Two Lake Orion High School students have received the Ted Swietlik Heart of a Dragon Memorial Scholarship and will
“We are glad to be continuing honoring Ted by awarding the winner of the Ted Swietlik Heart of a Dragon Memorial Scholarship. This year, we were able to meet in person and present the scholarships at the TPW Alumni Day at the Lake Orion High School in May,” said Karen Swietlik, Ted’s mother.

The winners of this year’s “Ted Swietlik Heart of a Dragon Scholarship” are Alexandria Davis and Derek Steele. This scholarship was established by the TPW alumni in memory of Ted Swietlik after he died seven years ago.
Ted Swietlik, a 2014 graduate of LOHS, was a two -year member of Television Production Workshop (TPW) 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 the workshop’s 30-year history. Thus, the TPW Ted Swietlik, “Heart of a Dragon” Scholarship was born.
Ted has 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. This scholarship is given to one current TPW student each year who exhibits similar ambitions and values as Ted,” Karen Swietlik said.
Alexandria Davis explains herself as possessing the qualities that best exemplify and demonstrate her “Heart of a Dragon” as a person who shows compassion and determination.
She has tried to show compassion for others going through difficult situations and has completed more than 150 hours of community service.

She will continue to use her determination to continue to help others in her future broadcasting career.
The second recipient of this year’s scholarship is Derek Steele.
Derek was able to find resilience throughout many challenges and did not give up when presented with obstacles.
He was a strong support for his family when his brother was sick and didn’t give up when facing challenges with online schooling.
He was awarded a first-place award from the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association for his story on Deputy Bob Loken.
He will continue to keep his “Heart of a Dragon” alive as he moves forward in college next year pursuing a career in Broadcasting.
This scholarship is funded by the TPW alumni and/or donations.
Anyone who would like to contribute toward this scholarship can go to parent.payschools.com/cat.asp?id=C77F8716D2A64460846A6AAF55F9600F.