Talk of the Neighborhood highlights Central Texans’ achievements.

* Class Acts *

* Waco High School senior Linzie Bradshaw, chair of the Community in Schools-Heart of Texas Youth Advisory Council, attended the Youth Leadership Institute at the annual National Network For Youth Symposium in Washington, D.C., in December.

Linzie, who was named the CIS of Texas 2008 Student of the Year) participated on the leadership panel at the symposium. Students also studied the legislative process and visited with their legislators and staff on Capitol Hill.

* Callie Jane Long of Waco, the daughter of Deb and Terry Meier, received a master of arts/economics degree from the University of Kansas in December.

* Janet Kathlyn Johnson of Waco graduated with honors from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls in December with a bachelor of applied arts and sciences degree.

* Baylor University student Jeffrey Lummus of Waco was awarded a Texas Society of CPAs Accounting Education Foundation Scholarship.

* Dominique Elize McAdoo of Waco made the president’s list at the University of Louisiana at Monroe for the fall semester.

* Students for the month of December at Bruceville-Eddy Intermediate School were:

Fourth grade — Makayla Barrientos, Tejay Davis, Kyle Doty, Megan Epperson, Mallory Baccus (P.E.) and Phoenix Agostino (P.E.).

Fifth grade — Tiffany Burgess, Alec Ehringer, Jake Higginbotham, Glory McBee, Jasmine Barrientos (P.E.) and Alex Ehringer (P.E.)

Sixth grade — Madison Culver, Erme Dominguez, Bailey Holly, John Paul Rodriguez, Hallie Reak (P.E.) and Jake Pavlas (P.E.) 

* Applause *

* The Rev. Nika Davis, pastor of Second Missionary Baptist Church in Waco, is the February Citizen of the Month for the African American Cen-Tex Chamber of Commerce.

A Texas A&M University cum laude graduate, he did postgraduate studies in history and philosophy, and earned master of divinity and doctor of ministry degrees.

He was ordained at Greater Rising Star Baptist Church in Fort Worth and began pastoring in 1994 with Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church of Nacog-doches. He served there for nine years, and taught history in the Lufkin school district.

In June 2003, he began his pastorate at Second Missionary Baptist. He and his wife, Beverly, have three children, Nika Jr., Samayim and Shekinah.

* McLennan Community College’s Small Business Development Center director Belinda Pillow and counselors Rae Carter and Michael Greenstaff have earned the designation of master business development specialists from the North Texas Small Business Development Center Network in Dallas.

* In the Military *

* Army National Guard Pfc. Bryan R. Shafer, the son of Debora J. Graap of Hewitt, is completing training to deploy to Afghanistan with the Illinois Army National Guard’s 33rd Infantry Brigade Team.

Shafer, a military intelligence specialist with two years of military service, is normally assigned to the 634th Brigade Support Battalion in Joliet, Ill. He is the son of Richard E. Shafer of East Moline, Ill.

E-mail items to NeighborPlus at neighborplus@ wacotrib.com. Questions? Call 757-5750.

* Air Force Airman Alyssa M. Pruitt, the niece of Freddie Salinas of Waco, graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. The 2008 graduate of Georgetown High School is the daughter of Howard Pruitt of Belton.

E-mail items to NeighborPlus at neighborplus@wacotrib.com. Questions? Call 757-5750.