A high-school dropout who attended a community college before transferring to the University of California, Davis, will be presented with the University Medal -- the university's highest academic honor -- when he graduates Saturday, June 20. R'lyeh Schanning of Elk Grove, who earned straight "A's" on his way to a bachelor of arts in history, will be among several graduates receiving special awards for scholarship and campus and community service at commencement ceremonies this month. Now a 27-year-old husband and father of a 16-month-old boy, Schanning dropped out of high school at 16 and later graduated from Sacramento City College as its top student in 1995. Schanning, who served an internship at Elk Grove High School and was a volunteer tutor at Sacramento High School, intends to teach initially at the high-school level, and after earning a graduate degree in history, at a community college. "Both the pleasure and the frustration which I have experienced when helping students has made me realize that I must do more than just become a teacher -- I must try to encourage others to embrace learning," he wrote in his application for the award. "I want to explain to our adolescents that they have the potential to become academic all-stars despite the labels that people may place on them or the obstacles they may encounter in life." Schanning will receive the medal, which includes a $500 cash prize, at the College of Letters and Science's first commencement at 9 a.m. in Recreation Hall. The following five award recipients also will be honored at the same ceremony: * June Kolander of Oakland will be presented with the Mary Jane Gilhooly Award as the most outstanding graduating woman. The award, which includes a $500 stipend, recognizes service and leadership in university and community activities as well as excellent scholarship. Kolander, who will graduate with a bachelor's degree in sociology, studied Spanish to become more effective as a volunteer encouraging disadvantaged youth to pursue education. She also has been a resident advisor and peer counselor. * Seth Stevelman of San Diego will be presented with the $500 Leon Mayhew Award, presented by the college for academic achievement and service to the university. Stevelman, who will graduate with a bachelor's degree in mathematics and political science and a grade point average of 3.968, worked as a teaching assistant and grader, was president of a mathematics honor society and managed an election campaign for student government. * Joslyn Mock of Clayton will be presented with the $500 Herbert A. Young Award, presented by the college for academic achievement and service to the university. Mock, who will graduate with a bachelor of science in anthropology, earned a 3.975 grade point average and won several other scholarships and awards while at UC Davis. * Kypros Hostetter of Sacramento, a senior in history and classics, has won the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research and the accompanying $500 prize. The winning research project was titled "A Dying Creed: The Decline of Paganism A.D. 213-395." * Bruce Jentleson, director of the UC Davis Washington Center and a professor of political science, has won the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Mentoring Undergraduate Research. The following six award recipients will be recognized at the Agricultural and Environmental Sciences commencement in Recreation Hall at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, June 21. * Thomas Duncan of Sacramento, a single father who came to the university after a career as a carpenter, will be presented with the V. Glenn Winslow Jr. Award as the most outstanding graduating man. The award, which includes a $500 stipend, recognizes service and leadership in university and community activities as well as excellent scholarship. Duncan, who will graduate with a bachelor of science in community development, has provided leadership to help students at a Sacramento junior high school better understand agriculture through gardening. * Heather Collins of Citrus Heights will be presented with the college's medal for scholarship and extracurricular activities and its $500 prize. Collins, who will graduate with a bachelor of science in genetics, is described by a professor as a "superb scientist in training" who has already conducted independent laboratory projects and had her research published. The winner of several other prestigious scholarships, she has volunteered in the emergency room at the UC Davis Medical Center and at a convalescent home. * Linda Marie White of Santa Rosa is one of two recipients of the $1,000 Charles Hess Community Service Award, which recognizes the college's outstanding female and male graduating students based on community and campus service. White, who will graduate with a bachelor of science in dietetics, has been an intern with Sutter Davis Hospital; the federal government's Woman, Infant and Children program; and a meal delivery program for homebound individuals. In addition to serving as principal cellist with the university's symphony orchestra, she was active in a sorority and the Nutrition Dietetics Association. She has also won the $1,000 Carl L. Garrison Merit Award, offered by the Cal Aggie Alumni Association. * Renante Cadiz of Earlimart, who will graduate with a bachelor of science in biochemistry, is the male recipient of the $1,000 Hess Award. Having already published research on Lyme disease, he has tutored first-year students and served on a curriculum committee. Cadiz has also worked with Davis Community Meals, the Explorit Science Center and Clinica Tepati. * Thu-Thao Nu Ha of Oakland will be presented with the $500 Mary Regan Meyer Prize, given to a student who demonstrates exceptional motivation covering a broad range of interests. Ha, who will graduate with a bachelor of science in biochemistry, finished as the top-ranked student in the class. She has served as activities coordinator of the UC Davis Student Corps and has volunteered with the Yolo County Food Bank, Davis Community Meals, St. John's Home for Battered Women, the Davis Soup Kitchen and both a private dental office and a dental clinic. * Adelia Benjamin will be presented with the $1,000 John E. Kinsella Memorial Prize, given by the college to honor a doctoral candidate's dissertation. Benjamin has sought to find an iron fortificant suitable for cereals consumed in developing countries. Articles based on her research have been submitted to journals, and she is proposing to apply her research findings to an intervention study in Jamaica. The following two students also have won awards. * Stacey Lum of Milpitas will be presented with the M.S. Ghausi Medal, the highest academic honor in the College of Engineering, at a 6:30 p.m. commencement Friday, June 19, in Recreation Hall. Lum, who maintained straight "A's" as she pursued a bachelor of science in chemical engineering, won seven other scholarships. She also has participated in a sorority and served as an intern at Sutter Memorial Hospital. Lum will be awarded a $500 cash prize. * Charles Young of Bakersfield, who is completing his junior year in biological sciences, has won the $900 Lawrence J. Andrews Prize for academic excellence and extracurricular activities. Young maintained "A" grades while competing as a member of the men's swimming team, working with Habitat for Humanity and attaining certification as an emergency medical technician. Young will be recognized at his commencement next year.