North Catholic High School senior Ryan Formica recently finished third in the nation at the U.S. Geography Championships in Arlington, Va., from April 22 to 24.

This earned him a spot on Team USA for the International Geography Olympiad (iGeo), which will be hosted in Paris in August.

This caps a successful career for Ryan in the International Academic Competitions which include buzzer-based competitions, team bowl events, exams and written competitions in geography and history.

He is a prior national champion at USGC in the 9th/10th grade division, was national champion in Women's History and national runner-up in Ecology and Environmental Sciences. In the History Bee and Bowl, he has been Western Pa. champion, West Virginia Champion, and Western Ohio runner-up.

Ryan will be attending the University of Pittsburgh in the fall where he plans to major in neuroscience.

———

Diana Lozinger of Cranberry Township was among the 13 University of Scranton students inducted into Tau Upsilon Alpha, the national human services honor society. The university's chapter of the honor society, established in 2008, recognizes academic excellence of undergraduate counseling and human services students.

Lozinger is a sophomore counseling and human services major at the Jesuit university.

———

The name of two awards at Slippery Rock University couldn't be more fitting for describing what their recipients do: reducing and removing barriers for people with disabilities. The SRU President's Commission for Disability Issues presented its 2022 Breaking Barriers Awards at a private ceremony on campus April 25.

"I know it might sound cliche, but that's literally what I do," said Natalie Burick, SRU director of disability services. "I remove barriers so students can participate in academics and university programs when they have a disability."

Burick is the recipient of the Breaking Barriers Award for faculty or staff this year, while Jaclyn Lenhart, a junior recreational therapy major from Gibsonia, is the student recipient.

Lenhart is a student who endured multiple hospitalizations and traveled to get acute rehabilitative care during her time as an SRU student. Lenhart has battled Crohn's disease since her diagnosis at age 17, and she has advocated and volunteered with the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation.

Living with Crohn's disease, Lenhart returned to SRU as a full-time, residential student in the fall of 2021 only to encounter an even more significant, life-changing setback in November when she suffered a spinal cord injury and is now paralyzed. She was at home at the time of the injury, which occurred in her sleep, and doctors haven't been able to determine the cause, but they suspect it is related to her autoimmune disease. She now uses a wheelchair. She has yet to resume classes at SRU since her injury but she plans to.

Each year, the PCDI recognizes students, faculty and staff who "demonstrate advocacy, leadership, and/or empowerment in the area of reducing contextual barriers in the physical, social or attitudinal environment for individuals with disabilities at SRU."

———

JACKSON TWP — Six art students were recently announced as Gold Key winners in the 2022 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, while eight students took home the Silver Key and 23 received Honorable Mentions.

Gold Key winners include seniors Phung Do, Camryn Kotula, Julia Lingenfelter, Lauryn Priester and Isabel Woolslare, and junior Ashlyn Gianfrancesco. Gold Key recipients go on to be judged at the national level.

Ashlyn was recently announced as a 2022 National Key winner. She won for her ceramic sculpture “Up, Up and Away.”

Silver Key recipients include seniors Phung Do, Isabel Woolslare, Izzy Oldaker, Ria Dietz and Natalie Camilli and juniors Kimberly Lahoz Ruiz, Emma Bedell and Peter Wesley.

Also, several students from Seneca Valley received Honorable Mentions for their entries including seniors Camryn Kotula (two Honorable Mentions), Isabel Woolslare, Sreya Padamati, Emma Kovarik, Sydney Hunt, Eve Joseph, Zoey Klenoshek, Brooke Eckenrode, Karly Comstock, Cara Della Toffalo, Natalie Camilli (two Honorable Mentions), Sophie Byrd (five Honorable Mentions), Grace Abbott (two Honorable Mentions) and Maddie Amrhein (four Honorable Mentions); juniors Chloe Rossi, Regan Ridenour (two Honorable Mentions), Melody Lobach, Kimberly Lahoz Ruiz (two Honorable Mentions), Arden Kiely and Emma Bedell (five Honorable Mentions) and sophomores Jenna Allman, Kara Pasquale and Lillian Tirado.

———

Four Slippery Rock University students recently were initiated into the honor society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines.

They are Kerem Dogan of Slippery Rock, Adriana Gonzalez Sanchez of Slippery Rock , Krista White of Slippery Rock and Kara Sroka of Valencia.

They are 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.