Christiana Blahnik of Valencia,

Victoria Ruth of Evans City and

Cheyenne Warner of Slippery Rock were named Dietrich Scholars at Duquesne University.Blahnik, Ruth and Warner

are three of five students to be named Dietrich Scholars.The Dietrich Scholars program provides scholarship funding to deserving students. It is an initiative created through a $12.5 million contribution made to Duquesne by the late business leader and philanthropist William S. Dietrich II.Blahnik is a freshman music major and the daughter of Thomas and Carol Blahnik of Valencia.Ruth is a freshman liberal arts major and the daughter of Raymond and Sherri Ruth of Evans City.Warner is a freshman physics major and the daughter of Richard and Heidi Warner of Slippery Rock.———

II-VI scholarships given to studentsFive area students were recently awarded up to $10,000 each in scholarships from the II-VI Foundation to pursue a postsecondary degree in the areas of science, mathematics and engineering for the 2011-12 school year.Brandon Saber of Saxonburg, Brian Tackett of Saxonburg, Gavin Lachesky of Butler, Paul Kletzli of Butler and Peter Schramm of Butler were awarded the scholarships.In addition to these awards, 37 other students from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, California, Virginia, Ohio, Florida, and Texas received scholarships.Saber is a freshman at Westminster College studying physics/engineering.Tackett is a junior in the chemical engineering program at the University of Pittsburgh.Lachesky is a freshman at Purdue University studying aerospace engineering.Kletzli is a sophomore in the mechanical engineering program at York College of Pennsylvania.Schramm is a sophomore studying mechanical engineering at The Catholic University of America.———

Natalie Hritz of Seven Fields is a member of jazz orchestra and Alpha Lambda Delta at Ashland University.Alpha Lambda Delta honors students who in their first or first two semesters have achieved a 3.5 cumulative grade point average.Hritz is the daughter of Paul and Susan Hritz of Seven Fields.She is a 2010 graduate of Seneca Valley High School.———

Nicole George of Valencia received an undergraduate research grant from Westminster’s Drinko Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.She is a junior chemistry major at Westminster College.George is a daughter of Jonathan and Lisa George of Valencia and a graduate of Mars High School.———

Jeffery Thompson is a member of Sigma Alpha Lambda, National Leadership and Honors Organization at the University of Pittsburgh.