Dear UNT supporter,

With UNT's approval as a COVID-19 vaccination site once shipments are made available, we step into the new year with optimism. Although 2020 was vastly different than anyone had initially predicted, it has not stopped our students, faculty, staff and alumni like you from pursuing great success.

Whether you're a business leader, outspoken civic volunteer, inventor, entertainer or athlete, I hope you are finding success and persevering through adversity. I am proud to celebrate the accomplishments and recognitions earned by many of our UNT alumni, and we encourage you to share yours with us by emailing me at president@unt.edu.

• This season of Hell's Kitchen features Chef Mary Lou Davis ('13), a graduate from the College of Merchandising, Hospitality and Tourism, who works as executive chef at Whiskey Cake in San Antonio. Tune in each week to see how Davis fares when judged by Chef Gordon Ramsay.
• Former Mean Green golfer Carlos Ortiz ('13) secured his first PGA Tour win at the Vivint Houston Open in November. He was the first Mexican-born tour winner in 42 years!
• Google named College of Engineering alum Don Ward ('94) to its list of 30 U.S. Black founders to Watch in 2021 for his ingenuity in creating Laundris, an Austin-based startup, that works with Facebook, the City of Austin, Hilton Hotels and other large organizations to help them better coordinate their linen/laundry service.
• Recent College of Music alum Martin Antonio Porras ('20) hopped on a Zoom call expecting to play trivia, only to be surprised by country musician Kane Brown's announcement that Porras won $50,000 from Dr Pepper's Tuition Giveaway.
• College of Engineering alum Eric Lim ('05) was named to the 40 Under 40 in Cancer list for making significant contributions to cancer research through his work in computational biology and data science.
• Novelist Stephen Graham Jones ('96 M.A.) was dubbed by Entertainment Weekly as the "Jordan Peele of horror literature" for his freaky storytelling.
• For Oak Cliff co-founder Xavier Henderson ('14) landed on Forbes' 30 Under 30 Social Impact list for his commitment to improving the lives of South Oak Cliff residents.

We have prepared our students to thrive in a rapidly changing world, and we cannot wait to see what you — and our newest alumni from the Class of 2020 — will accomplish this year.

UNT Proud,
Neal Smatresk
President
@UNTPrez