HEAD of the class

Tiffany Lyn Abbott of Santa Maria has received her master's in education from Berry College in Mount Berry, Ga.

She specialized in middle school education, and received her degree at the university's December commencement ceremony.

Ashley Fae Gallant of Santa Maria has made the dean's list at Gonzaga University for the fall 2007 semester. In order to make the list, Gallant had to earn a grade-point average of 3.5 to 3.69.

A Santa Maria High School student is a semi-finalist in the Coca-Cola Scholarship Program.

Alejandra Ceja is among approximately 2,000 high school seniors who are in the running for $3 million in college scholarships that the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation will award in spring.

The field has already been narrowed down from more than 79,000 applicants.

If Ceja advances in the competition, she will be among 250 finalists who will travel to Atlanta in April to attend the Coca-Cola Scholars weekend, where she will undergo a final interview to determine whether she will be a regional or national scholar.

The 50 national scholars will each receive a $20,000 scholarship, while the 200 regional scholars will each receive a $10,000 scholarship.

February 2, 2008