Alumni Spotlight
Today, the Honors College has about 800 students, and nearly 100 graduates each semester. Since 1988, many Honors graduates have gone on to do great things. It is our honor to showcase their accomplishments below with alumni spotlights and alumni notes.
Are you an Honors Alumnus or Alumna interested in having your story featured in our yearly publication, The Dialogue? Email us at honors@shsu.edu to express your interest!
Alumni Spotlights
| Spring 2021 | Dr. Jadrian Wooten, PhD (2009) |
| Fall 2019 | Eric Semlear, B.A. (1999) |
| Spring 2019 | Dr. Katelyn Brunno Stafford, PhD (2011) |
| Fall 2018 | Dr. Melissa Alvarez-Downing, MD (2000) |
Alumni Notes
Alumni Notes are brief notes that highlight our most recent graduate's academic and personal achievements. These notes are featured in each edition of the Honors College Newsletter, The Dialogue.
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Are you an Honors Alum? Would you like to be featured? Email us your updates at honors@shsu.edu.
Alumni Q&A: An interview with Dr. Jadrian Wooten, Ph. D
Spring 2021 Alumni Spotlight
Dr. Wooten is an award-winning educator, dedicated researcher, and recent author at Penn State University who donated funds to help and support the Elliott T. Bowers Honors College.
Dr. Jadrian Wooten graduated from Sam Houston State University in 2009 with a B.A. in Economics and Management and a minor in Entrepreneurship and earned his MBA with an emphasis in Economics and Management in 2010. He went on to earn his PhD from Washington State University (2014) and become an award-winning educator at Penn State University as an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics.
On June 30, 2021, Dr. Wooten's book titled Parks And Recreation And Economics was published. Through the lens of the popular American sitcom Parks and Recreation(2009), Dr. Wooten's book teaches the principles of economics by referencing scenes from the show to illustrate important economic concepts.
Remotely at Sam Houston State University, we invited him to share his experiences in two Q&A interviews. One interview for our Honors newsletter, The Dialogue and one to be added to our Honors Alumni Spotlights website. His responses to the first interview were recorded in February 2021 and his responses to the second interview were recorded in July 2021.
Q. Dr. Wooten, you recently donated $500 to the Elliott T. Bowers Honors College at Sam Houston State University. You are an Alumni of both SHSU and the Honors College Program. What moved you to donate such a generous amount to Honors?
A. When I was accepted to SHSU out of high school, the Honors College was the only scholarship Sam offered me. I would eventually earn scholarships through the College of Business Administration, but those were really the only departments that offered anything. I applied for university scholarships and Alumni scholarships, but I was never awarded those. I know how important that scholarship was for my parents, so I make sure that most of my donations to SHSU are directed at either the Honors College or the Economics Department.
Q. Can you take us back to your undergraduate years as a member of the Elliott T. Bowers Honors College? Can you comment on how Honors impacted your time at Sam Houston State University?
A. The Honors experience was a pivotal part of my entire undergraduate career. I lived in the Honors dorm, with the same roommate, all four years I was on campus. My closest friends from Sam Houston State University were all in the Honors Program with me, and we did everything together. From intramural sports to carpooling to cultural outings. When I look back on my fondest memories as an undergrad, they almost always include some aspect of the Honors College: friends from the program, living in Spivey House, or the Let’s Talk Dinner.
Q. Even though the Honors College is meant for undergraduates, can comment on how the College impacted your graduate studies at Sam Houston State University?
A. The Honors College prepared me for the seminar-style classes I would take in graduate school. I had never really taken other classes that had a large discussion component or that were taught by multiple faculty. By the time I started graduate school (both my MBA at SHSU and my PhD at Washington State), the classes included a lot of discussion and often multiple professors. I felt comfortable with that style because of the Honors seminars.
Q. You are an award-winning researcher and Associate Professor at Penn State . Can you tell us a little bit about your research interest?
A. Most of my current work is economics pedagogy, which focuses on developing resources for educators to teach economics. These resources are primarily targeted at undergraduate and high school courses. I was taught by some amazing faculty in the Economics department. My classes are significantly larger than they were at SHSU (the largest has 720!), but I try to teach them the same way I learned at Sam Houston State University. It had such a positive impact on my life that I want to bring a bit of that to my students at Penn State. My secondary line of research focuses on sports economics. My dissertation was on the economics of Major League Soccer, and a lot of that had to do with the Houston Dynamo relocation while I was still at Sam. My friends and I would go to a few games each year and that's what sparked my interest. I don't publish as much in sports economics because most of my time is spent on the pedagogy work.
Q. You are well known for your work on the integration of media into the economic curriculum. Are you working on anything of note that you’d like to share?
A. I actually have a book that will be published this summer (June 2021) that teaches the principles of economics through the lens of Parks and Rec. It references scenes from the show to illustrate various economic concepts. I use a lot of pop-culture videos in my classes when I teach, and a publisher reached out about publishing that part of my work. Most of the work I'm actively involved in right now is focused on how to teach with other pop-culture shows like Moneyball, Superstore, or K-Pop music. I feel very fortunate that my job lets me watch a lot of TV shows and it's considered research.
Q. Do you have any advice to offer current Honors undergraduates? Do you have anything else you’d like to add?
A. Get involved in every single possible thing you have time to do. I absolutely loved the smaller events like Pizza with a Prof or invited speakers. I loved getting to work on the Undergraduate Research Symposium or coordinating events with the Honors Council. It's really easy to skip smaller events because there are other things to do, but those were some of the best things I did when I was an undergraduate.
- First Interview End -
- Second Interview -
Q. Your book titled Parks and Recreation and Economics was recently published on June 30, 2021. We're interested to know; how does it feel to have your work published?
A. It feels very surreal to hold a physical copy of something I spent so long working on. I've written research articles for years now, but I wouldn't have called myself an author because of those. It'll take me some time to get used to the idea of being an author.
Q. Your book teaches economic concepts through the lens of the famous American sitcom Parks and Recreation (2009). Can you tell us why you chose to explore those concepts through the lens of that particular sitcom? What was it about Parks and Recreation (2009) that made it perfect for your project?
A. The main reason I picked Parks and Recreation (2009) was just that I loved the show and I found some really good teachable examples as I was watching. Once the series was over, I went back through the show with a colleague to see if we could find more examples we missed the first time watching it. Eventually, a book was the next move. The book is structured very similarly to how I teach my courses so it wasn't too hard to write.
Q. We understand that you're involved in developing teaching resources for university and high school instructors. Is Parks and Recreation and Economics (2021) a reading designed more for high school students or undergraduates? Perhaps a combination of both?
A. It's definitely written for both groups, but it's targeted as a textbook alternative for college students. Since so many people take economics as high school seniors, and principles of economics is usually taught to college freshman, there isn't that big of a gap between the ability of both groups.
Q. The Publisher you worked with was Routledge: A Publisher of Professional & Academic Books. What is it like working with such a prominent academic Publisher? From the author's perspective, is the publication process as complicated as it seems?
A. I had zero knowledge of the publishing process beforehand. They were really helpful in giving me a timeline of when things would happen and how long each step would take. It was also neat to see how many different people read the book before it's actually printed. If you find a typo, just know that I read the full copy at least six (6) times and that three (3) different people read it at least once as well. Before publishing with them, I always assumed just a single person copyedited books.
Q. There are certainly undergraduates and graduates alike interested in having their own research published one day. Do you have any advice for them?
A. There are a lot of great resources out there to self-publish if people are interested in that. One of the things that I think helped me with my book is that I work really hard to share my research as much as I can in different ways (email groups, social media, conferences, etc.). In order to get recognized by publishers, researchers need to be actively promoting their work and themselves. It's not enough to do good work and hope that you're found.
Q. Are there any more books or similar projects in the works?
A. I have ideas, but nothing concrete yet. I have a bad habit of jumping into projects as soon as I finish one, so I'm trying to relax and just enjoy this one for a bit.
Alumni Q&A: An interview with Eric Semlear, B.A.
Fall 2019 Alumni Spotlight
Real Talk speaker for the College of Criminal Justice and current Director of Case Management at Gavin de Becker & Associates (GDBA)
Eric Semlear graduated from Sam Houston State University in 1999 with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. After graduation, he went on to work for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services for seven years. In 2006, he accepted a job with Gavin de Becker & Associates (GDBA) where he has now been for almost 14 years. He is currently the Director of Case Management at GDBA.
At Sam Houston State University, we invited him to share his experiences in a Q&A for our Honors publication, The Dialogue. His responses were recording in January 2020.
Q. Mr. Semlear, you recently visited campus as a Real Talk speaker for the College of Criminal Justice. How was it returning to campus almost twenty years after your graduation?
A. It was just over twenty years since I graduated, and I hadn't been back to campus in some time. Seeing all the growth and construction was really a contrast. Spivey is now a construction site, and most of the streets are one way. It took some navigating, but it was great to see all the interest in the campus and resulting growth. It was also great seeing the Honors office now, and what it's grown into. I had a great time.
Q. During your Real Talk, you spoke to students and faculty about your experience and your current position at GDBA. Can you tell us a little about what you do?
A. GDBA is a protective security consulting firm that advises clients on the assessment and management of situations that might pose a hazard to their safety or well-being. The bulk of my work involves managing cases and helping clients navigate inappropriate pursuit, threats, and harassment, including situations involving mentally ill stalkers, disgruntled current and former employees, stalkers who pursue their victims at the workplace, interpersonal stalking, and cases of domestic violence.
Q. After your presentation for CJ, you visited us over at Honors. You were a member of the Honors Program from 1995 to 1999 and were able to name all the students on the Spivey House t-shirt! Are you still in contact with any of your housemates from then?
A. My wife (Kelly Richards Semlear) and I met freshman year when we both lived in Spivey, and we got married the summer after we graduated. We had our 20th anniversary last year, and we have three daughters. Kelly has more of a social media presence than I do, but I’m still in touch with several of the other Spivey residents.
Q. Aside from your Spivey housemates, what was most memorable about the Honors Program?
A. It was the people, the community, and the relationships that resulted, not just through Spivey, but throughout the program. This was all under Dr. Eglsaer at the time. I had a great relationship with him, and the professors in the Honors classes. That community caught me at the right time, coming out of a large high school without much individuality. For me, it truly felt like the right place at the right time for that next stage in my life.
Q. Did your Honors membership affect your studies in any way?
A. Yes, definitely. The smaller class size, the attention and interaction with the professors, all contributed heavily to my interests and direction. I minored in Psychology and English. My first English class at SHSU was an Honors class with Dr. Donahoo my freshman year, and it just went from there. I didn’t plan to minor in English initially, but that class, and the others I took through Honors and the English Department had such an impact that I wanted to keep going.
Q. Though the Honors Program, now Honors College, has changed since you graduated. Would you recommend it to students?
A. Absolutely, and change is an understatement. I was able to meet with Dr. Eglsaer and Dr. Bilsing during my recent trip. The Honors College is ten times the size it was when I was at SHSU, and it was still the Honors Program then. The Honors Program is definitely part of what helped me find my voice, and helped me get started in my career. That was a special time and place for me, and I think that is true for many people that come through the program.
Q. Is there anything else you would like to share with us?
A. Just to say thanks again for the hospitality during the visit. I'm glad I made it back, and I look forward to visiting again.
Alumni Q&A: An interview with Dr. Katelyn Bruno Stafford, Ph.D.
Spring 2018 Alumni Spotlight
Young Investigator of the Year Award: Basic and Translational Science Competition awarded by the World Congress on Acute Heart Failure and Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology Joint Meeting in Athens, Greece
Dr. Bruno graduated with a Bachelor’s of Criminal Justice and Chemistry from Sam Houston State University in 2011. She went on to earn her Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health by researching myocarditis and currently works as an instructor and lab manager at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. She is also an adjunct faculty instructor at the University of North Florida.
At Sam Houston State University, we invited her to share her experiences in a Q&A for our Honors Newsletter, The Dialogue. Our interview with Dr. Bruno was recorded in May 2019.
Q. You were a member of the Honors Program during your time at Sam. Did this affect your studies in any way?
A. Yes, I was in the Honors Program during my whole time at Sam including as an Honors Ambassador and graduating with Highest Honors. In response to your next question I will describe my journey getting into the Program. I was lucky to be very involved with the Program and had some unique experiences in my studies due to being an Honors Student.
I really enjoyed taking some of my core classes as Honors courses because I feel that I gained even more knowledge on the topics because the classes were formatted in a more integrative interactive way. I had three unique class experiences with my honors classes. The first of which was taking a Criminal Law course as an Honors Contract class. I worked directing with my professor in order to adjust my class work to fit the criteria as an Honors class. In this class of around 100 students I was the only one taking it as an Honors class. Since he knew about my passion for the sciences (I was a double major for Chemistry and Criminal Justice) we designed a project for me in which I had to research and write a paper on the use of retrospectively determining blood alcohol concentrations in criminal cases. The second Honors Contract class I took was actually my Calculus 2 course. This professor also knew of my interest in criminal justice so he designed a project in which I had to use calculus tools in order to solve a CLUE game like puzzle and determine who a murderer was. My last unique Honors class experience was in my Honors Seminar. I was able to contract a seminar during a mini-semester. One summer I did a 2 week mini-semester led by Dr. Young, tent camping all over the State of Texas. This class was a joint History and English class where we read books and then visited the exact sites that these books were based off of. I have never heard of another person at Sam or at other institutions who had the chance to get so involved physically in something they were learning about.
Another way the Honors Program affected my studies is that due to my involvement in the Program and my commitment to my education my freshman year I was awarded The Sammy for the Best First Year Student. During my second semester of my freshman year I had the honor of being selected as an Honors Ambassador, being selected so early in my education was an honor and the opportunities I had as an Ambassador positively affected my whole college experience.
I always tell people that going to Sam Houston is the reason I am where I am today because going to a smaller school and being part of the Honors Program gave me one on one attention from my professors that I would not have gotten over wise. I got involved with research during the summer after my freshman year because of mentorship I received from Drs. Young and Holmes, and due to my participation in research I was able to attend conferences to present my work. The Honors Program funded some of these trips and one of the trips that they funded was the trip that I met the professor from Johns Hopkins who recruited me.
One funny story of how the Program affected my studies was at Graduation, Dr. Eglsaer stopped and hugged me as I walked off stage and made the joke that I extended the program by 5 minutes. The reason he made this joke was because I took advantage of every opportunity the Honors Program gave me and therefore had numerous Honors read after my name was called as I received my diploma, more than anyone else that graduated that day.
Q. What was most memorable about the Honors Program?
A. One of the most memorable things about the Honors Program to me is the fact that I didn’t get into the Honors Program. When I was applying to undergraduate programs the high school IB programs were just becoming known and schools didn’t realize that they were advanced programs that were significantly more difficult than traditional high school classes. The group I applied with was very strong and because the IB program wasn’t known I did not look like as good of a candidate as other students, so I got a rejection letter for my application to be a part of the program. BUT, I knew that the Honors Program was where I was meant to be and that being a part of the Program would be an incredibly important part of my college education. So I appealed, I drove up to Sam on my summer break and set down with Dr. Young for 2 hours and was able to prove to him that the Honors Program is where I belonged. Taking that risk to try again after rejection was the best thing that I ever did and that moment has made me the scientist, teacher and mentor I am today.
The most memorable event I participated in while apart of the Honor Program was “Let’s Talk”. My freshman year was the first year they did Let’s Talk and I was able to attend every year due to being an Honors Ambassador. The reason it was memorable wasn’t the amazing food or people that I got to meet it was the fact that a large portion of the speakers were alumni of SHSU. I made it my goal at that very first Let’s Talk that one day I would make a difference in the world and would be invited to be a speaker myself. This is still my goal and would be the highlight of my career and I am working towards that goal everyday through my science.
Q. Would you encourage others to join Honors whether it be at SHSU or at any university?
A. I would and do encourage students to apply to Honors programs at their schools of interest because I know how much of a difference the Honors Program made in my life and how much it increased my college experience and led me to be as successful as I have been today. As an adjunct faculty at a local undergraduate university and a mentor for numerous students each year in the lab I do talk to them about how they can improve their current educational experience as well as what are things that will set them apart when applying to medical or graduate school, and Honors Programs are one of those things.
Q. You recently received your PhD in 2016 from John Hopkins School of Public Health. What made you decide to pursue a PhD? Do you have any recommendations for undergraduate students in regards to graduate school?
A. I always knew that I wanted to go to graduate school even as early as middle school, I knew undergraduate education wasn’t the endpoint for me. When I first started at Sam I thought that you had to get a Masters to go on to get a PhD but I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that competitive candidates could go straight into a PhD from undergrad and actually most PhD programs prefer that. I had been told by my teachers in high school and my professors in college that if I only got an undergraduate degree that I would end up sitting at a lab bench doing the same thing every day as a technician. I didn’t want that, so I decided a PhD was the way to go, so that every day was different and every day I got to discover something new even if that new thing was my experiment failing.
My biggest recommendation for students looking to get a PhD in the biological sciences or to get an MD is get involved early! Get involved in research, volunteering, leadership… become passionate... take chances and show them what sets you apart! Yes, having good grades and a high GRE/MCAT score is important but what is most important is YOU! Your personal statement, your recommendation letters and your interview are what tell programs if you will be successful, so do the things that will make those strong. Personally at Sam some of the things that set me apart was starting research my freshman year, serving as a TA, being an Ambassador, doing an internship, presenting at conferences, ect. If you are reading this you are already in the Honors Program or considering it so you have already taken your first step.
In biological PhD programs the most important aspect is your thesis research. So my biggest advice is always about picking your PhD mentor/boss/advisor/PI. What I tell people is “do not pick a mentor because you want to do research in specific field, they are Nobel Prize Winner, have 15 papers in Science, they have cool instruments, or they have a lot of grant money…. Pick a mentor. Pick a lab purely based on the person you are going to spend the next 5 years working under. You can become passionate about anything but if you have a mentor that doesn't mentor you, that you do not connect with, then you will be very unhappy and most likely unsuccessful.
Q. You are heavily involved with the Myocarditis Foundation and have done research in the field. Could you tell us more about this? What got you interested?
A. My involvement with the Myocarditis Foundation happened because my PhD research was on myocarditis. I went into my PhD thinking I wanted to do cancer research because my dad got cancer (I changed directions completely, threw criminal justice degree out the window, to go into medical research. But, I met a mentor who was the Ying to my Yang and her area of research was myocarditis so it became my area and my passion. As a PhD we do not see patients and we miss out on that patient contact motivation. So when I was given the opportunity to get involved with the Myocarditis Foundation I jumped at it. The Foundation is a nonprofit with a mission to fund research, support families, and educate the public and the medical community. Getting involved allowed me to interact with families who lost their loved ones, like a 6 year old active boy who was playing outside and walked inside collapsed in his mother’s arms and died instantly. These interactions made and make me work that much harder to give them answers and being involved with the Foundation gives me opportunities to interact with physicians and nurses to help educate them to recognize a disease that devastates families.
Q. You are an instructor and lab manager at Mayo Clinic where you also continue your research. How did this come about?
A. I have many titles and a unique career progression. I am current an Instructor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic in the Cardiovascular Medicine Department and I manage my boss, DeLisa Fairweather’s laboratory. This involves managing and mentoring 15 students and staff, planning experiments, analyzing data, writing grants and papers and much, much more. I have worked with DeLisa Fairweather since 2011 and we have become an amazing team and are working towards running the laboratory together as Co-PIs, as equals. I am also an Adjunct Faculty Instructor at University of North Florida. Mayo Clinic doesn’t have an undergraduate program and I am passionate about teaching, which started at Sam. I have the opportunity to mentor numerous students at Mayo Clinic but I enjoy teaching one class a year at UNF to continue to grow as a teacher.
Q. Have you received any awards/recognition for your research? Where do you plan to take this research in the future?
A. I have been extremely lucky and honored recently to be recognized for a number of my achievements. I am still very early in my career and somewhat behind due to moving institutions and prioritizing starting a family, but since graduating from SHSU, I have won multiple poster awards for best poster presentation, and numerous travel awards to attend conferences all over the world. I have been selected as a Young Investigator of the Year Award Finalist for the Mayo Clinic Angiogenesis and Tumor Microenvironment Symposium, Heart Failure Society of America, and American Heart Association: Basic Cardiovascular Sciences. Recently I was also selected as one of the 2018 American Pediatric Association (APA) Environmental Scholars and as one of the 2019 Future Leaders in Heart Failure. The highest honor thus far I received last week while in Athens Greece at the World Congress on Acute Heart Failure and Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology Joint Meeting. I competed and was awarded First Prize in the Young Investigator of the Year Award: Basic and Translational Science Competition.
I plan on staying in this field and continuing my research in myocarditis and heart failure. I absolutely love what I do and I know that the reason that I am where I am to do making a difference in the field I am in is due to my time at Sam and in the Honors Program.
Q. What do you consider your greatest accomplishment?
A. Other than these most recent awards honoring my potential in the heart failure field my biggest accomplishments are those of my students. Every great scientist has won awards but our biggest accomplishments are the accomplishments of those we mentor. Recently I have gotten amazing news of my students getting in Medical School, winning awards for best presentations at conferences and so much more. I honestly believe their success is my biggest success.
To read more about Dr. Bruno, visit the MAYO CLINIC or the MYOCARDITIS FOUNDATION.
Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Melissa Alvarez-Downing, M.D.
Fall 2018 Alumni Spotlight
SHSU Outstanding Young Alumni Award
Most college students inherently believe that they have the potential to effect change in a positive way, but often question if they are on the right path. For Dr. Melissa Alvarez-Downing, she always knew her career trajectory would lead her to help others.
Today, the mother of three is an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark, New Jersey, specializing in colon and rectal surgery. One of the youngest surgeons in her field, she is truly a rising star according to her colleagues and credits Sam Houston State University professors for steering her trajectory
Being as athletic as she is whip-smart, Dr. Alvarez-Downing excelled in science and sports from a young age. One of five children, she followed her older twin sisters to SHSU and received both academic and athletic scholarships. Taking honors classes through the Elliott T. Bowers Honors College, she was an Orange Key, ran cross country and track for all four years and graduated Magna Cum Laude with honors in 2000. Today, she stays connected to her alma mater as a Life Member of the Alumni Association.
The choice of path you take can have a significant impact on your destination in life, as Dr. Alvarez-Downing knows. She planned to earn a PhD in Chemistry, not an MD, and then teach – a goal of hers for as long as she can remember. However, faculty from the College of Arts and Sciences convinced her to consider a career in medicine
Dr. Mary Plishker, the head of the Chemistry Department at the time, mentored Dr. Alvarez-Downing and encouraged her to pursue medicine due to her outgoing personality and academic aptitude. However, it wasn’t until her Biology professor placed an application for a competitive summer medical program in front of her, that she truly considered a change.
Dr. Alvarez-Downing was accepted into the program and from that point on, she knew she wanted to be a physician. After graduating from SHSU with honors, Dr. Alvarez-Downing attended the prestigious Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, and received Board Certification from the American Board of Surgery in 2011 and the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery in 2015.
When describing this up-and-coming surgeon, colleagues portray her as personable, enthusiastic and committed.
Dr. Anne Mosenthal, chair of the Rutgers NJMS Department of Surgery commented, “She is well-trained and has a wonderful bedside manner. I’ve had the opportunity to partner with her, taking care of more complicated patients. The patients love her, the families love her.
Dr. Anastasia Kunac, program director for Rutgers NJMS General Surgery Residency echoed those sentiments, noting that Alvarez-Downing is “both passionate and compassionate, caring for patients and their families with incredible enthusiasm,” adding, “…I think for years to come she will be a role model.
And, that is true of Melissa as an educator as well,” Dr. Mosenthal added, “She is particularly interested in education and training the next generation, and that is what we are about here.
As a top-performing young professional, not only does Dr. Alvarez-Downing exemplify a focus on academics, excellence and rigor that define Rutgers NJMS, she personifies what it means to be an Outstanding Young Alumna at SHSU, emulating the university motto of “A measure of a Life is its Service,” through her teaching, education and philanthropy.
I found that throughout all steps of my training, were it medical school, residency, and even fellowship, that having someone you identify with, who encourages you, and reaches out and supports you is just so important. So, that’s been an important part of my professional life - to give back that way,” she said.
Dr. Alvarez-Downing is a Life Member of the SHSU Alumni Association and provides support to the Department of Chemistry and the Elliott T. Bowers Honors College.
Story accessed from: https://www.shsu.edu/dept/office-of-alumni-relations/distinguished-alumni-gala