By: Emma Manhire

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (UATV) — The Top Young Alumni Award honors outstanding accomplishments in career, public service, and volunteer efforts to the University of Arkansas. This years recipient, Jonathon Modica, received the award during this years football Homecoming game. 

Modica graduated from the university in 2007 with a master’s degree in broadcast journalism. Modica came to the university from Smackover, Arkansas with a life long dream of becoming a razorback. 

Not only did he work hard in the classroom, Modica was a razorback student athlete. He played for the university’s basketball team from 2003-2006. Throughout his basketball career, he scored more than 1,000 points, earned the All-Southeastern Conference honors twice and ranks among Arkansas’ all-time leaders in several categories. 

“Being a student and a razorback athlete at the University of Arkansas for me was just tremendous.” Monica said. “I had an opportunity to play for the program that I grew up admiring as a kid and I also had the opportunity of meeting a lot of great professors at in the journalism department that really instilled a sense of belonging for me, a lot of academic drive and ultimately played a significant role in me becoming the professional that I am today.”

Modica returned to campus last week during Media Literacy Week to speak to broadcast journalism students taking a class he once did. 

He opened up about his college experience and got emotional while speaking about a professor who supported him through all the highs and lows of his educational experience. That same professor sat by him while he opened up to students about his struggles. Her commenting “I love you,” while he spoke. 

“This is a full circle moment for me. I am very grateful, very humbled by it,” Monica said. “But it also makes me feel like there is a testament to the hard work that I put in at the university and the great advice that I followed from professors and staff members that I worked with very closely.”

Modica now serves as the vice president, human resources business partner, in the Global Business Solutions Group at Intuit Inc. in San Francisco, California. He has worked for a handful of other businesses including Walmart, Splunk, Adobe, and Cisco. 

Modica shared words of wisdom to students during his visit telling them to “trust the process and have confidence”. 

Other 2025 University of Arkansas Alumni Awardees can be found here. 

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