Andrea Orwoll

Andrea Orwoll, '17 JD, recently launched her business, Your Legal Doula, which helps families understand, assert, and protect their birth rights. As a Nevada-licensed attorney, Orwoll wants to expand what the law can do for moms.

Eric Sway

Eric Sway, ‘99 BA Communication Studies, is a salesman with 13 years in the steel industry and 10 years in building products for commercial and industrial buildings in northeast Ohio. He is head coach for both girls and boys soccer at Crestwood High School in Mantua, Ohio and for the U17 and U19 girls at Canton-Akron Force Soccer Club, which won the U17 Ohio State Championship. He coached in the national championship in July 2024 in Denver. He is married to Stacee (Appiano) Sway, '01 BS Business Administration. Their son, Andrew Sway, ‘24 Kinesiology and Exercise Science, was a goalkeeper for the 2023 UNLV men’s soccer team.    

Heather Richardson

Heather Richardson, '04 BA Interdisciplinary Studies and '11 MSW, retired from UNLV as the program coordinator of the UNLV Fostering Scholars Program, where she launched the first campus-based program in the state of Nevada for students who had experienced foster care. Richardson spent 19 years dedicated to public service at UNLV and Clark County working with young people who had experienced foster care. She is now enjoying time with her husband, five children, and new grandchild. Her daughter, Aspen Cable, graduated from UNLV in '23 with a BA in criminal justice. Her daughter, Alayna Richardson, is a junior at UNLV in the College of Education.  

Kristen Shubert

Kristen Shubert, '91 BS Hospitality Management, was named captain of the United States Wine Tasting Team for the 2024 International Blind Wine Tasting Competition, sponsored by La Revue du Vin de France. Four wine professionals are chosen to represent the US each year. This is Shubert's sixth competition, finishing as high as third place against 40 countries. She's completed certifications of WSETIII, Spanish Wine Scholar, and French Wine Scholar. Shubert is currently the president of the non-profit Cellarmasters of Los Angeles, and makes wine for three different labels in California. She also represented her country as a jet ski racer 2000-2003 in the Pro Women's class of the IJSBA World Finals.

Brian Jones

Brian Jones, '11 BS Recreation and '14 MS Hotel Administration, is the associate director for the PGA Golf Management University program at UNLV and successfully earned his PGA Master Professional Designation, the highest education designation a PGA of America Golf Professional can obtain.  

Wanda Brister Rachwal

Wanda Brister Rachwal, ’04 Doctor of Musical Arts, earned a master's prior to attending UNLV. She also attended an elite performing arts school, performed around the world, and came back to teach at Baylor, University of Arizona, and Florida State University, where she has taught for 22 years. In February 2024, she had a double lung transplant. Brister Rachwall would like others to be aware about the act of becoming a donor as well as having the courage to see doctors when "Something is wrong!" She suffered from pulmonary sarcoidosis, a disease that is underreported.

Joseph Kielminski

Joseph Kielminski, ’13 BA History and ’19 M.Ed., is a special education teacher at Foothill High School in Henderson. Milken Educator Awards Senior Vice President Jane Foley was joined by Gov. Joe Lombardo and Superintendent of Public Instruction Jhone Ebert presented him with the 2023-24 Milken Educator Award. The Award comes with a $25,000 cash prize that Joseph can use for any purpose. Along with the financial prize, recipients will join the national Milken Educator Network, a growing group of professionals across diverse roles and disciplines working to shape the future of education.

Angela Khristin Brown

Angela Khristin Brown, '10 BS Education, is a gaming lab assistant at College of Southern Nevada. She published a poetry book, West Side Story, which is available on Amazon. Writing poetry is one of her favorite hobbies.

Zheni Georgieva Atanasova

Zheni Georgieva Atanasova, '11 Bachelor and '13 Master of Music and '19 Doctor of Musical Arts, recently published a book based on a dissertation she had done at UNLV. The book was published by Lexington Books. Among the educational institutions featuring her book are Yale, Columbia, Indiana University, Manhattan School of Music, UC Berkeley, University of British Columbia, and several international universities. The book is also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and various other online platforms. The title is, One-Handed Piano Compositions and Injury Awareness: History, Study of Selected Works, and Mindful Practice.  She enjoys practicing piano and singing as well as reading and doing research on various subjects including music, science and medicine. Atanasova also loves the beach and enjoys visiting California and Hawaii. She also enjoys sky diving, helicopter rides, horseback riding, and traveling.

Leya Dagher

Leya Dagher, '23 BA Political Science, is Lebanese and passionate about spreading culture and tradition. She is 23, born and raised in Vegas, and enjoys outdoor activities, swimming, and traveling.

Jason Aaron Goldberg

Jason Aaron Goldberg, '00 BFA, along with Joseph Campanale, '01 BA Architecture, and Hylarie Aguilar, '05 BFA, worked together to produce the film, Every 85 Minutes. The film was produced entirely in Clark County. It received grant support from the UNLV Fine Arts Alumni Association as well as NV Arts/NEA. Upon learning that Nevada has a significantly higher rate of veterans taking their life than any other state, Goldberg felt compelled to bring more attention to the topic. He chose to focus on female veterans and the tragic reality that 1 in 4 female service members report an instance of Military Sexual Trauma.The film stars active Army reserve staff Sergeant Relana Jah’melle McGlothan as Deana, an Army veteran struggling with isolation and disillusionment during the COVID pandemic. The 10th Annual Nevada Women’s Film Festival held a screening at UNLV in June 2024.

David Scharfenberg

David Scharfenberg, '98 BS Hotel Administration, was named senior vice president of Northland, located in Newton, Massachusetts. Northland is a leading real estate private equity firm. In his role, Scharfenberg will direct and oversee all aspects of the company’s multifamily property management operations. Bringing over two decades of experience in real estate management and operations, his leadership will be instrumental in guiding Northland's multifamily teams, comprising over 500 professionals both on-site across 16 states and in corporate roles.  Prior to joining Northland, Scharfenberg served for over 12 years as the senior vice president of Operations at Waterton, where he played a pivotal role in managing and repositioning a $10+ billion portfolio. He oversaw the acquisition of more than 40 communities and the disposition of 22 properties. Before his time at Waterton, Scharfenberg was a regional director for Holiday Retirement, where he managed the operations and sales for senior living communities throughout the state of Washington. He also spent nine years with Oakwood Worldwide, where he had oversight of corporate housing communities in major U.S. markets. His early career began at the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin, Texas, where he held various managerial roles, cultivating a deep understanding of hospitality and customer service.