Community bulletin

Scholarly Trinity senior

Trinity Preparatory School senior Shweta Desiraju of Winter Springs is one of eleven applicants who have been offered a 2013 John V. Lombardi and Penelope W. & E. Roe Stamps IV Scholarship to the University of Florida. Students for these awards exemplify a commitment to excellence, community service and public responsibility.

Challenging entrepreneurship

BioCurity, developers of RadGuard – a nanoparticle radioprotectant that mitigates damage from radiation exposure in cancer treatment and terrorist radiation threats – have been named the winner of this year’s Rollins Venture Plan Challenge. The company is awarded a $25,000 cash prize, as well as additional services beneficial to growing the company. The Rollins Venture Plan Challenge is coordinated annually by the student-run Rollins Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization. Participants compete for a cash prize pool of $40,000 to invest directly in their businesses. Winners are chosen by a panel of distinguished judges, all of whom are local successful investors and entrepreneurs.

Quit Smoking classes

Center for Independent Living (CIL) is partnering with Florida State University College of Medicine to offer free classes to help those who wish to end their dependency on tobacco products, as part of the Quit Smoking NOW Program. Quit Smoking NOW is a six-session smoking cessation program created by ex-smokers for those who are actively trying to quit smoking or the use of tobacco products. Each class is lead by a tobacco treatment specialist, who works with participants in a supportive group setting, and provides information and resources to help participants succeed. For more information on the Quit Smoking NOW program, visit quitandbefree.org. Contact Dennisse Rios at 407-623-1070 or [email protected] for the next available class date. For more information about CIL, visit cilorlando.org

SCAD scholars

Local residents have been named to the Dean’s List at the Savannah College of Art and Design for fall quarter 2012. Full-time undergraduate students who earn a grade point average of 3.5 or above for the quarter receive recognition on the Dean’s List. Local residents include: Hannah Aylward of Orlando, Alessandra Gagnon and Bryan Rogers of Maitland, and Paige Heil, Sarah Ikegami and Erik Toth of Winter Park.

Citizenship ceremony at Boone

Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor & Reed, P.A. is pleased to announce that attorney Teresa B. Finer, who heads the firm’s Immigration and Naturalization practice, has partnered the Orange County Bar Association’s (OCBA) Law Week Committee and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to host a U.S. naturalization ceremony titled “Realizing the Dream: Equality for All” at Boone High School in downtown Orlando. This is the first time that a naturalization ceremony has ever been held at Boone, and 100 applicants are scheduled to be sworn in as new U.S. citizens. The ceremony will take place on Thursday, April 11, at 4 p.m. at the Boone High School Auditorium.

Winter Park Musicale winners

Winter Park Musicale held its annual scholarship award auditions at Winter Park Towers. The three high school seniors chosen as the 2013 winners are: Jonathan Collazo, percussion; Gabriella Galletti, voice; and Enoch Wong, piano. The students will present a recital at Winter Park Towers on Tuesday, April 16, at 7 p.m. Winter Park Towers are located at 1111 Lakemont Court in Winter Park. The public is invited to attend. There is no charge for admission.