Excellence Personified
Six alumni and a former professor were recognized for their professional achievements and service to the University at the annual Distinguished Alumni Gala in October. Jane Avila 鈥�90, Lon Burnam 鈥�79, Harry Dombroski 鈥�79, Al Ellis 鈥�65, and Keith Weiss 鈥�73 received the Distinguished Alumni Award. Mustaque Ahmed 鈥�81 received the Distinguished International Alumni Award, and Karin McCallum received the Honorary Distinguished Alumni Award. Avila 摆鈥
Goolsby Leadership Endowment
Investing in tomorrow鈥檚 leaders can yield immediate payback. That鈥檚 a benefit Fort Worth-based BNSF Railway realized through its support of UT Arlington鈥檚 Goolsby Leadership Academy, a rigorous two-year program for about 60 junior and senior business majors. Academy scholars enhance their business education by taking specialized courses and participating in activities that enhance leadership skills. BNSF Railway has been a longtime supporter of the academy 摆鈥
Nairobi, Kenya
It truly is a small world, thanks to people like alumnus Ankit Rohatgi, who brings communication to isolated corners of the globe. The 36-year-old native of India uses two UT Arlington master鈥檚 degrees鈥攅lectrical engineering 鈥�01 and business administration 鈥�05鈥攁s a senior solutions architect for Ericsson, the Dallas-based telecommunications equipment giant. He creates cellphone satellite connections in remote areas such as small villages or large ships. 摆鈥
A Passion for Performing
Raquel Bell got knocked around by CSI: Miami actor David Caruso once, and she鈥檚 pretty proud of it. It was all in a day鈥檚 work for the 2003 graduate, who shared a scene with Caruso on the hit CBS show. 鈥淚 played a paramedic trying to save his partner鈥檚 life,鈥� she says. 鈥淪uddenly, and totally off script, David tried to push me out of the 摆鈥
Topping Out
The Architecture Alumni Chapter hosted its eighth annual Topping Out dinner and awards program in October at the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas. The networking event brings together industry leaders from the building profession to recognize the teams that create outstanding built environments in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Proceeds benefit the Arc of Dallas and the School of Architecture. For chapter information, visit utaalumni鈥�.org.