Lakewood firm awards scholarships, invests in 10 Toms River's residents. (New Jersey).

At an informal ceremony held recently at Ocean County College in Toms River, N.J., 10 Lakewood residents -- ranging from high school students to senior citizens -- received scholarships funded by Cedarbridge Development Corporation to attend courses this spring.

"This is one way of contributing to the community of Lakewood and furthering the potential of residents of all ages," said Phil Ludeke, project manager of Cedarbridge Corporate Campus, a 1.5 million SF office park in Lakewood. "The Cedarbridge project is about growth and improvement, both personal and professional, and education is an essential element in the development of any community."

The scholarship recipients range in age from 17 to 75, and while they each have different goals and come from varying circumstances, they all share a common ambition to better themselves. Their diversity is also representative of the varied student body pursuing two-year degrees at the college, the first county college to open its doors in New Jersey, in the fall of 1966.

The scholarship recipients reflect a broad spectrum of interests. Linda Rogers is a math tutor who is taking, courses as a way to keep up her skills. Ashley Johnson is a junior at Lakewood High who signed up for general psychology as part of the Jump Start Program, earning advanced college credits. Jon Kostulakos, a high school senior, is taking Spanish to fulfill a college entrance language requirement.

Bobbie Banks-Grove is pursuing her lifelong love of music with a piano course. And Irv Luban, a senior citizen, always wanted to take a computer course, and he is using the scholarship for a basic computer class.