Lila Javan ’94, an LA-based cinematographer, is working on the documentary of her career — a film about climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds for cancer research. Cancer survivor Lila and her team, which includes her oncology doctors and nurses as well as friends touched by cancer, climbed the 19,341-foot mountain in January.

Marla Smith-Nilson ’91 and Crissy Ahmann Perham ’94 represent the Wildcats and Water First International in Honduras. Marla is the founder and executive director of the nonprofit, which travels the world to help water-stressed communities. Crissy, a 1992 Wildcat Olympian, joined Marla and her team to support this work. 

Four UA alumni meet in Muscat, Oman, in January 2017.  From left: Andrew Leavitt ’88, Abdulaziz AlKindi ’87, Karen Leavitt ’87 and Saeed Al-Muharrami ’88. The Leavitts visited the University of Nizwa to honor its partnership with the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.

Tammie Kennedy ’05 received an Alumni Outstanding Teaching Award at a ceremony in April from the University of Nebraska at Omaha Alumni Association in honor of her distinguished teaching. She is an associate professor in UNO’s College of Arts & Sciences. She earned a master’s degree in English from the University of Arizona.

Dan Nathan '67 came from Brooklyn and lived in Apache Hall all four years. He earned a B.S. in chemistry and worked  38-plus years as a criminalist for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in the crime lab. 

The UA Twirling Team, coached by Shirlee Bertolini ’58 and Kirsten Grabo ’00, comprises state, regional, national and even world champion baton twirlers from across the U.S.

Anna Woyjeck ’84 started the Kevin Woyjeck Explorers for Life Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, after her son Kevin passed away. Kevin Woyjeck was one of the 19 wildland firefighters killed on June 30, 2013, in Yarnel, Arizona.

As a student Pat Matthews ’87 won the prestigious William Wilde Memorial Award as the top designer in the UA’s College of Architecture. After graduating, he became a successful architect, but also had a desire to create meaningful works of art. He now is a full-time artist, taking inspiration from a lifetime of outdoor experiences.

Tod Brown ’94 was inducted into the Sabino High School Hall of Fame. At Sabino, Tod earned eight varsity letters: three each in baseball and soccer and one each in football and golf.  After graduating from the UA, he played professional baseball for three years before turning to coaching.

Kent Underwood ’02, a fifth-generation dairyman, is chief operating officer of Vermont Farmstead Cheese Company. After graduating from the UA, he took over the operations of a rapidly growing dairy business in Wisconsin and led them from 100 to 900 milking cows in three years. He attended the UA on an FFA scholarship.