Dean's Corner: Celebrating Our Alumni
This month is a celebration of you, our inspiring alumni who embody the College of Liberal Arts’ mission of fostering critical thinking, creativity, and social responsibility. Every day, you carry the torch of a liberal arts education while making significant contributions to your communities. Our world is a better place because of you!
As such, it is with great privilege and pleasure that I share this year’s 2023 Alumni Award Winners. These twelve Alumni of Notable Achievement and Emerging Alumni Award recipients represent the very best of CLA – storytellers, activists, scholars, artists, and entrepreneurs who are using their talents to create brighter tomorrows. They are problem-solvers, stereotype-challengers, and ultimately, opportunity-creators. And the impacts of their work have regional and global significance.
Please join me in celebrating:
Alumni of Notable Achievement
- Daniel Bergin (BA ‘90, interdepartmental), Weaving Media and Community Together
- Larry Golden (MA '69, PhD '74; political science), In Defense of the Innocent
- Vina Goghari (MA ‘06, PhD ‘09, psychology), Guiding the Next Generation
- Patricia Marroquin Norby (PhD ‘13, American studies), An Eye for Native American Art
- Jörg Pierach (BA ‘02, journalism), Cooking Up a Conversation
- Elissa Raffa (MFA ‘97, creative writing), Leadership and Writing
- John Wright (MA ‘71, English; PhD ‘77, American studies), A Lecture for Life
Emerging Alumni Award
- Vanessa Goodthunder (BA ‘16, American Indian studies, history), More to a Language
- Naomi Ko (BA ‘11, art history and English), From the Top—and Action!
- Arij Mikati (BA ‘10, political science and theatre arts & dance), A Storyteller for Change
- Tenzin Namdul (BA ‘11, anthropology), Bringing Together Modern and Tibetan Medicine
- Brittany L. Wright (BA ‘14, sociology of law, criminology & deviance), Your Own Sunlight
And don’t forget the important role you play in recognizing your alumni peers – nominations are now open for our 2024 Alumni Awards. Tell us about an extraordinary CLA alum in your life and they could be honored next. The process takes between 30-45 minutes but the impacts of your nomination could last a lifetime.
Thanks for helping us uplift our stellar CLA alumni.
