2019 Gold Nugget and Alumni Celebration
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT EL PASO
COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS
Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019
5:30 p.m. Cocktails
6 – 7:30 p.m. Program
7:30 p.m. Reception (Open Bar and Appetizers)
Fox Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
The University of Texas at El Paso
2019 Gold Nugget Honorees:
Patricia “Patty” Tiscareño
B.A. English Literature, 2004
Patricia "Patty" Tiscareño, executive director of the Rio Grande Cancer Foundation, said a liberal arts degree often comes in handy. The El Paso native said her duties demand the ability to communicate with board members one minute and patients from all demographics the next. She could follow those conversations with an analysis of her $13 million budget and a creative summit to discuss a future fundraiser or program development.
Others have recognized her abilities and sought her presence on numerous health, academic and community boards. Tiscareño has earned various awards through the years to include the 2016 Woman of Impact Award and her induction in 2018 into the El Paso Commission for Women Hall of Fame. She stays involved with UTEP socially and professionally.
"My interactions with UTEP always positively impact my life," Tiscareño said.
Claudio Ordaz
B.M. Music Performance, 2001
A love of music lured Claudio Ordaz to The University of Texas at El Paso in the late 1990s, and that passion eventually led him to Eastern Europe.
The native of Chihuahua City, Mexico, picked UTEP to study violin from legendary Abraham Chavez, a longtime music professor.
The first-generation college student earned his master's and Ph.D. degrees in orchestral conducting in 2008 and 2015, respectively, from the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre in Estonia. In 2013, he founded the Savonlinna Camerata Orchestra in Finland. He serves as the group's artistic director and conductor. He was the first Mexican to start and conduct a European orchestra.
He lives in Finland and is a professor of music at the Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences.
"My time at UTEP was one of the most extraordinary and inspiring of my life," he said.
Dorothy Truax
B.A. Sociology, 1973
As a social worker for more than 30 years, Dorothy Truax has helped people of all ages and backgrounds to improve their lives.
Truax has served as director of social services at the Opportunity Center for the Homeless since 2014, and as director of the Reynolds Home, a shelter for women and children, since 2006. She received a bachelor's degree in sociology from UTEP in 1973 and a master's degree in social work from New Mexico State University 31 years later. She has mentored nearly 30 UTEP undergraduate and graduate social work students through the years.
"In social work there is always something new, a new challenge every day," Truax said. "So as long as you enjoy what you do, it is not a job. It's something you love."
The University will officially recognize these Gold Nuggets during UTEP's 2019 Homecoming events Sept. 29 - Oct. 5.
To RSVP or for more information,
contact Yvonne Carranza Rolph
915-747-6495
ycarranz@utep.edu
or visit: utep.edu/liberalarts
UTEP Event: http://bit.ly/uteplibarts2019goldnuggets
PDF: link
2019 Distinguished Alumni:
Andrea C. Gates-Ingle / B.A. Special Education, 1999
Stephen Ingle / B.A. Graphic Design, 2003
Creative Kids, a nonprofit organization established 20 years ago, began as a labor of love for Stephen Ingle and his then girlfriend, now wife, Andrea C. Gates-Ingle who met while attending UTEP.
Creative Kids has grown since then. The nonprofit has earned national recognition for providing a high-quality creative youth development program that utilizes the visual arts to empower children with cognitive or physical disabilities, children battling illness, underserved children or just those with an artistic knack.
As for receiving the UTEP Distinguished Alumni Award, the pair said they were humbled and proud of the recognition.
"It is amazing for someone to see what we've done and recognize it," Ingle said. "This is something that we will really cherish and carry as an accomplishment. We have won awards from the city and other recognitions, but this award is from our school, where we learned to do what we do. Getting this award makes it all worth it and we are proud to be part of the UTEP legacy."