The Young Alumni Award is presented to a Maryville graduate who brings distinction to themself, their profession, their community and their alma mater. This year, Kacy Blumenstock Thorton, a physical therapist from the Class of 2005, was recognized:

• For … having the confidence and wherewithal to pursue her profession in remote areas of the world;
• For … serving as a leader on campus while earning her Masters degree in Physical Therapy.
• For … traveling to Zimbabwe on a church group mission, a journey that ultimately reignited her passion for travel and opened her eyes to a global need for physical therapy—and by answering that need.
• For … choosing to manage a pediatric clinic in a rural village in the Middle East, where—for two years—she also provided in-home treatment and education classes for families and learned Arabic along the way;
•  For … continuing to think critically, doing good works in the communities of the world, being a lifelong learner and worldwide explorer, and … no matter how great the distance, for keeping in touch with her Maryville friends, however far away they (we!) may be.