Privateer pride took center stage at a celebratory luncheon for the 2020 class of UNO 25. The event, held in the silver and blue hued Grand Ballroom at the Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans, honored 25 businesses and nonprofit organizations led or owned by UNO alumni.
“To all of our honorees, your university is especially proud of your accomplishments,” UNO President John Nicklow said. “Your achievement is the best form of validation that your alma mater can receive. Your professional status confers a level of prestige on the University of New Orleans that we cannot generate in any other way. We deeply appreciate you and your success.”
Honorees represented a variety of industries including engineering, health care, education, transportation, hospitality, accounting, banking, construction, technology, human resources, marketing and public relations, among others. Some serve families in their own neighborhoods while others have clients across the country and around the globe.
The nearly 300 attendees watched recorded video messages from the honorees in which they described how their UNO education helped contribute to their professional success.
“My time at UNO helped to polish off my rough edges by exposing me to knowledge which provided a basis to achieve success in my professional career,” said Tracey Kirsch, president of Electromedical Products International in Mineral Wells, Texas. “It gave me the confidence to continue to develop my skills in order to lead EPI to tremendous success in a highly competitive industry. I am thankful for my experience at UNO. There is no doubt that UNO helped shaped me into who I am today.”
The class of 2020 featured businesses and nonprofits located in greater New Orleans, as well as those in Baton Rouge and Texas.
“When I reflect on my time at UNO, I always think about my professors and the real world knowledge they brought to the classroom, not only from their personal experience, but also the local business leaders that they exposed us to,” said Julie Chalmers, general manager of Hotard Coaches in New Orleans. “As a former student athlete, I’m grateful for my time at UNO and the doors that it opened for me. And as I witness all of the positive changes at the University, it’s very easy to say that I’m UNO proud.”
During his closing remarks, Nicklow urged those in attendance to continue to share UNO’s story.
“Our university is so vital to this city, this region, our students and their families,” Nicklow said. “We all know how important our institution is. My challenge to you is to help make others understand it. There are 1,000 ways that you can be UNO proud in your own personal and professional life. By harnessing that pride across our alumni, our students and our employees, we can bring this university to new heights.”
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