University of Cincinnati alumni to be honored at Chicagoans for Cincy! Celebration

A trio of highly accomplished graduates of the University of Cincinnati will be recognized at the annual Chicagoans for Cincy! Celebration, hosted by the University of Cincinnati Alumni Association and the Chicagoans for Cincy! Celebration Committee, a group of dedicated UC alumni living in the Chicago area. The event will take place May 11 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Loft Lucia, 7 North Carpenter St. in Chicago West Loop.

The slate of honorees:

• Outstanding Achievement Award:  Shannon Finn Connell, PhD, A&S ’92
  Connell is an executive coach, author, organizational change leader, and CEO of the David R. Metcalf Invisible Wounds Foundation, established to advance brain health care for military and veterans by addressing traumatic brain injury and suicide prevention. She is also an advisor to the Navy SEAL Foundation where she supports Special Operations Warriors transitioning from active military service to civilian life.
  
  
• Distinguished Service Award:  Dr. Steven Edelstein, Med ’89
  Edelstein is an anesthesiologist, educator, author, and chair of the Loyola University Chicago Department of Anesthesia. He established the Dr. Steven Edelstein Medical Student Endowed Scholarship Fund at the University of Cincinnati, supporting M.D. degree-seeking students with a preference given to third- and fourth-year underrepresented students.
  
  
• Rising Star Award:  Bhavik Modi, Bus ’15
  Modi is a Senior Director at BTS, a global consultancy firm that works with leaders to help turn strategy into action with a focus on the people side of strategy execution, and CEO and co-founder of Azadi Brewing, a rapidly growing craft brewery in Chicago. He is a dedicated volunteer in support of UC and his fellow Chicago-area alumni, supporting various UC causes and activities.

“Chicago is very important to the University of Cincinnati, and UC is very important to Chicago,” said Chicagoans for Cincy! co-chair Savannah Bell. “We send many outstanding students to UC from here, and many Bearcat alumni return or move to Chicago to live and work. We’re also a major market for employing UC students in cooperative education jobs, which provide substantial value to the already tremendous educational experience UC offers. The Chicagoans for Cincy! Celebration unites UC alumni here in Chicago while strengthening our university as well as our UC alumni experience.”

The Chicagoans for Cincy! Celebration doubles as a philanthropic opportunity, as it is the network’s premier fundraiser benefiting the Chicagoans for Cincy! Alumni Scholarship Fund which provides a renewable annual scholarship award for first-year UC students from the Chicago area.