{"id":25252,"date":"2022-02-23T15:57:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-23T20:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/textiles.ncsu.edu\/news\/?p=25252"},"modified":"2023-10-19T15:44:58","modified_gmt":"2023-10-19T19:44:58","slug":"midani-and-otoole-honored-with-2022-distinguished-young-alumni-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/textiles.ncsu.edu\/news\/2022\/02\/midani-and-otoole-honored-with-2022-distinguished-young-alumni-awards\/","title":{"rendered":"Midani and O\u2019Toole Honored with 2022 Distinguished Young Alumni Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

At the same point during their respective final interviews as Distinguished Young Alumni Award nominees, Mohamad Midani \u201912, \u201916 and Shane O\u2019Toole \u201915 had the same reaction: shock and then laughter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’m very overwhelmed, but also so honored,\u201d O\u2019Toole mused. \u201cThis is such a great surprise,\u201d Midani exclaimed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Feb. 9, the two Wilson College of Textiles graduates learned that they weren\u2019t actually being interviewed \u2014 instead, they had just<\/strong> been named the esteemed recipients of the college\u2019s 2022 Distinguished Young Alumni Awards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Established in 2021 by the Dean\u2019s Young Alumni Leadership Council<\/a> (DYALC), the Distinguished Young Alumni Award<\/a> program recognizes graduates under the age of 40 who have made significant contributions to the textile industry and their communities. The DYALC<\/a> works to promote the Wilson College of Textiles and the college\u2019s fundraising arm, the North Carolina Textile Foundation<\/a>, along with fostering continued engagement among young alumni.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Award winners are selected based on their professional achievements, alignment with the college\u2019s core values<\/a>, service to the industry, community involvement and entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis year\u2019s awardees, Shane and Mohamad, are incredible examples of the expertise and dedication coming out of the Wilson College of Textiles,\u201d says Andrew Hicks \u201910, \u201911, chair of the DYALC\u2019s awards committee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t wait to connect these two with current students and show those students how our field can be adapted to their particular interests.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meet the 2022 Distinguished Young Alumni Award Recipients<\/h3>\n\n\n\n