Lauren Ahola was inducted last month into the national freshman honor society, Phi Eta Sigma, at the University of Rhode Island. To be eligible to join, students must have achieved a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5 at the end of their first semester.

On April 12 at the UMass. Invitational Track and Field meet, Kerry Arouca broke the Westfield State College school record in the 3000- meter steeple chase with a time of 12:06. On April 26, at Brown University, Arouca went on to place first in this same event to win the MASCAC and the New England Alliance Championship. Her times qualified her to race in the New England Division 3 Championship that took place this weekend at Coast Guard in Connecticut, where she went on to shatter her own school record with a time of 11:57. This new record now qualifies her to race in the All New Englands and E.CA.C.S (Eastern College Athletic Conference) which will be held at Springfield College on May 17.

Happy birthday to Frank Turner, Janis Coulson (May 1), Joseph Comeau (May 2), Warren Gladbach (May 5), Mim Sevigny (May 6) Jamie Flanagan, Frank Norton (May 7), Marie Malone, Randy Staples, (May 8),  Andrew Kosterman (May 9), Dawna Colley (May 10), Herbert Alley (May 11), Marylou Sutter, Dorothy Paine, Ruth Isaslo (May 12), Judith Collins, Joan Hunt, Roseanne Sawyer, Felicia Mykes (May 13), Karen Jolicoeur, Ryan Roberts (May 14).

Lynn O’Connor of Hanson has loved being around babies for as long as she can remember. As a student at the University of Connecticut, she was able to do just that – at the UConn Health Center’s Newborn Intensive Care Nurseries. O’Connor, who will graduate Sunday afternoon with a bachelor’s degree in nursing, helped develop an evaluation plan to assess a family support program at the Health Center. She will graduate as an Honors Scholar. O’Connor has already landed a job working at the Health Center’s NICN as a registered nurse starting in July.  She also hopes to return to UConn to pursue a master’s degree with a focus on neonatal nursing.