These local students have recently distinguished themselves:

— Jack Richards of Altamont, at the Western New England University College of Pharmacy was welcomed into the profession during a White Coat Ceremony held on Aug. 26. Richards is one of 76 members in the College of Pharmacy’s Class of 2017. During the ceremony, Richards pledged to uphold the highest ideals and received a white lab coat to signify the role of caregiver;

— Adam Forti, a 2013 Berne-Knox-Westerlo graduate attending Union College received the Capital District Chapter of the New York State Society of Professional Engineers scholarship award for an outstanding area high school student planning to attend an ABET accredited college engineering program. He was one of three winners to receive $4,000;