Local students graduate from Biola University
A total of 1,118 students walked the stage at Biola University’s spring 2024 commencement as they complete their journey as an Eagle. Among them were 10 students from the Santa Clarita Valley.
The following local undergraduate residents graduated from Biola:
• Aspen Haw, of Santa Clarita, majoring in English.
• Kaela Berretta of Santa Clarita, majoring in communication studies.
• Aaron Kim of Stevenson Ranch, majoring in business administration.
• Summer Bhola of Canyon Country, majoring in communication sciences and disorders.
• Keller Manthei of Canyon Country, majoring in public relations and strategic communication.
• Oscar Serratos Jr., of Canyon Country, majoring in accounting.
• Nicole Amoroso, of Valencia, majoring in psychology.
• Margaret Sachoff, of Santa Clarita, majoring in writing for film and television.
• Kevin Stone, of Canyon Country, majoring in business administration.
• Joshua Gilbert, of Castaic, majoring in philosophy.
Biola, founded in 1908, is a nationally ranked Christian university in La Mirada.
Local student graduates from Utah Tech University
Utah Tech University celebrated the 2024 graduating class of 2,967 students at its 113th Commencement ceremonies in St. George, Utah.
Chad Tarr, of Castaic, was among those honored at Utah Tech’s 113th Commencement Ceremony.
Utah Tech’s 113th graduating class was made up of 39% males and 61% females, with the youngest being 16 and the oldest being 68. Among the nearly 3,000 graduates celebrated, 41 U.S. states were represented, and 17 countries outside of the U.S. were also represented.
Utah Tech University is an open-enrollment teaching institution that offers more than 275 academic programs at one of the lowest tuition costs in the Western United States.
Canyon Country student presents academic work at Albion College symposium
Canyon Country student Cindy Avila presented an original research poster titled “Calcium Handling Protein Expression and SERCA2a Function in a Mouse Model of HFpEF” at Albion College’s recent Elkin R. Isaac Student Research Symposium.
This year’s 34th annual Isaac Symposium featured the research, scholarship and creative activity of more than 100 students while serving as the kickoff event to the College’s Purple & Gold Weekend.
Avila is majoring in biochemistry with a minor in mathematics. Avila is the child of Maria Felix of Canyon Country and is a graduate of Golden Valley High School.
2 local students named to Samford University dean’s list
Samford University recognized 1,931 students named to the dean’s list for the spring 2024 semester, including two students from the Santa Clarita Valley.
To qualify for the dean’s list, a student must have earned a minimum 3.5 grade point average out of a possible 4.0 while attempting at least 12 credit hours of coursework. The dean’s list is the highest academic recognition given by the school at the end of each semester.
The local students named to the dean’s list were Evan Leib, of Valencia, and Carson Gardner, of Castaic.
Samford, in Birmingham, Alabama, is a Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools.
