Honored Alumni
The recipients (and a nominator) of this year’s Honored Alumni class share reflections on the UNC experience.
You can view each honoree's tribute video or learn more about current and past honorees:
David L. Wood and Carol B. Wood, Honorary
(The Griffin Foundation)
“UNC’s history is in educating teachers, but as time passed and the university began to grow under very capable leadership, suddenly we had schools of nursing, business, music theater and dance that were exceptional. We thought UNC deserved to continue to prosper in those areas of expansion. We’re glad to play a small part in that.”
Monika Vischer ’89
(Program Director, Colorado Public Radio)
“What moves us along in life is when we have a special bond with a mentor; somebody who believes in you, who has credibility and who sees something in you. Somebody who tells you that you can do it. I just needed a handful of people in college to do that, and I had that at UNC.”
Patricia Escobar ’07, ’11
(Director, UNC César Chávez Cultural Center)
“My education has been very important in allowing me to understand the path that students have to go through. Students need connection. They need a place to belong. They need a place that believes in them. More than anything I want students to know that UNC cares that they’re Latinx, that they’re here, and that we want them to be successful.”
Tony Tolbert ’97, ’08
(Science Teacher, Monarch High School in Louisville, Colorado)
“The community is open and welcoming. It reshaped me and opened my vision of what a community can be. Now, when I’m down in Denver, I understand what a community can be and those are the things I’m pushing toward — all the things I was learning while I was here. It was a part of the fabric of the school.”
Judge Paula F. Sherlock ’71
(Jefferson Family Court in Louisville, Kentucky)
“I made a really good foundation here, and I was able to build on that in a number of different ways. At UNC I had some extremely good professors and some great experiences. I found a generous and giving community here, and my husband and I have been able to build on this foundation our whole lives.”
CJ Archibeque ’93, ’02
(Longtime Youth Advocate)
Awarded in-memoriam. Remembered by UNC professor Francie Murry, who nominated him:
“CJ is in my mind a consummate UNC graduate. He always talked about UNC being the
place to go. He was proud of his degrees, proud of what he accomplished while he was
in school, and proud of what he did with his degrees that was different. I think CJ’s
legacy is that there’s always a way around something. There’s always a way to promote
other people. To get them in a position to be able to do what they want to do.”
