Brandon Um of La Cañada has been awarded Army and Navy Academy’s General William W. Crouch Distinguished Leadership Award for his performance during the fall 2014 semester.

The award is granted each semester to cadets who serve with distinction in a leadership position of platoon sergeant or higher in the academy’s corps of cadets. They must also have received a semester grade point average of 3.3 or higher, a leadership education training (LET) grade of an “A,” and a citizenship grade of excellent during each grading period.

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. It is the only private boarding school in San Diego County and the only private military academy for high school-age students in California and surrounding states.

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On April 7, Jessica Palacios, a 2012 graduate of Clark Magnet High School and a junior at Whitman College, a highly selective private liberal arts college in Walla Walla, Washington, will present her original research as part of The Whitman College Undergraduate Conference.
The 17th Annual Whitman Undergraduate Conference brings together students from every academic area of the college to share their research and creative projects with the campus community. The projects are a result of the students’ work in their courses, senior theses, summer internships and study abroad.

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Abigail Roberts of Tujunga was one of more than 100 students to participate in community service through Simpson University’s “strike teams” during the fall 2014 semester. Roberts is majoring in liberal studies.

Students helped with 32 projects, including cleanup, events, moving and maintenance, at many different locations.

“Strike teams” at Simpson University in Redding began during the 2012-13 school year after the university’s ninth annual Day of Service, when students served at more than 10 locations in the Redding area. With a heart for serving the local community, the university created an initiative to continue service year-round. Since September 2012, more than 100 projects have been completed.

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The following local residents were among 1,666 students named to Biola University’s fall 2014 dean’s list for academic excellence: Caleb Choi of La Cañada; Jayjeon Ghil, Christian Misi, Joanne Shim and Sarah Yoon of La Crescenta; Amanda Gray of Tujunga; Eunice Pak and David Yi of Montrose.

Biola students are placed on the dean’s list to honor those with a grade point average of 3.6 or higher while enrolled in 12 of more credit units and whose cumulative grade point average is at least a 3.2. This past fall, 38% of Biola students achieved this academic goal.

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Katherine Johnson of La Cañada was named to the dean’s list for the fall 2014 semester at Saint Mary’s College. A student must achieve a semester grade point average of at least 3.6 on a 4.0 scale with at least 12 graded hours to earn academic honors at Saint Mary’s.

Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana, is a four-year, Catholic, residential, women’s liberal arts college offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study, such as business, nursing, art, chemistry, and social work.

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Ian Kim of Shadow Hills has been named a 2015 Winter Season Union-Tribune San Diego All Academic Athlete for his academic and athletic accomplishments. The Union-Tribune San Diego All-Academic Team recognizes juniors and seniors who participated in a California Interscholastic Federation-approved varsity sport and maintained an un-weighted grade point average of 3.0 or higher during the most current grading period.

The Winter All-Academic Teams recognize athletes in basketball, soccer, and wrestling.

Kim was named to the All-Academic basketball team with a GPA of 4.09.

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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Lake Forest College student Keenan Buchanan ‘15 of La Cañada recently presented at Lake Forest College’s 18th Annual Steven Galovich Memorial Student Symposium. This event celebrates students’ academic achievements and creative talents by showcasing research and scholarship from every academic discipline in a variety of venues and forums. Presentations are drawn from the college’s freshman honors programs, senior thesis research, independent study, internships, and other exceptional individual and team-based student research.

Buchanan is a graduate of Flintridge Prep School.

Lake Forest College is a national liberal arts institution located 30 miles north of downtown Chicago. The College has 1,600 students representing 47 states and 81 countries. For more information visit www.lakeforest.edu.

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Seth Coffman was named one of 528 students to the dean’s list Eastern Oregon University in La Grande, Oregon for winter term 2015. Qualifying students achieve and maintain a grade point average of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale while completing a minimum of 12 hours of graded coursework for the duration of the term.

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Anahit Airabedian and Edward Duran, both of Tujunga, were initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines, at California State University, Los Angeles.

They are among approximately 32,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10% of seniors and 7.5% of juniors, having at least 72 semester hours, are eligible for membership. Graduate students in the top 10% of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff, and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.

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Army and Navy Academy recognizes those students who have exhibited academic excellence during the fifth grading period of the 2014-15 school year.

Those who have achieved a grade point average of 3.80 or higher have been named to the dean’s list.

Students named to the dean’s list include Brandon Um of La Cañada and Ian Kim of Shadow Hills.