ORION TWP. — Lake Orion High School 2025 graduates Austin Azarovitz and Bria Bailey were awarded the Television Production Workshop “Heart of a Dragon” Memorial Scholarship.
Ted Swietlik, a 2014 graduate of LOHS, was a two-year member of Television Production Workshop (TPW) at the high school and participated in many of the broadcasting classes. He spent a lot of his time in the TPW studio and classroom as he pursued his dream of being a sports broadcaster.

Ted had a congenital heart defect and is the first-ever TPW alumni to pass away in their more than 30-year history. Thus, the TPW Ted Swietlik “Heart of a Dragon” Scholarship was born.
“Ted had a passion for life and a heart of gold. He was proud to be a Lake Orion Dragon and a member of the TPW family. In spite of the limitations caused by his heart problems, Ted contributed hundreds of service hours to the community. It was very important to Ted to help others in need,” said Karen Swietlik, Ted’s mother.
The Heart of a Dragon scholarship is given to one current TPW student each year who exhibits similar ambitions and values as Ted. The scholarship was started 10 years ago and is funded by the TPW alumni.
“This year’s applicants all had the same wonderful qualities that Ted had and it was very hard to decide on a winner of this scholarship. Ultimately, it was decided that we could not just pick one recipient. With many great applicants for this scholarship, we decided to award two scholarships this year,” Karen said.
The winners, chosen by the Swietlik family, were selected because they most closely matched the spirit and qualities that Ted embodied.
“What defines the ‘Heart of a Dragon?’ The mighty dragon has many defining features, each one aiding the creature to succeed – it’s sharp, intelligent mind, protective scaly skin, fiery, energized breath and

most importantly, its strong beating heart. All features that work together to make the dragon who he is and what I believe I am,” Azarovitz said.
Bailey had more than 100 hours of community service while participating in many school clubs and activities.
“The service hours not only allow me to make a positive impact but also demonstrate to my classmates the importance of supporting one another and our school,” Bailey said.