2022 Alumni Awards
With more than 268,000 Kent State alumni worldwide, there are a lot of Golden Flashes worth celebrating. Graduates leave the university with professional aspirations, personal dreams and the tenacity and talent to make our communities and the world a better place.
The university recognizes alumni who, through leadership, character and hard work, have made exceptional contributions in their chosen professions, in their communities and at Kent State. Sponsored by the Kent State Alumni Association, the Alumni Awards are the university’s highest alumni honors.
“For nearly 65 years, the Kent State Alumni Association has recognized the university’s most distinguished alumni in this way,” says Barbara Smith, BS ’84, president of the association’s national board of directors and an executive vice president and chief banking and strategy officer at The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod. “The Alumni Award nominations we receive tell compelling stories of incredible accomplishments and astounding generosity. This class of award recipients truly encompasses what it means to be a Golden Flash, and each one is so deserving of this honor.”
On Sept. 30, the 2022 award recipients were honored in a ceremony at the 5X Hotel and Conference Center as homecoming weekend kicked off. Six alumni and one student received awards in the following categories:
Distinguished Alumni Award
Raj Aggarwal, MBA ’70, DBA ’75, of Chesterland, Ohio, is an acclaimed scholar and business leader who has been a consultant to the United Nations, World Bank and several Fortune 100 companies and nonprofits. He holds a chartered financial analyst (CFA) designation and has taught finance at several universities in northern Ohio, including Kent State. Aggarwal currently sits on the boards of 5X Foundation, ERC Inc. and Ideastream Public Media and is on the professional advisory board of Kent State’s Read Center for International and Intercultural Education.
“The university and the townspeople were hospitable and understanding as I went through my sometimes difficult cultural adjustment moving from India to the United States. One of my fondest Kent State memories is the day I showed my parents visiting from India around KSU, followed by my graduation ceremony for the PhD program.”
Distinguished Citizen Award
Kathryn M. Tschiegg, BBA ’92, of Orrville, Ohio, is a registered nurse and the founder and executive director of Central American Medical Outreach (CAMO), a nondenominational, Christian-based, humanitarian organization that brings medical services, education and community development to Central America. Under her leadership, CAMO’s 22 medical services have saved approximately 2.9 million lives directly and indirectly. CAMO offers services to impoverished people who otherwise would have no access to aid.
“I served in the Peace Corps as a registered nurse then came back to the States. In 1989, I returned to Honduras to find conditions worsened, and shortly thereafter, I decided to really make an impact.”
Professional Achievement Award
Gary P. Jacobson, PhD ’78, of Brentwood, Tennessee, is a professor in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He is an accomplished audiologist who, through his work, research and teaching in the medical field, has spent more than 40 years making a difference for people facing issues with their hearing and balance.
“It was a combination of superb academic training at Kent State and a fearlessness to try new technologies that has enabled me to be successful as a clinician and as a researcher.”
Professional Achievement Award
Robert C. Lape, BS ’55, of Olmsted Township, Ohio, is a broadcast journalist, writer, restaurant reviewer and food critic with a career spanning 70 years, including 41 years covering the food beat in New York. At Kent State, Lape worked for WKSU radio and earned an undergraduate degree in radio speech and journalism. Throughout his career, his excellence in performance and leadership has earned him well-deserved recognition in both radio and television.
“My Kent State education did far more than help in my career. It made not only my career, it made my life.”
Kent State Advocacy Award
Howard Ruffner, BS ’71, of Pasadena, California, was a sophomore broadcast journalism major when he photographed a watershed moment in American history, the Kent State shootings on May 4, 1970. One of his photos appeared on the cover of Life magazine on May 15, 1970. He has dedicated much of his life to educating others about the shootings through his photography and presentations to students and community groups. His 2017 photographic memoir, Moments of Truth: A Photographer’s Experience of Kent State 1970, is a historical resource for those seeking more information about the shootings and the events surrounding them.
"I saw their faces and I could feel their pain, and I took their pictures so that no one would ever forget what happened at Kent State and the trauma that it caused for our nation."
Outstanding New Professional Award
Brenna Parker, BS ’17, of Washington, D.C., managed President Joe Biden's Facebook account and website, two of his most critical online platforms, during the 2020 election. She now oversees all digital strategy, content and partnerships for Vice President Kamala Harris. Parker has also executed campaigns for organizations such as Civic Nation, ACRONYM, When We All Vote, Reach Higher, Apple and YouTube.
“Kent State provided me with a world-class education that prepared me to be in the spaces I'm lucky to serve in now. The professors I had at Kent State became family to me. They saw something in me as a student that I didn't see in myself, and I'm grateful that they continue to be a part of my life."
Golden Flash (Student) Award
Hannah Balash, AA ’21, BBA ’22, of Boardman, Ohio, participates in several student and professional organizations at Kent State, including many leadership and mentoring positions. Last summer, she worked in Washington, D.C., as a legislative intern for the office of U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, who serves eastern and southeastern Ohio. Balash earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in economics in December, and she’s dually enrolled in a Kent State graduate program to receive a master’s degree in economics.
“I want to encourage others to believe in themselves just like I have. Your potential is endless!”
Read more about the 2022 Alumni Award recipients.
