Laurel College Standouts: Magna Cum Laude at Mary Washington, Bob Jones Dean's List

Below, find a roundup of the latest honors, degrees, and extracurricular accomplishments from Laurel-area college students. Descriptions are courtesy of the institutions named and/or students' family members.

Bob Jones University: Michael Hammons of Laurel—a Junior Criminal Justice major—was among approximately 1,500 Bob Jones University students who were named to the Spring 2013 Dean's List. To qualify for the Dean's List, students must earn a 3.0 grade point average.

DeSales University: James V. Raymond of Laurel graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in theatre from DeSales University on Saturday, May 18, 2013. During the ceremony, DeSales President Father Bernard O'Connor, OSFS, conferred degrees upon 405 graduates, including undergraduate and graduate students. Professor Michael A. Hayes, president of Mary Immaculate College in Limerick, Ireland, delivered the commencement address and was awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters degree.

Eastern Connecticut State University: A number of Eastern Connecticut State University students were recently inducted into Eastern's Tau Nu chapter of the Lambda Pi Eta Communication Honor Society. Nana Ama Owusu-Agyemang '13 of Laurel was one of the inductees. Owusu-Agyemang's major is Communication. The society recognizes students who have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0, a communication studies GPA of at least 3.25, are in the upper 35 percent of their graduating class, are enrolled in good standing, and display a commitment to the field of communication.

Lebanon Valley College: Scott A. Sutton of Laurel was among more than 370 students to graduate from Lebanon Valley College, Annville, Pa., Saturday, May 11. Commencement ceremonies, held in the LVC Gymnasium, included an address by Dr. Philip Benesch, associate professor of political science and winner of the 2012 Thomas Rhys Vickroy Award for teaching.

Miami University: A local resident has been selected to participate in summer 2013 global graduate studies in the East African country of Kenya. Beginning in early July, The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore staff member Robyn Johnson of Laurel will study wildlife and people in integrated landscapes in Kenya. More information about Johnson's course is located here.

St. Mary's College of Maryland: Jessica Clayton, a resident of Laurel, received the Maryland State Society DAR Scholarship Award and the St. Mary's County Garden Club Scholarship in Environmental Studies at St. Mary's College of Maryland on April 26, 2013 at the annual Awards Convocation ceremony for exceptional academic scholarship.

Stevenson University: The creative work of Fashion Design major, Mary Ellsworth of Laurel (Mount De Sales Academy) was featured at Stevenson University, School of Design, Fashion Design program's, 2nd Annual Student Fashion Show. The show entitled, "Raw Concept," was held on Saturday, April 27, at the Inscape Theater on the Greenspring Campus to a sold-out venue of 340 guests.

SUNYIT: Allison Uwimana of Laurel received a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Information Management at SUNYIT's 39th annual spring commencement May 11 in the Wildcat Field House on the SUNYIT (State University of New York Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome) campus in Marcy, N.Y. More than 660 candidates for undergraduate and graduate degrees awarded in 2012-2013 were eligible to participate in the ceremony.

University of Kansas: The names of more than 4,500 candidates for degrees at the University of Kansas this spring—representing 95 Kansas counties, 41 other states and the District of Columbia, and 42 other countries—have been announced by the University Registrar, including Alexander Pendleton of Laurel. He received a Bachelor of Science in Biology.

University of Mary Washington: Erica D. Christian of Laurel graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. degree in psychology from the University of Mary Washington. A total of 1,273 students graduated during the university's 102nd commencement in a graduate ceremony on Friday, May 10 and in an undergraduate ceremony on Saturday, May 11, on the university's Fredericksburg campus.

West Virginia Wesleyan College: Jasmyne Cummings of Laurel has been named to the 2013 spring semester President's Academic Recognition List at West Virginia Wesleyan College. The President's Academic Recognition acknowledges academic excellence among Wesleyan students. The criteria for inclusion on the list is 4.0 GPA with a minimum of 12 earned hours for the semester.

Also, Jonathan Noland of Laurel has been named to the 2013 spring semester Dean's List at WVWC. Wesleyan's Dean's List requires students to earn a grade point average of 3.5 - 3.9 in 12 or more semester hours.

York College of Pennsylvania: Derek Shaw of Laurel, a graduate student majoring in Marketing at York College of Pennsylvania, has been named to Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. Located in south central Pennsylvania, York College offers more than 50 baccalaureate majors in professional programs, the sciences and humanities to its 4,600 undergraduate students