The University of Notre Dame Alumni Association honored the achievements of two Notre Dame graduates with awards this month.
Capt. Wendy Sue Kosek, a 2004 graduate and 2007 graduate of the Notre Dame Law School, received the Rev. William Corby, C.S.C., Award for distinguished military service.
An assistant staff judge advocate at the 316th Wing, Joint Base in Andrews, Md., Kosek graduated magna cum laude from the University with a bachelor’s degree in English and computer applications. She was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Air Force Reserve and accepted an education delay to attend the Notre Dame Law School. After graduation, Kosek joined the Little Rock Air Force Base legal office as an assistant staff judge advocate before being deployed in June 2009 to Baghdad, Iraq. Just two months into her deployment to support Operation Iraqi Freedom, Kosek’s convoy was struck by an improvised explosive projectile, and she sustained significant injuries to her face, hands and leg, requiring multiple surgeries.
Kosek was awarded the Purple Heart, an Air Force Combat Action Medal and a Joint Service Commendation Medal for her service.
Victor Dukay, a 1978 Notre Dame graduate, was presented the Thomas A. Dooley Award for his outstanding service to humankind, specifically for his work with HIV/AIDS and improving the lives of orphaned children in Africa.
Dukay is the president and project director for the Lundy Foundation, an organization he founded in 1991 to assist local HIV/AIDS service providers. Recognizing the impact the Lundy Foundation was making in the fight against HIV/AIDS, Dukay was approached by another nonprofit organization that sought his help in developing an HIV/AIDS service program in Africa. The Lundy Foundation is now committed to helping Africans design and implement community-based projects that address the effects of HIV/AIDS on vulnerable children and women.
Currently, Dukay volunteers with an international group working in cooperation with the World Health Organization, South African leaders, the U.S. State Department, and other international foundations to effectively stop the transmission of HIV in Africa within seven years.