All colleges are proud of the students who graduate and find themselves successful throughout their career and life. Although many college students are unaware of some of the most successful graduates of their college, it is important for students to learn about people in all different majors who have excelled in their lifetime. I have recently learned about some of the most intriguing and successful graduates of the University of New Hampshire.
- Dan Kreider was the starting fullback for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Super Bowl XL champion
- Tansu Ciller was the Prime Minister of Turkey from 1993-1996
- Ryan Pitts became the 9th living recipient of the Medal of Honor
- Ed Blood was the UNH ski team captain and ski jumper, who competed in the 1932 and 1936 Olympics
- Judy White Currier became the first woman from New Hampshire to finish Alaska’s most grueling sled dog race in 1999
- Andy Brickley was a former hockey player and Boston Bruins announcer
- Marisa Didio was the first and only coach to lead a UNH women’s team for lacrosse to a NCAA-sponsored championship in 1985
- Kate Kohler Paige was the second-highest ranking female officer in the Navy under President George H.W. Bush
- Anne Finucane is the vice chairman at Bank of American
- Norbu Tenzing Norgay is the son of Sherpa Tenzing Norgay who accompanied Sir Edmund Hillary on the first successful summit of Mt. Everest. Norbu is the vice president with the American Himalayan Foundation
- Shawn Gorman is the chairman of the board for LL Bean
- Ron Noble was the Head of the International Criminal Police Organization from 2000-2014
- Susan Blanchard Ryan was the star of the 2003 psychological horror “Open Water”
- Jennifer Lee is the first woman to direct an animated feature film for Disney: “Frozen”
- Astronaut Richard Linnehan was the commander aboard a mission in 1998
All of these graduates have successfully used their education from the University of New Hampshire to become the best they could be. Whether it is a famous sports player or someone who works on the board in a Bank, these people create inspiration for us current students to apply ourselves to do the best we can. We see that many interesting jobs have come from graduates at UNH. This list will hopefully hold some of our names who are graduating within the next couple of years.
Many students do not know all of these inspirational people who have once stood on our home ground of UNH’s campus. It is cool to find out about some of the most successful people who have once taken classes in the exact buildings we sit in today. Not only does knowing about these people create hope for our future, but creates a sense of comfort showing that they graduated from the same university. When I read about all these different graduates, I was excited to share with peers because it is so interesting to know about all different types of people who have contributed to the world and who graduated in Durham, New Hampshire.
