The Harbor Area’s Scholars

As high school students walked the stage in caps and gowns looking to the future in higher education, from vocational schools to the Ivy Leagues, students who made the same transition over the past few years are excelling, proving to be an inspiration to their families and community in the Los Angeles Harbor Area. 

This past month Anabel Hernandez of Rolling Hills Estates made the dean’s list at Ohio University for spring 2023. The dean’s list recognizes undergraduate students who complete a particular semester with a GPA between 3.5 and 3.999 with a minimum of 12 credit hours. 

Health sciences and professions student Esther Lee of Harbor City made it onto Ohio University’s Provost’s list for spring 2023. The Provost’s list recognizes high-achieving, part-time undergraduate students who exemplify academic success. It pushes students to have a 3.5 or greater GPA and between 6 and 11 credit hours. 

Grady Dalton of San Pedro was named to the dean’s list at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for the spring semester of the 2022-23 academic year. The sophomore majoring in biochemistry had to achieve a 3.75 or greater to be named to the dean’s list from her department,  the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.

Ryann Levendusky and Jenna Peterson of Palos Verdes Estates were named to the dean’s list. A total of 12,487 students enrolled during spring semester 2023 at the University of Alabama 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.

Last month, Shenandoah University had 1,143 graduates receive their degrees and/or certificate during the 2022-23 academic year. Those graduates included Ifeyinwa Ojibe-Okeke of Harbor City, who earned a doctorate of pharmacy, and Tess Rose of San Pedro, who earned a master of music in pedagogy.

Abigale Hedrick and Eli Kaufer of San Pedro undergraduate students at the University of Iowa, were named to the dean’s list for the 2023 spring semester.

Hedrick is in her second year as an undergraduate in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Kaufer is in his first year as an undergraduate, also in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Teddy Polk of Palos Verdes Estates was named to the dean’s list at Lehigh University in spring 2023. Polk had to achieve a 3.6 GPA or better while carrying at least 12 hours of regularly graded courses.

Kaitlyn Winkle of San Pedro was recently inducted into the honor society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society. 

Winkle is among approximately 25,000 students, faculty, professional staff, and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10% of seniors and 7.5% of juniors are eligible for membership.

Sophia Sanders of San Pedro made it onto the University of Mississippi’s spring 2023 dean’s honor roll.

As a general business major, she had to earn a semester GPA of 3.5-3.74 to make it onto the honor roll.

Cassidy Virzi of San Pedro is among the 1,300 students honored on the Lewis University dean’s List for the 2023 spring semester. Virzi is studying aviation administration at Lewis University College of Aviation Science Technology.

Logan Wills of San Pedro earned a Bachelor of Science in management studies from the University of Maryland Global Campus in spring 2023. Wills was one of nearly 3,400 students who earned degrees from UMGC in the spring semester. Graduates came from all 50 states, four U.S. territories and 22 countries.