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‘18 of the last 9’ connect with students in Oxford

By Bonnie Meibers, Senior Staff Writer

Photo by Brett Milam | The Miami Student
Photo by Brett Milam | The Miami Student
Photo by Brett Milam | The Miami Student
Photo by Brett Milam | The Miami Student

'18 of the Last 9' rewards successful alumni from the past nine years. (From top left) Timothy Lu, Samantha Burgoon and Mark Cerny and (from bottom left) Lyndsey McMillon and Alexandra Ricca are among the honorees for 2015. Photos contributed by Joy Usner.

Eighteen alumni who have graduated from Miami in the past nine years will return home Thursday, Oct. 22 and Friday Oct. 23.

These alumni are being honored by the "18 of the Last 9" program that recognizes young alumni who have done exceptional things since graduating from Miami, said Joy Usner, assistant director of the Young Alumni and Students Alumni Association. Usner is in charge of the program.

Among the honorees is Samantha Burgoon ('14), the newest alumnus in the group. Burgoon spent a year volunteering in Malawi after graduation with an NGO called "Determined to Develop."

Burgoon taught English grammar and literature to secondary school students. She also led a fundraising campaign that installed electricity in the school.

Going to Miami made Burgoon a more confident person, she said.

"Through extra-curricular activities that I got involved in, such as Dance Marathon and Kappa Kappa Gamma, and studying abroad in Italy, I was able to thrive in the opportunities presented to me," Burgoon said.

Mark Cerny ('06) studied architecture. In 2012, Cerny founded architecture firm eMCee Design. The firm focuses on planning community service projects and is involved with the D.C. Architecture in the Schools program and planning a design-build service project with Catholic University in D.C.

He said the studio culture of the architecture program prepped him for teamwork in the present.

"I can face challenges of today based on learning how to be a critical thinker and problem solver at Miami," Cerny said.

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Tim Lu ('11) is now working for Operation Smile as a program officer. Operation Smile provides healthcare to the poorest third of the world. Lu has planned and led international medical programs in China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nicaragua and Myanmar as well. As program officer, he oversees Operation Smile activities in Vietnam and Thailand. He said his path to get to where he is today, however, was not simple.

"Life is never that tidy," Lu said. "The fact is, I didn't get many jobs that I had directly applied for as a senior."

But Miami's sense of community always provided Lu with a support network.

"There was always a group where I could express myself as a dancer, a linguist and a dreamer," he said.

While a student here, Lu was involved in the Asian American Association, hip-hop dance team, Sigma Phi Epsilon, the Chinese American Culture Association and Campus Crusade for Christ. He was also a SOUL and an RA.

After earning her bachelor's degree in mechanical and manufacturing engineering, Lyndsey McMillon ('13) has researched solar cells as a doctoral student at Yale University. McMillon said opportunities presented to her through Miami's engineering department allowed her to find her niche in the engineering field.

"If you have an internship or experience that you dislike, you'll learn a lot about yourself as a person," she said.

After graduating Miami, Alexandra Ricca ('06) has managed multiple HIV prevention studies and is a lead scientist at TheyFit a company that produces fitted condoms. Her research attempts to develop the use of condoms to prevent STDs, HIV and pregnancy.

Her time at Miami, she said, helped shape her work ethic, grit and resilience in tough situations.

Several honorees talked about the brilliant professors they had while at Miami. They also spoke of the excellent education they received.

"The truth is, you have a degree from Miami University, which will get you far," Burgoon said.

Many talked about study abroad trips they took and about taking advantage of the many opportunities Miami provides, like clubs, classes, volunteer opportunities and social events.

"Don't let the stress of getting good grades prevent you from real living and learning," Cerny said.

The honorees are giving panels on a variety of topics during their stay on campus.

"One of our goals this year is for more students to be able to interact with the honorees while they are in town," Usner said.

All students were welcome to attend the panels on Thursday afternoon in the Armstrong Student Center Pavilion.

"Women in STEM," was one of the panels. Ricca, McMillon and the other honorees in these fields had an open discussion about current issues.

Another panel Thursday evening was "Working Professionally in Creative Arts." These honorees discussed how they found ways to professionally pursue their dreams.

Ricca, Alen Amini ('09), Kate Lehman ('07) and Ryan Batt ('09) held a panel on "What it's Really Like to be in Graduate School," in which they talked about the graduate school search, application process and their graduate student experiences.

The alumni will be honored at a dinner at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23 in the Shriver Center Heritage Room.

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