The University of California, Irvine Alumni Association will bestow its highest honor, the Lauds & Laurels Extraordinarius award, upon Steve Borowski ’79 for his philanthropic and volunteer work for the university. In its 48^th year, Lauds & Laurels is UCI’s oldest awards tradition; it recognizes outstanding individuals for their service to the community, professional excellence and campus involvement.

After earning a bachelor’s degree at UCI’s School of Social Sciences and an MBA at Pepperdine University in 1984, Borowski was a managing partner at Palley-Needelman Asset Management Inc. and a co-founder and managing partner at Metropolitan West Capital Management LLC before becoming president of Aristotle Capital Management LLC.

Over the years, Borowski has demonstrated his passion for UCI, its students and its faculty by serving as chair of the School of Social Sciences Dean’s Council, a founding member and chair of the school’s Board of Councilors, an executive adviser for the campus’s Center for Economics & Public Policy, a member of the Anteater Athletic Fund board and a member of the Athletic Director’s Advisory Board. In addition to his university leadership, Borowski is on the boards of such nonprofits as the Blind Children’s Center in Los Angeles, the Orange County Youth Sports Foundation and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County.

According to Bill Maurer, dean of UCI’s School of Social Sciences, Borowski is an enthusiastic volunteer and mentor and “a stalwart community member and role model for all.”

Also among those being honored at the May 31 Lauds & Laurels ceremony is Broadway actress Beth Malone, M.F.A. ’00, who is this year’s Distinguished Alumna from the Claire Trevor School of the Arts. She made her debut in “Ring of Fire” in 2006, and her star has continued to rise ever since. Malone is perhaps most known for her role in “Fun Home,” which garnered her a Tony Award nomination for best leading actress in a musical. Other theatrical credits include “The Marvelous Wonderettes,” “Annie Get Your Gun,” a workshop of “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” and “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.”

Nick Desai ’91, an accomplished entrepreneur and respected community leader, will receive a Distinguished Alumnus award from The Henry Samueli School of Engineering. He has launched four successful startups, including Heal, the “Uber for doctors” app featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today. Desai is a steadfast supporter of UCI and its engineering school, having established two scholarship funds – one in honor of his friend and fellow alumnus, Krishna Shenoy ’90, and the other in honor of his son.

Eleven more 2018 Distinguished Alumni will also be recognized:

• Maggie Chang ’85 – Francisco J. Ayala School of Biological Sciences; philanthropist
• Thomas Wagner, MBA ’89 – The Paul Merage School of Business; owner of The Wagner Group LLC and retired Yum Brands executive
• Cecilia Castro De Andrade – Division of Continuing Education; president of Ocean View Investments Corp. and owner of Havaianas retail store
• Crystal Turner ’00, M.A. ’02 – School of Education; superintendent of Saddleback Valley Unified School District
• Kirsten Dial ’91 – School of Humanities; director of risk management at Fox Entertainment Group
• Carlos Oliveira, M.S. ’95, Ph.D. ’03 – Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences; vice president of H5 Data Centers
• Uzma Chaudhary, M.D. ’93 – School of Medicine; officer of Fatima Welfare Foundation
• Tiffany Nielsen, M.S. ’13 – Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing; assistant clinical professor in the Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing
• Vy Dong ’98 – School of Physical Sciences; professor of chemistry, UCI School of Physical Sciences
• Maria Hernandez ’86 – School of Social Ecology; juvenile court judge, Superior Court of Orange County
• Marice DePasquale ’96 – School of Social Sciences; principal at MConsensus

Additional honorees are Distinguished Young Alumna Gina Heitkamp, MBA ’14, of The Paul Merage School of Business; Outstanding Alumni Athlete Leticia Oseguera ’98, of the School of Social Sciences; Outstanding Faculty Achievement awardee Bill Evans, of the School of Physical Sciences; Outstanding Staff Achievement winner Rick Fruchey, of the School of Physical Sciences; Outstanding Undergraduate Student Iman Siddiqi, of the School of Social Sciences and School of Humanities; and Outstanding Graduate Student Sarita Rosenstock, M.A. ’16, of the School of Social Sciences.

Lauds & Laurels not only recognizes exceptional Anteaters but also supports the university’s and the UCIAA’s role in inspiring and supporting the next generation of alumni – an “Anteaters for Anteaters” movement. Net proceeds from the awards ceremony benefit the UCI Alumni Association Endowed Scholarship Fund.

The event will take place Thursday, May 31, at the Fashion Island Hotel in Newport Beach, beginning with a 6 p.m. reception. Table sponsorships and individual tickets are available now. For sponsorship opportunities, contact Paul Phootrakul, UCIAA director of business development, at pphootra@uci.edu or 949-824-4575.