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2022 Alumni Awards Honor Service to Duke and Beyond

Greg Jenkins, Duke Alumni Engagement and Development

A community foundation president, a school founder and a pediatric nurse practitioner were among 48 honorees as Duke Alumni Engagement and Development announced its 2022 awards. The awards, presented each fall, honor outstanding achievement and commitment to Duke and its alumni around the world. Awardees were honored during Homecoming and Founders’ Day weekends, Sept. 30-Oct. 2.

The awards recognize a range of alumni contributions to Duke—planning events and programs for alumni, serving on graduate and professional school alumni boards, spearheading Reunion Weekend efforts and more.

“It was such an honor to recognize these outstanding alumni in a special ceremony,” said Sterly L. Wilder ’83, senior associate vice president of Duke Alumni Engagement and Development. “Whether in service to Duke or to communities worldwide, the leadership of these award winners is inspiring. I know that all Duke alumni around the world join me in saying thanks to these amazing volunteers, civic leaders and inspirational thought leaders.”

Awardees included:

  • Trustee emeritus Michael Marsicano ’77, M.Ed.’78, Ph.D.’82 received the Distinguished Alumni Award, the university’s highest alumni honor. He has dedicated his entire career to community service, including serving as president and CEO of Foundation for the Carolinas since 1999.
  • Yue Jiang ’12, assistant professor of the practice of statistical science, was awarded the student-nominated, student-selected Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award. He is passionate about making statistics relevant and mentoring undergraduate students in applied statistical research projects. His award is nominated and selected by students each year.
  • Reuben Ogbonna ’12 was awarded the Beyond Duke Award honoring alumni making a difference in their communities and throughout the world. He received the honor for making a difference in his community. Ogbonna co-founded The Marcy Lab School, an alternative pathway into high-growth tech careers for underserved youth in New York City.
  • May Zhou M.S.N.ʹ14 was honored with a Forever Duke Award for recent volunteer service to Duke. She used skills she learned in the emergency room to transition to new ways to keep alumni from both the nursing school and the regional alumni group in her home city of Houston engaged with compelling virtual sessions that appealed to a broad audience.
  •  Aruna Inalsingh M.B.A.ʹ95 was honored with a C.A. Dukes Award for long-time service to the university. She played a vital role in Duke Alums Engage-New York City, part of a 60-city community partnership week throughout the world modeled off of DukeEngage, by organizing programs to encourage local children to stay fit and work hard in school.
  •  Ayşe Gül Altınay Ph.D.’01, Sheila Patek Ph.D.’01 and Steven Spoel Ph.D.’08 were inducted into The Graduate School’s Few-Glasson Alumni Society, which honors graduates of the school who have distinguished themselves through their career accomplishments, the potential of their current endeavors or their support for graduate students and graduate education at Duke. 

Watch a message from President Vincent E. Price honoring the winners.