DEPUTIES HONORED FOR SERVICE TO COMMUNITY.(News) - Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)

Byline: SIMONE SCHRAMM Community Columnist

Six sheriff's deputies were honored last week by the Agoura/Oak Park/Las Virgenes Chamber of Commerce for their hard work and dedication to the community.

Honorees included Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies Michael Ranes, Stephen Rotella, Patrick Mathers, Lawrence Mohr and Kevin Pearcy; property custodian Gloria Ferra; and Ventura County sheriff's Deputy Brian Tiffany.

``They're all excellent employees and a credit to both the Sheriff's Department and to the community they serve,'' said Capt. Tom Martin of the Lost Hills sheriff's station.

``I like having a positive impact on the area I work in,'' said Rotella, one of the honorees. ``I was appreciative that I was getting recognized for doing good work in the community.''

The chamber also presented Los Angeles City Councilman Dennis Zine with an award for 33 years of service to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Alyssa Netto, a senior at Providence High School in Burbank, attended the prestigious National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine at UCLA.

Netto belongs to the high school's Health Careers Focus Program, which prepares teens for a career in health care.

``Alyssa is an enthusiastic and highly motivated student,'' said Arjan Harjani, director of the HCFP. ``She is really passionate about her future career.''

Karina Pikhart of Granada Hills attended the Global Young Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C., and New York City.

Pikhart was among 350 scholars worldwide selected to attend the conference, in which they learned different ways of dealing with current cultural and political issues.

The Canoga Park Elks Emblem Club No. 360 presented a $1,000 scholarship to Jennifer Marriot, a graduate of El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills.

Jennifer plans to attend Cal Polytechnic San Luis Obispo in the fall.

The Foothill Civitan Club of Burbank presented $500 scholarships to Kelsey Browne of Burbank High School and Diana Diaz of John Burroughs High School in Burbank.

Rebecca Wetzel, a junior at Louisville High School in Woodland Hills, was selected by the Foundation of the State Bar of California to participate in a weeklong Legal Heritage Institute, a legal literacy summer camp for students.

She entered a statewide essay competition titled ``My Rights and Responsibilities Under the Law'' with an essay on the importance of an independent judiciary.

Accounting students Alexandria Say of Northridge and Debbie Yim of Encino received scholarships from the California Society of CPAs.

Say, who attends California State University, Northridge, received $2,500 from the group's Los Angeles chapter and Yim, who attends the University of California at Berkeley, received $1,200 from its East Bay chapter.

Northridge resident Amanda Tang was among three Southern California students to explore various career options during the National Student Leadership Conference. The teens visited the Los Angeles County/USC and Centinela medical centers.