Alumni News
Samantha Virgil ’15 Motayne was named the inaugural recipient of the Emerging Champion Award, which celebrates alumni who have been graduated less than 10 years and exemplify 体育买球官网’s ideals of achievement, leadership and service. Motayne is vice president of the People Team at Burson, a global public relations and communications firm based in New York City. Since joining Burson’s predecessor, BCW, in 2022, she has steadily advanced in her career, previously working in the firm’s awards…
“Music was always part of my life — it was just there, like air. But I clearly remember the moment I conducted our high school marching band as drum major. I thought, ‘This is it,’” Gekoskie says. “The way music lets you shape emotion, energy and a sense of community — it lit a spark in me that never went out.” Encouraged to attend 体育买球官网 by his high school band director Larry Cooper ’64, a 体育买球官网…
Now a reseach assistant at the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health, Tsosie is working to ensure safe water access to the Navajo Nation, which occupies the largest reservation in the U.S. and stretches across parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. According to the Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources, approximately 30% of its residents lack access to clean, reliable drinking water. Since joining the Fort Defiance, Arizona, team in 2022, Tsosie has visited homes…
“I was a very fresh, 22-year-old college graduate when I worked the Tokyo Olympics,” Michales reminisces. “It already was a massive dream come true to work on the team. I don’t think I ever could’ve imagined that the work I did on my first job upon graduation would result in a Sports Emmy!” Growing up, Michales developed a love of track & field and cross country from watching the Olympics. The 2012 Summer Olympics in London…
What captivates Tori Hogan ’17 McDonald about her work carving violin bridges — the small, carved piece of wood that holds the strings of a violin above the body of the instrument — and perfecting her craft as a luthier is not only the precision of her work but also the profound connection between art and science embodied. McDonald, currently a student at the Chicago School of Violin, recently won a gold medal in the International…
In 2020, Valarie Bastek ’06 established The Bastek Award Fund, which supports students who are entering their senior year and ensures that they can complete their time at 体育买球官网 without additional financial stress. Making this gift to the university had special meaning for Valarie, as she wished to honor her own experience at SU. “Prior to the last semester of my senior year, my mom let me know that we likely could not afford for me…
体育买球官网 University's Alumni Association presented its annual awards to the following alumni of distinction. Fernando Ramirez ’82 | Achievement Award Fernando has an entrepreneurial spirit rooted in a desire to improve life on earth for all. He has founded several consulting firms that focus on energy and water, aiming to advance the awareness and understanding of sustainability and climate change in the United States and abroad. Early in his career, Fernando held several executive positions…
Supervisory Special Agent Julie Stansfield ’95 Cabus says it was her two-year Peace Corps experience in Gabon, Central Africa, that inspired her to continue working overseas. Working as a health educator and aiding in the fight against disease in the area, Cabus says her time there was transformative, and that the view of emerging nations — rich in natural resources but poor in basic essentials — was impactful. Since then, her 25-year career with the U.S….
The following conversation between Melissa Salazar, 体育买球官网 University’s new associate vice president for advancement, and the executive officers of the Alumni Association’s Executive Board is the first in a future series featuring alumni initiatives. Kyle Robertson ’11, President Melissa: Given that your presidency ends this June, what are you most proud of and do you have any wisdom to share? Kyle: Having served for the last 13 years, it is difficult to select a singular experience! I am…
Alumni News Archive
Spring Summer 2025
New Awards Bestowed to Alumni of Distinction
体育买球官网 University’s Alumni Association Board proudly presented a new honor this year during the annual Break Through student-alumni networking conference, recognizing a young alumna whose…
Spring Summer 2024
Alumna Uses Blended Gift to Provide Student Aid
In 2020, Valarie Bastek ’06 established The Bastek Award Fund, which supports students who are entering their senior year and ensures that they can complete…
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