Cheryl Gierkey (’92 M.Ed.), Fort Worth :: was one of three winners – and the only individual – to win the Cigna Quarterly Champion Award that was given last fall by her company, Cigna, for an act of kindness she performed on the job. As a behavioral health case manager, she helps clients with mental health diagnoses lead an independent life. One such client, who has bipolar disorder and anxiety and was on a fixed income, had adopted a homeless kitten who had become his comfort cat. But his apartment complex would not let him keep the cat because all pets must be neutered/spayed and licensed. She found a Fort Worth mobile clinic that helped low-income residents. On the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, she took the cat to the clinic and bought a carrier for it – helping ease her client’s anxiety. “I am beyond honored and humbled to receive this award,” she says. “I'm happy and proud to show just a small portion of what we do for our members.” While at UNT, she was both president and vice president of the Residence Hall Association.