The LBJ School celebrated its remarkable graduates on Sept. 17 and 18, opening its alumni weekend with the 2021 Outstanding Alumni Awards. Then, nearly early a year and a half after leaving LBJ with their degrees, members of the Class of 2020 joined other recent alumni from across the university to commemorate and mark the end of their time on the Forty Acres with a ceremony at the Tower as part of The University of Texas at Austin's Class of 2020 Commencement Reunion Weekend.
2021 Outstanding Alumni Awards
The weekend kicked off on Friday evening with the LBJ School 2021 Outstanding Alumni Awards. Members of the alumni community tuned in to the virtual ceremony to listen to remarks by Dean JR DeShazo, Distinguished Public Service Award recipient Shamina Singh (MPAff '97) and Rising Leader Award recipient Erol Yayboke (MPAff '06).
Singh is the founder and president of the Center for Inclusive Growth, the philanthropic hub of Mastercard, and also serves as executive vice president of corporate sustainability. Since 2014, Singh has led the Center to create a social impact model and an Impact Fund that combines research with Mastercard's data, technology, capital and people to advance financial inclusion and inclusive growth around the world. In her role as EVP for Sustainability, she is responsible for the development and implementation of environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy across the company.
Yayboke is a senior fellow with the International Security Program and director of the Project on Fragility and Mobility at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). His specific research interests include migration and forced displacement, violent conflict and global fragility, conflict-aware stabilization, violent extremism, climate change, civil-military cooperation and disruptive technologies. He is a former senior fellow and deputy director with the CSIS Project on Prosperity and Development.
- See where some of the members of the Class of 2020 are now (Sept. 20, 2021)
- LBJ's 49th commencement celebrates the Class of 2020 (May 22, 2020)
LBJ Class of 2020 Celebration
At the same time, members of the Class of 2020 gathered on the breezeway and on the plaza outside the LBJ School to celebrate their achievements with their family and friends. Then they headed to the Tower for the University-Wide Commencement Ceremony, hosted by UT President Jay Hartzell. Graduates were seated according to college or school and recognized as a class by their dean during the ceremony. It also included remarks from the Commencement speaker, Dr. Brené Brown, as well as fireworks and the Tower lit with the 2020 graduation year.
ICYMI: On Sept. 17, @TheLBJSchool celebrated the 2021 Outstanding Alumni Award winners @shaminasingh (MPAff '97) and @ErolYayboke (MPAff '06)
You can view the full ceremony with inspiring remarks from both recipients at the link https://t.co/vzZIHvREF8
— LBJ School Alumni (@LBJSchoolAlumni) Sept. 28, 2021
We are so pleased the #LBJSchool Class of 2020 was finally able to celebrate with a wonderful ceremony on Friday evening.
Welcome to the LBJ alumni family! https://t.co/xG78ejkfYl
— LBJ School Alumni (@LBJSchoolAlumni) Sept. 20, 2021
Really great to meet the new dean of the @TheLBJSchool at the #UTGrad20 ceremony this weekend. Good luck @JRDeshazo, and #HookEm #EMPL pic.twitter.com/oMM2wJJZdw
— Todd Hill-Jones (@Yohi52) Sept. 20, 2021
On Friday evening #LBJSchool celebrated a long-anticipated graduation for the class of 2020 on the LBJ Plaza. Afterwards, the graduates and their loved ones attended a UT-wide Tower Commencement #UTGrad20
Congratulations to the outstanding class of 2020
Photos by Alyssa Vidales pic.twitter.com/RWKmRHYfjW
— The LBJ School (@TheLBJSchool) Sept. 20, 2021
Still thinking about #UTGrad2020 https://t.co/6oge7WWLHn
— The LBJ School (@TheLBJSchool) Sept. 20, 2021
Welcome back, and congratulations!! https://t.co/LXXFia4JUy
— The LBJ School (@TheLBJSchool) Sept. 18, 2021
We're so happy to have you back, Caroline! Congratulations again!
https://t.co/ZyXswNNxMA
— The LBJ School (@TheLBJSchool) Sept. 17, 2021
Congratulations again to Center President @shaminasingh for receiving the Distinguished Public Service Award - the highest accolade the @TheLBJSchool bestows on an alum - for her exceptional public service! Read more: https://t.co/055mThNGyh pic.twitter.com/U1mawPNJul
— Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth (@CNTR4growth) Sept. 17, 2021
Proud of @shaminasingh for receiving the Distinguished Public Service Award – the highest accolade the @TheLBJSchool bestows on an alum pic.twitter.com/uC5Z8QPjw0
— Parag Mehta (@paragie) Sept. 16, 2021
“What starts here changes the world.”#UTGrad20 #HookEm pic.twitter.com/d5SOl0egXS
— Caroline Harris (@CarolineForTX) Sept 18, 2021
It’s been a year and a half since I graduated with my master’s from @TheLBJSchool, but today it finally feels real. I am so grateful to @UTAustin for giving us 2020 Graduates a chance to celebrate all of our hard work in person.
What starts here changes the world. #HookEm https://t.co/dcFNAYHHCy
— Caroline Harris (@CarolineForTX) Sept. 17, 2021
I loved my time @TheLBJSchool and am a proud @LBJSchoolAlumni. Enormously grateful to the nominators and for the recognition. https://t.co/kUXA0J7HOW
— Shamina Singh (@shaminasingh) Sept. 15, 2021
Honored to be selected for this @TheLBJSchool award, especially alongside @CNTR4growth's amazing Shamina Singh! Though I wish this meant an excuse to go to Austin, I do look forward to "seeing" everyone on Friday. https://t.co/guVSwp6Skz
— Erol Yayboke (@ErolYayboke) Sept. 12, 2021
We're thrilled to celebrate the 2021 outstanding alumni award recipients. These alumni take the mission of public service out of the classroom and into the workplace to truly change the world. Congratulations to @shaminasingh and @ErolYayboke! https://t.co/BCAdWjZHFz
— The LBJ School (@TheLBJSchool) Sept. 13, 2021
@shaminasingh is the Founder and President of @CNTR4growth, the philanthropic hub of @Mastercard.
For more than 20 years, Shamina has been on the frontlines of developing and implementing solutions to make the global economy work for everyone, everywhere. #WhatStartsHere pic.twitter.com/E3I3kZoURp
— LBJ School Alumni (@LBJSchoolAlumni) Sept. 13, 2021
@ErolYayboke is a senior fellow with the International Security Program and director of the Project on Fragility and Mobility @CSIS.
He has committed his career to making the world a safer place, and has done so through impactful research and field work. #WhatStartsHere pic.twitter.com/GNxyMd00YN
— LBJ School Alumni (@LBJSchoolAlumni) Sept. 13, 2021