Miami Honors Outstanding Alumni with 18 Of the Last 9 Young Alumni Award

BY BLAIR DONOVAN
Miami University journalism student

Eighteen Miami University alumni who graduated in the past nine years will be honored a the 18 Of the Last 9 award tonight at the Marcum Center.

Friends, family, former classmates, and members of various academic departments will attend the award ceremony dinner, where Miami President Greg Crawford will present the awards. Two current students will also attend.

This marks the fourth year of the award, which was created by the Alumni Association and the Young Alumni Council. The 2016 honorees were selected for "going above and beyond the norm," according to Joy Usner, assistant director for young alumni and students.

"We were looking for a way to honor young alumni," said Usner regarding the award. "It's a play off the year the university was founded, so that's why we choose 18 people who graduated in the last nine years."

The award brings recipients back to campus for two days to connect with faculty and students. Nikki Martinkovic, a 2009 graduate who created her own textile company, is a recipient this year. She said she has loved being back on campus, seeing how far student organizations have come since she graduated.

"Miami is so supportive of me," said Martinkovic. "Mark Lacker was my mentor and he always believed in me. It's great to be back. I love Miami."

During the two days the honorees spend on campus, Usner is in charge of coordinating personalized schedules for them.

"Some meet with classes, some meet with student organizations," said Usner. "For example, Nikki Martinkovic helped start the fashion club, so she'll get to connect with them."

Two graduates with ties to the Department of Media, Journalism & Film participated in a question-and-answer session with about 90 MJF students on Thursday afternoon. Both Marni Goldberg, class of 2007 and a senior staffer in the Department of Commerce, and Emily Siedlak Hennell, class of 2008 and a foreign service officer with State Department, completed MJF's "Inside Washington" program while students.

In addition to visiting campus, the 18 recipients also had dinner with Crawford and his wife, Miami Ambassador Renate Crawford, at Lewis Place on Thursday night.

Honorees are nominated in the spring. Nominations can come from anyone, including former classmates, coworkers, spouses and faculty. A selection committee, made up of faculty and staff, reviews the candidates. This year, the committee received more than 100 nominations.

"Folks all over campus serve on the selection committee," said Usner. "They help give us context for what's exceptional at [the recipients'] ages. They will read through the materials and then we meet as a group."

The honorees found out they won the award in the beginning of June.

Photo: Marni Goldberg, '07, and Emily Siedlak Hennell, '08, meet with students Thursday at Williams Hall. -- Contributed photo