NYUAA Alumni Volunteer Recognition and Service Awards

This year’s NYUAA Alumni Volunteer Recognition and Service Awards will take place on Saturday, October 22, from 5:30–6:30 PM. Alumni are invited to join us to celebrate the many alumni volunteers that support the NYU community. Learn more about the 2022 honorees below:

Innovation of the Year | NYU Alumni Club in Japan: World EATrip: Year-End Rally

The NYU Alumni Club in Japan marked the relaxing of coronavirus restrictions by hosting World EATrip 2021: Year End Rally - Imaginary Travel through Quintessential Food Around the World. The series sent alumni on an imaginary journey through various countries, connecting folks through cuisine during ten small gatherings at local restaurants. Participants brought along their passports, which were checked by alumni committee members dressed as a pilot or flight attendant, presented with handmade boarding passes to welcome them on the “journey,” and NYU goods were offered to the “most active frequent flyers.” The event helped bring together NYU alumni and friends face-to-face in a creative and exciting way and served to reinforce the bonds of alumni to NYU and to each other during unprecedented times.

Event of the Year | NYU Alumni Club in Los Angeles: 15th Annual Holiday Party on Ice!

This year, the NYU Alumni Club in Los Angeles partnered with Tisch West, Stern LA, and Gallatin LA to host a restructured version of its biggest and most beloved event—the annual NYU alumni holiday party. The 15th Annual Holiday Party on Ice! took place in the heart of historic downtown Los Angeles yielding over 200 registrants. To channel a New York State of Mind on the West Coast, as well as creatively comply with all local and state COVID-19 precautions, the NYU Alumni Club in LA exclusively reserved an outdoor ice-skating rink for NYU alumni, families, and friends to enjoy the LA “winter” and reconnect with a classic East Coast tradition. The club provided rental skates and a hosted hot chocolate bar with delicious toppings, and partnered with NYU staff to distribute NYU winter swag to early arrivals.

Club of Distinction | NYU Alumni Club in South Florida

The NYU Alumni Club in South Florida was established in 2003. For 19 years, the club has hosted professional, social, academic, cultural, and service program opportunities, led by dedicated alumni from the NYU schools of Law, Steinhardt, Stern, and Tisch. The NYU Alumni Club in South Florida serves a community of more than 8,000 alumni in Miami, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. Since 2016, the club leadership has collectively organized and hosted over 50 events!

Volunteer of the Year | Arianna Deans (STEINHARDT ’16), Communications Leader, NYU Alumni Club in Los Angeles

Arianna Deans serves as the Communications Leader for the NYU Alumni Club in Los Angeles. In her role, she responds to inquiries from community members and facilitates a welcoming environment for her fellow alumni. Arianna has created new platforms to support her fellow volunteers and engage the NYU alumni community in Los Angeles, including running the club’s social media accounts and regularly generating original posts and content. This year, Arianna also helped plan and staff the club’s 15th Annual Holiday Party on Ice, Black History Month Trivia, Sunday Funday at Throw Clay LA, and an outing to Broadway in Hollywood’s Pretty Woman. She also co-facilitated an event for Alumni & Parents Weekend with the Office of Global Inclusion, and serves on the planning committee for the inaugural West Coast Conference. 

Meritorious Service Award

Christine Schneider (STERN ’94), Presented posthumously

Christine, who passed in April 2020, made the decision to leave a transformative testamentary gift, which ultimately resulted in $4.3 million toward undergraduate scholarships at Stern. She was a long-time volunteer, former chair of the Stern Alumni Council, and an instrumental part of the establishment of the Stern Women in Business (SWIB) Alumnae Committee. She also helped found the Career Center for Working Professionals.

Dasha Rettew (GAL ’14)

Dasha is a young alumni trustee, our most recent past president of the NYU Alumni Association, and  a generous supporter of NYU in a multitude of ways. She holds the distinction of being the only “pandemic President,” conducting all of her NYUAA business remotely for the two-year period of her tenure—no small or glamorous feat.