The university honored the accomplishments of eight of its alumni at the 81st annual Alumni Achievement Awards on Thursday, kicking off this year’s unified Colonials Weekend for alumni, students, family and friends.
George Washington University President Thomas LeBlanc said in opening remarks that although he has only been at GW a few months, he already has been impressed by its students and alumni.
“Your successes are many and varied. You are public servants, authors and policy experts. You’ve played critical roles advancing research and shaping political news coverage. You are motivated, hard working and deserving of all of your professional achievements. And you have brought distinction not only to yourselves but also to your families, to your communities and, especially tonight, to your alma mater,” Dr. LeBlanc said.
In their own words, hear what the eight alumni have to say about their formative years at GW:
[video:https://vimeo.com/239109968 width:560 height:315 align:center lightbox:1 lightbox_title:Dana Bash]
[video:https://vimeo.com/239115564 width:560 height:315 align:center lightbox:1 lightbox_title:Davina Durgana]
[video:https://vimeo.com/239115926 width:560 height:315 align:center lightbox:1 lightbox_title:Mindy Finn]
[video:https://vimeo.com/239110579 width:560 height:315 align:center lightbox:1 lightbox_title:Anwar Gargash]
[video:https://vimeo.com/239111960 width:560 height:315 align:center lightbox:1 lightbox_title:Jayne Plank]
[video:https://vimeo.com/239112597 width:560 height:315 align:center lightbox:1 lightbox_title:Michael Punke]
[video:https://vimeo.com/239113142 width:560 height:315 align:center lightbox:1 lightbox_title:Rodolfo Rodriguez]
[video:https://vimeo.com/239113466 width:560 height:315 align:center lightbox:1 lightbox_title:Robert Siegel]
The Alumni Achievement Awards, created in 1937, recognize GW graduates who have distinguished themselves through notable achievements in their professional and personal lives. The awards are the highest form of recognition given by the George Washington Alumni Association to a GW graduate annually. Past recipients include 16-time NBA champion Arnold “Red” Auerbach, B.S. ’40, M.A. ’41; Nobel Prize winner Julius Axelrod, Ph.D. ’55; actress Kerry Washington, B.A. '98; former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, M.B.A. ’71; Lt. Gen. Nadja Y. West, M.D. ’88, 44th surgeon general of the United States Army and commanding general, U.S. Army Medical Command; and Daniel H. Weiss, B.A. ’79, president of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
