UHCL honors outstanding alumni, profs at celebration

October 13, 2020 | UHCL Staff

Brandon Capetillo, Dr. Seun Adigun, Mike McMullen, Brian Stephens, Kimberly Campbell, and the late Randy Garcia will be the honorees at University of Houston-Clear Lake’s Alumni Celebration 2020, Impacting Our Future, to be held Saturday, Nov. 7 via Zoom.

“Each honoree has done more than succeed in their chosen fields,” said Director of Alumni Engagement Carri Hill. “These alumni have dedicated themselves to strengthening their community and helping others succeed. We are so honored to join with them to spotlight, celebrate, and be inspired by their stories.”

Brandon Capetillo, who is a corporate quality manager at Airgas in Deer Park as well as the mayor of Baytown, said he’d always had aspirations to serve in public office. “I took so much from my time at UH-Clear Lake into my current work,” he said. “I earned my bachelor’s degree in government and history, and it certainly prepared me for what I’m doing today. I was working full time during the day and I went to class at night, but the professors understood that and still challenged us. I had great professors and it was a good experience all around.”

Dr. Seun Adigun, chiropractor, biomechanist, and two-time Olympian, received her Master of Science in Exercise and Health Science in 2017 and her doctor of chiropractic from Texas Chiropractic College as a graduate of the institutions’ dual-degree program, is being honored with the Early Achievement Award.

“My time at UHCL was my first gateway into conducting research about sports medicine. I was learning about physiology and biomechanics as it related exactly to what I saw myself doing in the field of sports medicine,” she said. “I had great support from the faculty, who helped me not just by teaching me what I had to understand as a student, but by also giving me the opportunity to grow and develop as a pioneer in sports and sports medicine. I was so grateful they were always in my corner.”

Professor of Sociology and Cross-Cultural Studies Mike McMullen and Associate Professor of Biotechnology and Biology Brian Stephens are each being honored with the Outstanding Professor award.

This year’s Marilyn S. Sims Leadership Service Award is being given to Quest Business Strategies President Kimberly Campbell, who received her bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1992, and her MBA in marketing in 1997; and posthumously to Randy Garcia, chief information officer of OCTG, LLP and founding partner of Global Healthcare Consulting. Garcia was a triple-alumnus, having earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance in 1988, his MBA in 1996, and his Master of Healthcare Administration in 2012. Garcia died Aug. 23, 2020 of complications from COVID-19.

“Despite the circumstances that are keeping us from celebrating together, we want to make sure these alumni know how special they are and that they have embodied the success that is possible at UHCL,” Hill said.

The actual awards will be given in person when gathering in a room together can take place safely. Currently, UHCL plans to give all the awards for 2020 and 2021 in one combined, larger event. In the meantime, the virtual celebration is open and free to all UHCL alumni and friends.  

To learn more about the Alumni Celebration, go online.