Themed around investment, the latest issue of UAA’s premier publication profiles alumni who have made investments in their communities, including the graduate workforce at civil rights organization ACLU of Alaska, the restaurateur contributing to the advancement of Alaska’s food service industry, and the two-time NASA intern conducting critical engineering research.

On Wednesday, May 1, UAA honored individuals with emeritus status, Meritorious Service Awards and Honorary Degrees during the 2024 Spring Commencement Awards ceremony.

When political science major and Spanish and legal studies minor Katie Scoggin first enrolled at UAA in fall 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, everything was online. Looking for a way to connect with fellow students, she joined the sorority Alpha Sigma Alpha. That first foray into campus life led to more connections and opportunities than she ever imagined.

Accomplished artist and educator Alvin Amason (Sugpaiq/Alutiiq) was born and raised in the rural village of Old Harbor on Kodiak Island. He grew up slogging through alder thickets, following his grandfather, bear guide Eli Metrokin, up mountainsides, and hauling in salmon-filled nets as a deckhand. These early experiences and the island's cultural traditions inspire his art.

In 2023, Diane Kaplan retired from her role as president and CEO of the Rasmuson Foundation, a position she has held since 2001. Under her leadership, the foundation became the largest philanthropy in Alaska, with assets growing from $5 million to an estimated $800 million today and annual donations of $25-30 million to nonprofits, tribes, artists and local governments.