Two area students have completed the University Honors Program at Kansas State University. The program is open to current and transfer students and incoming freshmen with records of high academic achievement. Students are required to take 15 honors credits; participants from the College of Arts and Sciences must take 16 honors credits. Students also must maintain at least a 3.5 GPA while in the program. The area students are Amanda Weishaar, a May 2012 bachelor’s graduate in journalism and mass communications, from Lawrence, and Roger Keyes, a May 2012 bachelor’s graduate in mechanical engineering, from McLouth.

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Air Force Airman George R. Brahler II, a 2004 graduate of Free State High School, graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. He completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills. Brahler earned distinction as an honor graduate.

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Alison Christy, of Lawrence, has graduated from the University of Houston with an M.A. in theater.

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McPherson College has announced its spring 2012 honor roll and honorable mention students. To qualify for the honor roll, students must earn a GPA of 3.55 or higher. Students earning a GPA from 3.25 to 3.54 are named to the honorable mention roll.

Honor Roll: Casey Maxon, senior, Lawrence; Madison Chambers, junior, Wellsville.

Honorable mention roll: Dustin Kitchen, senior, Oskaloosa.

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The Kansas University Management Center has announced its latest class of graduates of the Emerging Leaders Academy. The graduation ceremony was June 27 at the Adams Alumni Center. The 36 graduates, who began their course in February, included staff from local, county, state and federal agencies from across Kansas as well as from KU. Graduates from Lawrence organizations are Douglas Bergstrom, Spencer Museum of Art; Amy Carlson, Higuchi Biosciences Center, KU; Adam Heffley, Lawrence Police Department; Donna Luehrman, KU Information Technology; Sharon Riley, KU Libraries/Human Resources.

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The following area students graduated on May 12 from Avila University in Kansas City, Mo.: Danielle Price, of De Soto, with a B.S. in prehealth professions and biology; Jeannie Vonderbrink, of Eudora, with a Master of Arts in education; Keith Self, of Lawrence, with a Master of Arts in education.

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Sylvia Swain and Dakota Whitaker, of Eudora, announce the birth of their daughter, Ireland Mae Swain Whitaker, on July 27, 2012, at Lawrence Memorial Hospital. Ireland joins sister India Whitaker, 11, and brother Dakota Whitaker, 9.