51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ

Laurie (McRitchie) Eden, '00 BA Communication Studies, is the co-creator of the book series, Tater Tot and Shadow, created with her mother, a retired Clark County School District teacher. Inspired by her love for rescue dogs and travel, the book series follows the travel adventures of her two jet-setting rescue chihuahuas as they explore exciting and historic locales across the United States. Her fourth book, Tater Tot and Shadow Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas, is a top seller on Amazon’s Top Wishlist Travel Books for Nevada. As a native, she blends some of her favorite memories of growing up in the Entertainment Capital of the World and the Las Vegas that people know today. When Eden isn’t writing, she’s traveling with her husband, planning events, selling real estate, and checking out the latest restaurants in Austin, Texas, where she resides.

Alex Sugden, '73 BS Hotel Administration, has worked full time since 1966 at Desert Inn, BaliHai Motel, Frontier Hotel, Tropicana Hotel, Rainbow Vegas Hotels. He started AJS Management Corp. and owned and managed several apartment communities and developed three self-storage properties. He retired on 2021. Sugden enjoys playing golf, scuba diving, and riding his ebike. He has great memories of 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ and the instructors who introduced him to the hospitality industry.  

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, ‘99 BA Communication Studies, has 23 years of outside sales experience â€” 13 years selling steel and 10 years selling building products for commercial and industrial buildings in northeast Ohio. Sway has been a varsity soccer coach for five years. He'd head coach for both girls and boys soccer at Crestwood High School in Mantua, Ohio. He's also head coach for U17 and U19 girls at Canton-Akron Force FC, where they just won the U17 Ohio State Championship. He also had the opportunity to coach in the nation championship in July 2024 in Denver. He's been married to Stacee (Appiano) Sway for 23 years. They met in the Boyd Hall dorms in 1997. They have a 22-year-old son Andrew, who is a senior at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ where he's been the goal keeper on the 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ men’s soccer team for the last four years. Andrew will graduate from 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ this December. Sway still misses and loves Las Vegas, 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ, and visits two to four times yearly and is just as proud to be a 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Rebel as he was in 1997 when he first attended.    

Heather Richardson, '04 BA Interdisciplinary Studies and '11 MSW, retired from 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ as the program coordinator of the 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ 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 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ 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 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ in '23 with a BA in criminal justice. Her daughter, Alayna Richardson, is a junior at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ in the College of Education.  

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, '11 BS Recreation and '14 MS Hotel Administration, is the associate director for the PGA Golf Management University program at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ and successfully earned his PGA Master Professional Designation, the highest education designation a PGA of America Golf Professional can obtain.  

Wanda Brister Rachwal, ’04 Doctor of Musical Arts, earned a master's prior to attending 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ. 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, ’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, '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, '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 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ. 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, ne-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, '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.