3.5 grade point average for the semester, and it recognizes the hard work and dedication of those students.
• Young Harris College student Rolando Fernandez-Carrion, trumpet, of Canton, along with Thomas Ballew, clarinet, of Ball Ground, performed recently in “Music of the Masters: Past and Present” on the Young Harris College campus. Fernandez-Carrion is a graduate of Cherokee High School and Ballew is a graduate of Creekview High School.
• Reinhardt University senior Amy Jones, a business major from Howard, recently was awarded one of only 11 fellowships by the Sigma Beta Delta Fellowship Program for 2011. The Dr. James Bearden 2011 Sigma Beta Delta Fellowship for $1,500 was presented to her in early October.
• Local student members of Brenau University Golden Tigers intercollegiate athletics teams helped Brenau, in Gainesville, place six teams in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics rankings for top Scholar Team awards. The local participants were: Rachel Zarach of Acworth, a freshman midfielder on the Golden Tigers soccer team; and Melissa Thornton, of Woodstock, a sophomore outside hitter on the Golden Tigers volleyball team. To be eligible for the prestigious national honor for student athletes, all the members of the must post grade point averages that result in an overall team GPA of more than 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
• Robert Bunch, of Woodstock, has become a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society and was recognized during a recent induction ceremony at Georgia Southern University. The society provides academic recognition to top-performing college and university students, as well as scholarships and awards, career and internship opportunities, networking, service and leadership development opportunities.
• Nicholas Jermstad, of Canton, graduated from the University of New Haven, in Connecticut, with a master’s of environmental science degree.
• For their academic performance during summer semester 2011, two local students were named to the North Georgia College & State University President’s List. Students achieving a 4.0 grade point average and carrying 12 or more credit hours in one semester are placed on the President’s List at the Dahlonega school. Honored were Madison Maria Kenney, of Woodstock, and Thorbjorn Mullins, of Canton.
• North Georgia College & State University, in Dahlonega, conferred both undergraduate and graduate degrees on 228 total graduates. Receiving degrees were, from Ball Ground: Rebecca Elaine Walsh, bachelor of science in political science and bachelor of arts in history; Christopher Andrew Lee, bachelor of science in political science; and Carla Ann Newson, bachelor of business administration in accounting; from Canton: Lacy Elizabeth Talmage, bachelor of science in biology; and, from Woodstock: Nicholas Paul Nigro, bachelor of business administration in marketing; and Elizabeth Nyambura, bachelor of science in nursing.
• Peter Bosche Carrasquillo, a resident of Canton, graduated with a master of professional accounting degree in accounting from Clemson University.Carrasquillo was among 689 students who received degrees at the summer ceremony.
• The following students earned the distinction of Dean’s List at The Georgia Institute of Technology for summer semester 2011. From Acworth: Christopher Safouri; from Canton: Stephanie Morris and John Rice; from Woodstock: Benjamin Carey, Kristi Painter and Christie Walker.
• The following students earned the distinction of Faculty Honors for summer 2011 at the Georgia Institute of Technology: Emily McManus of Canton, and Jordan Wynn of Acworth. Undergraduate students earning a 4.0 academic average for the semester gain the distinction of Faculty Honors at Georgia Tech.
• Zuzana Kocsisova, of Woodstock, is attending fall semester at Harlaxton College, housed in a 120-room Victorian manor near Grantham, England.Kocsisova is among 139 students spending the Fall 2011 semester at Harlaxton College, the British campus of the University of Evansville. Kocsisova is majoring in biology at the Indiana University.
• Local student, Sydney Burdette, 12, of Woodstock, a seventh-grader at Dean Rusk Middle School, in Canton, was one of 42 students from across the nation who spent the summer in New York City, having performed in the first workshop performance of the musical Xanadu JR. She played the role of a siren. There were many students from Georgia in the cast, but Burdette was the only student from Cherokee County. Burdette was invited to be part of the cast since she was selected as a Junior Theater Festival All-Star at the 2011 Junior Theater Festival, which she attended with Off Broadway Dance in Roswell.
• Michael Pomawski, of Ball Ground, and Sarah Carlton, of Canton, participated in the freshman service project at the University of Evansville, Ind. The project sent more than 500 new UE students to 20 locations throughout Evansville. Tasks ranged from painting to cleaning to landscaping, and service locations included parks, community centers, and other nonprofit organizations.
•Three Cherokee County residents were recently named recipients of the 2011 Comcast Leaders and Achievers scholarship. Grant Eddy is a graduate of Creekview High School and is studying political science and government at the University of Georgia; Allison Griffin is a graduate of Woodstock High School and is studying statistics at University of Georgia; Rachel Beck is a graduate of Cherokee High School and is attending Georgia Southern University. Statewide, 74 students were chosen as Comcast Leaders and Achievers scholarship recipients.
