Charlotte College Of Arts + Architecture Honors Distinguished Alumni
The UNC Charlotte College of Arts + Architecture (CoA+A) will honor five Distinguished Alumni on Friday, March 14, in the eleventh annual celebration of alumni achievement. The award ceremony will take place at 11:00 am in the Anne R. Belk Theater in Robinson Hall. The event is open to the public.
The Distinguished Alumni Awards were created by the College of Arts + Architecture in 2015 to recognize the accomplishments of alumni who demonstrate in their work the core themes of the College’s vision: professionalism, global perspective, environmental engagement, connectivity with community, collaboration, and the emergence of new ideas, skills, and practices. Each department designates one Distinguished Alum annually, chosen by departmental faculty and administration. See past honored alumni here.
The 2025 CoA+A Distinguished Alumni are:
Rachel Keeton ‘06 (B.A. in Architecture)
Rachel Keeton is researcher, architect, and urbanist specialized in the intersection of design and social equity in African urban environments. Dr. Keeton completed her Master of Science in Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences at Delft University of Technology. The Netherlands, in 2008. In 2015 she founded Urban Anecdote, a consultancy, research, and design office dealing with urban questions through contributions ranging from exhibitions to independent films. From 2016-2020 she completed a PhD in urbanism as a recipient of the Delft Global Initiative Fellowship. This work developed an alternative approach to New Town planning in Africa that integrates no-income, low-income, and middle-income housing, aiming to make services and educational opportunities accessible to all.
Kenny Nguyen ‘15 (B.F.A. in Painting)
Kenny Nguyen creates expansive, dimensional, mixed-media paintings that center on ideas of cultural identity, displacement and integration. Nguyen grew up on a coconut farm in a rural area near the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam. Despite having an established career in fashion design, he decided to join his family when they moved to the United States in 2010. Acclimating to an American way of life proved uneasy at first, especially with a language barrier that intensified feelings of alienation and isolation. Nguyen turned to art-making as a coping mechanism and as a means to express himself in a more universal language
Alex Aguilar ‘17 (B.A. in Dance)
Alex Aguilar is a multidisciplinary artist based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Before stepping into his role as PR and Social Media Manager at Children’s Theatre of Charlotte, he was a resident actor with the company, touring the Southeast as a performer in theatre, dance, and music. He holds bachelor’s degrees in dance and biology from UNC Charlotte and has trained in ballroom and Latin dance at Midtown Ballroom and Queen City Ballroom. He also attended the Debbie Allen Dance Academy, where he received the Superior Excellence Award.
Amber Carpenter Koeppen ‘13 (B.M. in Harp Performance)
Amber Koeppen is a professor of harp and aural skills at Appalachian State University and the director of the university’s Community Music School. She holds a Master of Music in Harp Performance from the University of Michigan and a Graduate Certificate in Vocal Pedagogy from UNC Charlotte.
Jeremy Foil ‘05 (B.A. in Theatre and Dance)
Jeremy Foil is based in New York City, where he is an art director working in feature film, a variety of programming for various streaming platforms, and live events. His recent credits include Fallout (Art Directors Guild nomination), American Horror Story: Delicate, Gossip Girl (HBO), and Fosse/Verdon (Art Directors Guild nomination). He has also contributed as associate set designer to Broadway productions such as The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Tony Nomination), Honeymoon in Vegas, and School of Rock The Musical (London, Australia, China and Korea).