Archive

Mark and Matt Cosby, father and son had the full collegiate experience together and graduated, Sunday, May 7, in the spring 2023 commencement ceremony. While pursuing their degrees the two made sure they had plenty of time to high-five each other on the way to class and provide encouragement throughout their undergraduate journey.

Community has been at the heart of Tuan Graziano’s undergraduate career at UAA. The spring 2023 student commencement speaker has been volunteering in various capacities since high school, and once at UAA, his sense of serving his community and advocating for his fellow students grew.

Psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner alumna Catherine Haese will serve as graduate student speaker at the Spring 2023 Commencement ceremony before starting her new position at Eagle River Behavioral Health where she will use her personal experience to foster addiction recovery solutions and treat mental health issues.

When employers and universities collaborate, the partnership can create opportunities for students and communities to thrive. Computer systems engineering alumnus Hunter Johnson is a beneficiary of such opportunities, beginning as an intern at Baird where he now works as senior client specialist.

Justice alumnus and 2022 Alumni of Achievement Kenneth McCoy is the division chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer at Providence. In his role, McCoy promotes culturally-competent patient-centered care across the organization in Alaska and Puget Sound. Before joining Providence in 2022, he retired from a 27-year career with the Anchorage Police Department, starting at the patrol level before culminating as chief of police.

Psychology alumna and 2022 Alumni Humanitarian Maggie Winston is the director of independent living programs at Independent Living Center. When she was 21, Winston was diagnosed with idiopathic transverse myelitis, leaving her without the use of her arms and legs. Since then, she has become a fierce advocate for expanding services for people with disabilities through her work on boards, councils and nonprofits.

Aviation alumna and 2022 Alumni Emerging Leader Marie-Sophie Boggasch is the women’s gymnastics head coach at UAA. Originally from Germany, she came to Anchorage in 2012 when she was recruited as a student-athlete. After graduating and working in the aviation industry, Boggasch returned to UAA as a gymnastics coach. During that time, she helped lead fundraising efforts to save Seawolf gymnastics from elimination, raising more than $900,000.

In this episode of Seawolf Voices, journalism and public communications alumnus and Shazam! Fury of the Gods additional second assistant director D.K. Johnston talks about his move to Hollywood, his advice for breaking into the movie industry, and the early days of Anchorage’s underground independent filmmaking scene.

In this episode of Seawolf Voices, UAA communications professors and P.S. Consulting founders Marsha Schirack-Olson and Solveig Pedersen talk about their favorite relationship advice to give, what makes for an effective online dating profile, and how everything in life boils down to solid communication.

When UAA skier Tuva Bygrave steps into her bindings at the World U23 World Championships in Whistler, B.C. later this month, she will be representing Australia, her father’s native country and the same country he represented on the world stage in the 1980s.