News of the achievements of local students and members of the Armed Forces.
• Joseph Doyle of Arlington earned a master of business administration degree in analytics during recent commencement exercises at the University of Scranton.
• Conor Daughtery of Arlington earned a bachelor of science degree in business administration during recent commencement exercises at Lebanon Valley College.
• Cara Polese of Arlington earned a degree during recent commencement exercises at Grove City College, where she also was named to the dean’s list for the spring semester.
• Kiara Boren of Arlington and William Boothby of Arlington earned degrees during recent commencement exercises at the University of New Hampshire.
• William Ayoub of Arlington earned a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy during recent commencement exercises at Washington College.
• Kyle Whippen of Arlington has been named to the president’s list and Chase Whippen of Arlington has been named to the dean’s list for the spring semester at Fairmont State University.
• Kiara Nelson of Arlington and Sharon Newman of Arlington have been named to the dean’s list for the spring semester at the University of Vermont.
• Alexander Wooldridge of Arlington has been named to the dean’s list for the spring semester at Eastern New Mexico University.
• Riley McGraw of Arlington has been named to the dean’s list for the spring semester at Clarkson University.
• Samuel Franklin and Braden Shackleford of Arlington have been named to the dean’s list for the spring semester at Bridgewater College.
• Arlington residents Natalie May, Samuel Nichols, Randall Bohnert and Misheel Urtnasan have been named to the dean’s list for the spring semester at Radford University.
• Zacharaias Hall of Arlington has been named to the honor roll for the spring semester at the University of Mississippi.
• Richard Rodriguez of Arlington and Kiernan Hogan of Arlington have been inducted into the George Mason University chapter of the Phi Kappa Phi academic honor society.
• Benjamin Foster of Arlington engaged in one of two collaborative service-learning courses at Alvernia University that recently garnered first place in The Gift of Life Donor Program’s 2022 “Students Save Lives College Challenge.”
The Alvernia students used a host of outreach efforts to encourage more than 400 people to become organ, tissue or cornea donors.
• Ajijolaoluwa Laguda of Arlington has received a $1,000 study-abroad grant from the Phi Kappa Phi academic honor society.
Currently majoring in political science at the University of Massachusetts, Laguda will use the grant to study at the Autonomous University of Social Movements in Chiapas, Mexico.
She was one of 125 students nationwide receiving the stipend.
• Malia Farris, a junior at Yorktown High School, has received the Stephen Curry Outstanding Youth Citizen Award from the Arlington House chapter of the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution.
“Malia’s exemplary extracurricular involvements, backed up by her eloquent essay” helped sway the selection panel.
Among her accomplishments: Farris in the summer of 2020 created an outdoor, socially-distanced camp for elementary-school students impacted by COVID restrictions.
• Eileen Parks of Bishop O’Connell High School was named Best Actress for her role in her school’s production of “Little Women” in the inaugural Brandon Victor Davis Awards, sponsored by Broadway at the National.
Parks and Joshua Lemon of Oakton High School, who was honored as Best Actor for his performance in “The Addams Family,” received $2,000 scholarships and a trip to New York City, where they will represent the Washington region at the annual Jimmy Awards (National High School Musical Theatre Awards).
O’Connell’s “Little Women” was a finalist in the Best Musical category, falling to “The Addams Family.” Also finalists were “Head Over Heels: High School Edition” (Robinson Secondary School); “A Year with Frog and Toad” (George C. Marshall High School); and “Be More Chill” (West Potomac High School).
Students performed selections from the shows on May 22 at the National Theatre.
The awards are named in honor of Brandon Victor Dixon, a Tony, Emmy and Grammy award-winner who hails from Gaithersburg.
• The Arlington House chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution has presented Rachel Hocker (home-schooled, affiliated with Washington-Liberty High School) and Ava Boston (Yorktown High School) with $2,000 awards in recognition of their achievements.
Hocker will be attending Northeastern University and aims to study business and art, while Boston plans to pursue a degree in neuroscience at Yale.
• Nicholas Yenson, a graduate of Bishop O’Connell High School, is performing in the cast of “The Pajama Game” being performed by 42nd Street Moon troupe in San Francisco.
The performance runs June 2-19.
“It’s nerve-wracking to be back doing a musical after two years away from live theater,” Yenson said. “That said, it’s a strong moment to be doing the show as American workers begin to rediscover the power of unions.”
“What makes ‘The Pajama Game’ great theater is that many of the themes which resonated in the 1950s still resonate today – workplace romance, clashes between management and labor, and the great middle–class struggle to do more than just get by,” said Daniel Thomas, executive director of the production. “We’re fortunate to have been given permission to adapt portions of the script, using material from both the 1973 and 2006 revivals as well as our own revisions, to ensure that the romantic leads are each given strength and struggles in equal measure. By working with playwright Annie Potter, we’ve strived to make contemporary the more dated relational aspects.”
For information on the performance, see the Website at 42ndstmoon.org/the-pajama-game.
• Bill Keyes V of Arlington has been tapped to serve a four-year term on the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill board of visitors. He is among 57 alumni and friends of the university to be selected.
“Selected members serve as ambassadors to inform their communities about the university’s priorities and, in turn, educate the university about how it can best serve those communities,” officials said.
• Safe Space NOVA will host “Once Upon a Prom (and Party),” an inaugural inclusive prom benefiting LGBTQ youth in grades 9-12 across the region, on Friday, June 24 from 7 to 11 p.m. at The St. James in Springfield.
In addition to traditional prom-night activities like a DJ and dancing, event will feature advocacy, mental-health providers, a quiet-board-game room and local affirming organizations sharing information. There also will be door prizes, rock-climbing, a ropes course, drag shows and more.
For information, see the Website at https://safespacenova.org.