Two pals have been selected to journey to the US as part of a link forged between Lockerbie and a North American university.
Alicia Pagan and Lauren Carruthers have become the latest youngsters to land the coveted positions of Syracuse students.
The pair, from Ecclefechan, have been friends since attending classes together at Hoddom Primary.
But come autumn, the duo will jet to the esteemed New York state-based university to study for a year after beating off 14 other applicants to be handed the prestigious placements.
The exchange marks the bittersweet legacy of links forged between the town and Syracuse University, after 35 of the institution’s students studying abroad perished aboard the Pan-Am 103 flight which detonated in the skies above Lockerbie on December 21, 1988.
It led to an understanding between the town and the US uni, in a bid to change the legacy of terrorism by growing “a relationship based on community healing and cultural exchange”.
The scheme has led to Lockerbie Academy students being handed the chance to study at the American campus, in a bid to forge links between the two communities, since 1990.
Now house captain Alicia and school captain Lauren, both 17, have been handed the title of Remembrance Scholars 2021/22.
Syracuse names the role of Remembrance Scholar as “one of the most prestigious honours the university bestows”.
Places are awarded by the Lockerbie Trust.
Lockerbie Academy said on Facebook: “Huge congratulations to Alicia Pagan and Lauren Carruthers.
“Well done to all 16 applicants, it was a very tough decision for the Lockerbie Trust to make.”
