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Alumni

He cut class to see her at breakfast. Nutrition became their lives

Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day. But it was beyond important for Henry Leung, PHD ’75 ACES, and Cecilia Tsun-Tai Jen Leung, MS ’71 ACES, PHD ’74 ACES, back when they were international graduate students—he from Hong Kong, and she from Taiwan.

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After a frightening accident, Susannah Scaroni continues to break boundaries in wheelchair track

ONE MINUTE, wheelchair racer Susannah Scaroni, ’14 ACES, MS ’22 ACES, was pushing through a normal long training session, heading east on Windsor Road not far from campus. The next, she was moving ahead much more quickly than she expected.

It was early morning on Sept. 16, 2021. A month before, Scaroni had been in Tokyo for the Paralympics, where she won a gold medal in the 5,000 meters and a bronze medal in the 800 meters.

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From blue jacket to Illini orange — Doyle Karr’s colorful career in agricultural communications

What seems like not long ago, Doyle was a young child growing up on his family’s farm in Wapella, Illinois. The sixteenth of nineteen children, Doyle held responsibilities on their farm just as his siblings did: milking cows, collecting eggs, and working in the garden. 

In the blink of an eye, Doyle Karr, a 1986 graduate from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, found himself standing on stage in front of the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences’ graduating class of 2024 as a distinguished alumnus and this year’s keynote speaker.  

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Floral design classes inspired ACES alum to start high-end event design boutique

As a college student, Rachel Wyffels made a serendipitous class choice that sparked a passion and shaped her career path.

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ACES alumni continue family business in honor of Joyce Riskedal

In 1999, Brad and Joyce Riskedal, both University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alums, were busy raising a family and working the family farm in north central Illinois.

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ACES scholarship is deeply meaningful for animal sciences student

As she opened her email in class, Jacqueline Springer started shaking as emotions overwhelmed her. With tears in her eyes, she rushed outside of the classroom to call her dad. He was just as shocked as she was. 

The phone line was silent as Jacqueline’s news sank in. Only her dad could understand how meaningful it was to receive the Jay Haning Scholarship.

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