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Ethan Michael Shepherd received a bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina at Asheville in ceremonies Dec. 16. He is the son of Nancy Shepherd and a 1995 graduate of Chapel Hill High School.

Nicholas Joel Lassiter received his Eagle Scout Badge on Nov. 18 in a court of honor at Evergreen United Methodist Church in northern Chatham County.
Eagle rank represents proficiency in all scouting skills, and is attained by only about 2 percent of all young men in scouting. Lassiter planned and led Scouts, friends and family members in painting the interiors of two resident homes at Hope Meadows for his Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project.
He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Lassiter. He began scouting in Cub Scout Pack 93 in Pittsboro. He earned the Arrow of Light, which is the highest Cub Scout rank, and became a brotherhood member in the Order of the Arrow, a Boy Scout Honor Society. He is a senior at Northwood High School and a four-year member of the Marching Charge Band.
Participants in the ceremony included Scoutmaster Jon Crabtree; assistant scoutmasters Doug Gilliam and Stan Koziol; registrar Demetria Craig; Troop 951 Committee chairman Terry Blake; and Troop 951 Scouts.

Karen Durovich of Chapel Hill has received the 2006 John Eaves Community Volunteer Award for her work as host and tutor for the International Friendship Program and the International Women's English Conversation Group in the Office of International Student and Scholar Services at UNC.
The friendship program matches international students with area families and individuals, providing a casual atmosphere to visit, share meals, celebrate holidays and participate in community events. The conversation group allows women from Chapel Hill and around the world to meet, share culture and practice English.
Durovich also has hosted several international students in her home and sponsored an annual pumpkin-carving event for visiting students and their friends.

Jeffrey Scott Giersbrook of Chapel Hill achieved a grade-point average of 4.0 and has been named to the dean's list for the fall semester at Gardner-Webb University. He is also a member of the Gardner-Webb baseball team.
Giersbrook is a 2006 graduate of Chapel Hill High School and the son of Jeff and Linda Giersbrook.

Dr. Raymond P. White Jr. of Chapel Hill recently received the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Foundation's Torch Award.
The Torch Award recognizes outstanding contributions to education, research, patient care and involvement in service to the surgical specialty. The award was presented at the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons' annual meeting.
White is the Dalton L. McMichael distinguished professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery at UNC-Chapel Hill's School of Dentistry and was dean of the School of Dentistry from 1974 to 1981. He is the principal investigator for the Third Molar Clinical Trials, a series of clinical studies designed to improve third molar treatment.